Due to the condensed nature of the fixture schedule for the 2020-21 season, the Champions League group stages have absolutely flown by with matches taking place every midweek.
So much so that we’ve nearly come to the end of it. Blink and you would have missed it.
The group stages have come in for a bit of flak in recent years with Uefa organising the competition in such a way that Europe’s big five leagues – England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain – swallow up 20 of the 32 places available.
That has led to criticism that the group stages have become all too predictable with the biggest clubs on the continent inevitably coming out on top against teams assembled on a fraction of their budgets. Most of the traditional powerhouses have qualified with a game to spare but the big boys haven’t had things entirely their own way this time around.
In Group B for instance, Borussia Monchengladbach and Shakhtar Donetsk are currently ranked first and second, ahead of Real Madrid and Inter, going into the final round of matches. Shakhtar have even managed to complete the double over Real, despite having a squad decimated by positive Covid-19 tests in one of the matches.
As for the Premier League clubs, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City have all booked their places in the last 16, while Manchester United must earn at least a point away to RB Leipzig to be sure of their spot. As Ole Gunnar Solskjaer acknowledged in his pre-match press conference: “We never make it easy for ourselves.”
We will have to wait until early 2021 to get our next dose of Champions League football and in anticipation of that, here are the key details behind the round of 16 draw.
When will the draw take place?
The draw will take place at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Monday 14 December at 11am (BST).
How to watch it
You can watch the draw in full on Uefa’s website here.
Which teams have qualified?
Seeded (group winners):
- Bayern Munich
- Chelsea
- Liverpool
- Manchester City
Unseeded (group runners-up):
- Porto
- Sevilla
Qualified (group position TBC):
- Barcelona
- Borussia Dortmund
- Juventus
When will the round of 16 matches take place?
The first leg matches will take place on Tuesday 16 February and Wednesday 17 February with the unseeded teams playing at home.
The return legs will be on Tuesday 9 March and Wednesday 10 March and will be hosted by the group winners.
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