Following the conclusion of the UEFA Champions League group stage, much of the talk on social media has been surrounding teams who did not qualify for the knockout stages, with Barcelona missing out on the last 16 for the first time in 18 years.
Other high-profile omissions include German clubs Borussia Dortmund and Red Bull Leipzig as well as Italian side Atalanta. This article, however, is all about the draw itself and the teams in the hat.
When is the draw?
The draw will take place tomorrow on Monday 13th December 2021. The draw will take place at the UEFA headquarters in Switzerland and the coverage will begin at 11 am UK time (GMT). Coverage of the draw in the UK can be found on BT Sport or you can follow the link below to find UEFA's official coverage.
How the draw is formatted:
Following on from the group stage, the teams who placed 1st in their respective groups are 'seeded' in the last 16 draw. Therefore, the remaining eight teams that progressed are 'unseeded'. Every tie will consist of a seeded and unseeded team.
In addition, no side can face a club from the same nation as themselves or a team that they played in the group stage. The ties will take place over two legs, with each team having a home and away leg.
The teams that qualified for the last 16 are listed in group order, as follows:
Seeded Unseeded
Manchester City (ENG) | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) |
Liverpool (ENG) | Atletico Madrid (ESP) |
Ajax (NED) | Sporting Lisbon (POR) |
Real Madrid (ESP) | Inter (ITA) |
FC Bayern (GER) | SL Benfica (POR) |
Manchester United (ENG) | Villarreal (ESP) |
LOSC Lille (FRA) | FC Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) |
Juventus (ITA) | Chelsea (ENG) |
When will these matches take place?
The first legs of the matches will be spread out over the 15th, 16th, 22nd and 23rd February 2022 with second legs being played over the 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th March 2022.
Will anything be different about the knockouts this year?
Yes! Firstly for the most part, fans are back in the stadiums, (although this recently changed in Germany). This will help bring the true atmosphere of famous European nights back, as was witnessed on occasion in the group stage, as can be seen below.
Secondly, the away goals rule has been scrapped completely, meaning if the tie is level after both legs have been played, the game will go to extra-time regardless of goals scored home or away.
Who this year's 'Dark Horses' might be
Following highly impressive performances at an unexpected level, Ajax and Salzburg look the most likely sides to cause an upset.
Ajax were exceptional throughout the group stages as they surprisingly topped a group containing Sporting Lisbon and Borussia Dortmund. Sebastian Haller stunned the whole competition with an incredible record-breaking 10 goals in just six fixtures as Ajax won all six games, the only other teams to do this were European heavyweights Bayern and Liverpool.
As for Salzburg, they are a team breaking into new ground, this is the furthest they have ever made it into the competition and when considering they had to participate in the qualifiers too, it has already been a long journey. However, with promising young stars such as Noah Okafor and Karim Adeyemi- who has been linked with Liverpool and Real Madrid in the past- stepping up to the plate, there is something about this young Salzburg side that gives the impression that they could present a shock if given the opportunity.
Potential draws to look out for
With PSG and Chelsea both being unseeded for this draw, it is likely that we will see two heavyweights match up. PSG cannot match Lille or Man City, therefore are guaranteed to be facing a previous Champions League winner. Who the likes of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe will face is definitely something to keep your eyes on.
Chelsea and Atletico Madrid also face similar issues with being unseeded however still have the possibility of facing Lille amongst others, giving them slightly less to worry about.
Oh and wouldn't it just be poetic for Manchester United to face Sporting for Cristiano Ronaldo to face his old club?
All will be revealed soon!
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