DECRYPTION – Everything you need to know about the Champions League play-off draw with PSG and Monaco.
Suspense. After the multiplex fireworks of the eighth day of the league phase, we will hold our breath for the 16 clubs qualified for the Champions League play-offs. Playoffs which will take place on February 17 and 18 for the first legs, and February 24 and 25 for the return matches. Two French clubs concerned, PSG and Monaco. Not OM, eliminated on Wednesday.
Where and when will the draw take place?
The draw will take place this Friday from noon, at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.
Skip the ad
Who are the clubs concerned?
There are 16 of them, namely the clubs which finished between 9th and 24th place in the league phase standings. The first eight (Arsenal, Bayern, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting, Manchester City) are qualified for the round of 16 (March 10/11 and 17/18), while the last 12 – including OM and the Italian champion, Naples – are eliminated.
Top seeds : Real Madrid (ESP), Inter (ITA), PSG (FRA)Newcastle (ANG), Juventus (ITA), Atletico (ESP), Atalanta (ITA), Leverkusen (ALL)
Unseeded: Dortmund (ALL), Olympiakos (GRE), Bruges (BEL), Galatasaray (TUR), Monaco (FRA)Qarabağ (AZE), Bodø/Glimt (NOR), Benfica (POR)
Also read
PSG: the time of disenchantment
PSG-Monaco, is it possible?
Yes. The first eight play-offs have seeded status. They will have the advantage of receiving in the return match. And they will face one of the teams ranked 17th to 24th place. No particular restrictions otherwise. Unlike the league phase, two clubs from the same country can, for example, compete against each other, such as Paris-SG and AS Monaco. Last year, the Parisians had already faced a Ligue 1 team at this stage of the competition, Brest (3-0, 7-0). Two clubs who have already played against each other in the league phase may also be required to cross swords.
Also read
Monaco-PSG: Vitinha and Minamino transcendent, Pogba returning, Camara astonishing… Tops/Flops
However, this will not be a full print run. Only two possibilities per club this Friday. Everything is marked out. Thus, the 9th or the 10th will be opposed to the 23rd or the 24th, the 11th or the 12th against the 21st or 22nd and so on.
Skip the ad
Who are the opponents for Paris and the ASM?
11th in the C1 standings, PSG will be able to face ASM (21st) or the surprising Azeri club of Qarabag (22nd), who defeated Benfica (3-2), Copenhagen (2-0) and Frankfurt and who took a point against Chelsea (2-2). For the Principality club, the second potential opponent is Newcastle (12th). Note that, for a handful of minutes, the possibility of seeing Paris challenge OM in the play-offs existed. At least until the totally crazy goal by Anatoliy Troubine, the Benfica goalkeeper, against Real (4-2)…
Also read
PSG or Newcastle for Monaco? “No preference” decides Pocognoli after a “deserved qualification”
What about the round of 16 and the rest of the table?
We already have a small idea of what awaits the jump-off competitors for the rest of the competition. As for Paris and Monaco, they will indeed face Barcelona (5th) or Chelsea (6th) in the event of qualification for the round of 16, with potentially Liverpool (3rd), Tottenham (4th) in the quarter-finals. However, the suspense will remain complete until the draw on February 27. At that point, we will know the whole picture until the final. It is on May 30 in Budapest that PSG’s successor at the summit of Europe will be crowned.
Dams: February 17/18 and 24/25
Round of 16: March 10/11 and 17/18
Quarter-finals: April 7/8 and 14/15
Semi-finals: April 28/29 and May 5/6
Finals: May 30 (Budapest)
