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Champions League knockouts: Who will Premier League teams face in next rounds?

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Laurens: Newcastle have a favourable tie vs. Qarabağ (2:07)

Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens react to Newcastle drawing Qarabağ FK in the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League. (2:07)

Six Premier League sides entered and six have made it to the round of 16. You can't argue with how the English clubs have tackled the Champions League this season. But what's next?

We now know who Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle United will face moving forwards.

After of the round of 16 draw on Friday, ESPN brings you all you need to know.


Who qualified for the round of 16?

Eight teams advanced directly to the round of 16, while 16 more -- who placed ninth to 24th in the 36-club league phase -- headed to the knockout playoff round.

Arsenal won all eight of their games to qualify top, with Bayern Munich second. On a frantic final night of action, they were joined by Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP and Manchester City.

Newcastle United secured safe passage to the round of 16 after overcoming Qarabag in the playoff round. Atlético Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen have also made it through, as have Bodo/Glimt who stunned Inter with a 5-2 win on aggregate over last year's finalists. Olympiacos and Club Brugge were knocked out of the playoff phase

Juventus valiantly fought back from a 5-2 deficit in the first leg against Galatasaray to force the tie into extra-time, but were ultimately knocked out by the Turkish giants. Atalanta became the only Italian team to enter the round of 16 after coming from behind to knock out Borussia Dortmund.

Monaco gave Paris Saint-Germain a scare in their meeting but the holders' quality prevailed to see them through. Meanwhile, Real Madrid ousted Benfica to enter the round of 16 for the 23rd straight season.


Why do we know who teams can play?

A seeding system -- introduced for 2024-25 -- ensured the higher-placed teams from the league phase wouldn't face each other in the knockout playoff round, theoretically creating a more balanced bracket.

All 16 teams that headed to the playoffs were paired based on their final position in the league phase. That means ninth-placed Real Madrid were paired with 10th-placed Inter, 11th-placed PSG with 12th-placed Newcastle, and so on. This created eight sets of paired teams.

In the draw, each pairing was split up and placed on opposite sides of the bracket.

Additionally, teams that finished in the top eight were paired based on their positions at the end of the league phase to form four seeded pairs (clubs in positions 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8).

The clubs in each pair were placed into one of two positions in the round of 16 against the relevant winners of the knockout phase playoffs.

On Friday, the top eight seeded teams will be drawn on each side of the bracket, confirming their round-of-16 opponents.

There are big advantages to the highest finishers from the league phase. Teams who finished in the top eight are guaranteed a second leg at home in the round of 16. Teams who finished in the top four are guaranteed a second leg at home in the quarterfinals too. The advantage extends into the semifinals for the teams that finished in the top two.


Who will Premier League teams play in the round of 16?

Having clinched top spot in the league phase, Arsenal will play Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16, and like all of the top eight will be at home in the second leg.

Liverpool, after finishing third, will take on Galatasaray. That meant Tottenham, who finished fourth in the league phase, got will meet Atlético Madrid.

Chelsea will take on PSG, who narrowly overcame Monaco 5-4 on aggregate in the playoff round.

Man City will face another clash with Real Madrid, who beat Benfica to continue their Champions League campaign.

Newcastle are set to play Barcelona in the next round.


What happens next?

Friday's draw provided a clearer picture for the remainder of this season's Champions League campaign with each team drawn against a round-of-16 opponent. In doing so, all 16 teams were been placed on either side of the draw, making able to work out their possible route to the final.

Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are on one side of the draw -- meaning a Chelsea vs. Liverpool quarterfinal is possible should both sides win. Should City beat Real Madrid, they'll have to play either Atalanta or Bayern Munich, which could set up an all-Premier League semifinal.

Meanwhile, Newcastle, Tottenham and Arsenal are on the other side.

Newcastle and Tottenham could first meet in the quarterfinals should both sides beat their La Liga opponents, while Arsenal, if they beat Leverkusen, will meet the winner of Bodo/Glimt vs. Sporting for a place in the semifinals.

The draw means that a Clásico final is possible, as is a matchup between Arsenal and Manchester City, the current top two sides in the Premier League.

What are the remaining important Champions League dates this season?

Round of 16/quarterfinal/semifinal draw: Feb. 27
Round of 16: March 10-11, March 17-18
Quarterfinals: April 7-8, April 14-15
Semifinals: April 28-29, May 5-6
Final: May 30 (Budapest)