The intermediate round of the Champions League will be drawn on Friday. There are two possible opponents for everyone, Bayern could meet Manchester City.
The last matchday of the Champions League is over. Now the focus is on the draws of the encounters in the intermediate round and in the round of 16.
The most important findings for the Bundesliga teams
- Bayern Munich Could meet Manchester City or Celtic Glasgow in the intermediate round.
- Borussia Dortmund Play in the intermediate round against Sporting Lisbon or FC Bruges.
- Bayer Leverkusen is already in the round of 16 and gets one of these four opponents: Celtic Glasgow, Manchester City, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.
- The VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig have left.
The decisions of the last match day
- In the round of 16: FC Liverpool, FC Barcelona, FC Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, OSC Lille, Aston Villa.
- The intermediate round have reached: Atalanta Bergamo, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica Lisbon, as Monaco, Stade Brest, Feyenoord Rotterdam, Juventus Turin, Celtic Glasgow, Manchester City, Sporting Lisbon, Club Brügge.
- Have left: Dinamo Zagreb, VfB StuttgartSchachtar Donetsk, FC Bologna, Red Stern Belgrade, Sturm Graz, Sparta Prague, RB LeipzigFC Girona, Red Bull Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys Bern.
A descent to the Europa League has not been planned since this season.
The final table of the Champions League 2024/25
How does the intermediate round run?
The intermediate round (playoffs) will be drawn on Friday at 12 noon (CET). There are so -called lottery pairs. All teams who play along will know in advance which two opponents are possible.
This constellation results from the tournament tree (table places in brackets):
- As Monaco (17) or Stade Brest (18) against Paris Saint-Germain (15) or Benfica Lisbon (16)
- Sporting Lisbon (23) or Club Bruges (24) against Atalanta Bergamo (9) or Borussia Dortmund (10)
- Celtic Glasgow (21) or Manchester City (22) against Real Madrid (11) or Bayern Munich (12)
- Feyenoord Rotterdam (19) or Juventus Turin (20) against AC Milan (13) or PSV Eindhoven (14)
The teams of places 9 to 16 have home rights in the second leg, they are “set”. The teams of places 17 to 24 are “unsetz with”.
The tournament tree of the Champions League 2024/25
The draw runs like this:
- There are eight loose pots, there is a “lot pair” in everyone.
- First, the eight “unsettled” teams are distributed on the tournament tree, starting with a couple 23/24.
- The team pulled first is placed on one side of the tournament tree, the club that was drawn on to the other side.
- The eight “set” clubs are then drawn on the same principle, starting with a couple 15/16.
Teams from the same country can meet. This restriction was only valid in the league. Clubs that have already played against each other in the league can be drawn against each other.
What’s next?
The eight winners reach the round of 16, for which the teams of the first eight table positions are already qualified. On February 21st, the same principle is drawn (table places in brackets):
- One of the two winners Monaco (17) or Brest (18) against PSG (15) or Benfica (16) meets FC Liverpool (1) or FC Barcelona (2)
- One of the two winners Sporting (23) or Bruges (24) against Bergamo (9) or Dortmund (10) meets OSC Lille (7) or Aston Villa (8)
- Celtic (21) or MAN City (22) against Real Madrid (11) or Bavaria (12) meets atlético Madrid (5) or Bayer Leverkusen (6)
- Feyenoord Rotterdam (19) or Juventus Turin (20) against AC Milan (13) or PSV Eindhoven (14) meets Arsenal (3) or Inter Milan (4)
Here the teams of places 1 to 8 have home rights in the second leg. For the quarter -finals and the semi -finals, the home right will also be drawn on February 21.
Lot balls of the Champions League
Why all of this?
The new mode is part of the reform of the European Cup in the 2024/25 season. The UEFA wanted to counter the trend that many decisions had already been made in the groups before the last matchday. The new format brings excitement into the last matchday. But there are also teams in the new format, for which there is nothing more and play without any meaning like the game between Sturm Graz and RB Leipzig.
When will the remaining games be played?
- Intermediate round: 11./12. February and 18./19. February
- Right -wing finals: 4./5. March and 11th/12th March
- Quarter -finals: 8./9. April and 15./16. April
- Semi -finals: 29./30. April and 6th/7th May
- Final game in Munich: May 31
View of the stadium in Munich
“Lot pairs” – what is that supposed to do?
The system of the “lot pairs” prevents a team from trying to qualify for a supposedly lighter side of the tournament tree.
The principle also leaves an organizational back door in the three European competitions if politically prohibited games are to be excluded. This applies, for example, to encounters between teams from Azerbaijan and Armenia or from Kosovo and Serbia.