Having played their final group-stage matches this morning, just half of the 32 teams in the hunt for the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League title remain.
The field has been whittled down to just 16 teams now who will now begin the process of two-leg elimination qualifiers scheduled throughout 2014.
Defending champions Bayern Munich remain the favourites to beat, while the likes of FC Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester City all remain in the final 16 as well.
The draw for the round of 16 is scheduled for 9:00pm AEDT on Monday, December 16, 2013 so we’ve put together a complete guide with all the need-to-know information for the teams and possible match-ups – as well as for the draw itself!
Q. Which teams have qualified for the round of 16?
Manchester United, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona have all qualified for the round of 16 as winners of their group. Bayer Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Manchester City, Schalke, Arsenal, Zenit Saint Petersburg and AC Milan have all qualified as runners-up in their respective groups.
Q. How does the draw for the groups work?
The group winners and runners-up will be split up into separate pots (each containing eight teams). From there, one team from each pot will be drawn to play against each other in a two-leg playoff (one leg at each home ground).
Q. Could we see Arsenal drawn against Manchester United?
Not in the round of 16. In the round of 16, only teams from different associations (meaning domestic leagues) can play against each other, and ones that were from different groups to begin with.
In the case of Manchester United (who topped Group A), this means that they can’t be drawn against Arsenal or Manchester City — who both finished as runners-up of their groups — and they can’t be drawn against Bayer Leverkusen, who were in Group A with them to begin with.
Q. So who can each team be drawn against?
Below is the full finishings for each group — winners and runners-up. Teams can’t play the team in their group nor teams in their same associations (in brackets).
GROUP A
Winner: Manchester United (English Premier League)
Runner-up: Bayer Leverkusen (German Bundesliga)
GROUP B
Winner: Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga)
Runner-up: Galatasaray (Turkish Super Lig)
GROUP C
Winner: Paris Saint-Germain (French Ligue 1)
Runner-up: Olympiakos (Greek Super League)
GROUP D
Winner: Bayern Munich (German Bundesliga)
Runner-up: Manchester City (English Premier League)
GROUP E
Winner: Chelsea (English Premier League)
Runner-up: Schalke (German Bundesliga)
GROUP F
Winner: Borussia Dortmund (German Bundesliga)
Runner-up: Arsenal (English Premier League)
GROUP G
Winner: Atletico Madrid (Spanish La Liga)
Runner-up: Zenit Saint-Petersburg (Russian Football Championship)
GROUP H
Winner: FC Barcelona (Spanish La Liga)
Runner-up: AC Milan (Italian Serie A)
Q. Which group-winners do you want to avoid drawing?
Defending champions Bayern Munich are no doubt the pick of the big-name clubs that headline the group-winners, while the likes of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are both also difficult given the tough atmosphere that both the Nou Camp and the Bernabeu provide.
Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea have been hit-and-miss this year (but have a number of attacking options capable of causing some havoc) while Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Paris Saint-Germain continue to fly under the radar.
Q. Which runners-up do you want to avoid drawing?
The two biggest runners-up are both Premier League clubs in Manchester City and Arsenal, who were incredibly close to winning their respective groups. They’ll certainly be tough for any big-name club to be drawn against. Bayer Leverkusen has the potential to be a thorny opponent given their strength on the counterattack, which Galatasaray could be tough given their incredible home-ground advantage.
Q. When will the round of 16 matches be played?
While the draw for the round of 16 matches might be as soon as Monday, matches won’t actually be played until late February in 2014.
Four first-leg matches will be played on February 25-26 and the remaining four on March 5-6; the second-legs will take place on March 12-13 and March 19-20 respectively.
Q. What are the odds on the different teams?
Defending champions Bayern Munich are the firm favourites for the title at $3.25, closely followed by the two Spanish heavyweights in FC Barcelona ($5.50) and Real Madrid ($6).
Then there’s a big gap to the likes of Borussia Dortmund ($13), Manchester City ($13), Atletico Madrid ($15), Chelsea ($15), Paris Saint-Germain ($15), Arsenal ($17) and Manchester United ($17). AC Milan are currently listed as $41 hopes while the five other clubs are all triple-figure prices.
All odds provided via TAB Sportsbet and correct as of Thursday, December 12 at 1:00pm AEDT.
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