The concluding matches of the Champions League group stage are set to unfold this week, as clubs vie for the remaining coveted positions in the knockout rounds of the tournament. Liverpool and Barcelona have already secured their places in the last 16, having achieved a top-eight finish last week, as reported by talkSPORT.
The battle for the remaining spots is intensifying, with numerous teams eager to secure automatic progression to the knockout phase and avoid the uncertainty of the play-offs. Among those potentially facing the play-off draw is Manchester City, who will soon discover their opponents in this crucial stage.
The draw for the Champions League knockout phase play-offs is scheduled for Friday, January 31, at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. Commencing at 12pm local time (11am in the UK), fans can watch the draw live on UEFA.com, UEFA's YouTube channel, and TNT Sports. Additionally, talkSPORT and talkSPORT.com will provide comprehensive pre-draw coverage and analysis.
Listeners keen to follow the draw can tune in live on talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2 via their website, app, DAB digital radio, smart speakers, or AM frequencies 1089 or 1053.
This draw will feature teams finishing in the ninth to 24th positions in the league standings. The 16 clubs will be divided into two groups of eight, with those ranked ninth to 16th classified as seeded teams, while those ranked 17th to 24th will be unseeded. Seeded teams will face each other, and the same format will apply to the unseeded teams.
The pairing process will see teams from the 24th and 23rd positions matched together, followed by those in 22nd and 21st, and so forth. Each pairing will be placed into eight bowls corresponding to their league phase rankings, with the 23rd and 24th-ranked teams in the bowl designated as 23/24.
The draw will commence with the unseeded teams, drawing a ball from their respective bowl to be placed on one side of the bracket. This new format features both a blue and a silver bracket, with pairs already assigned specific positions. The first teams drawn from the unseeded bowls will occupy the silver side, while the second will be positioned on the blue side. Following the completion of the unseeded pairs, the draw will transition to the seeded teams, adhering to a similar procedure.
Seeded teams will also be allocated their designated spots, with the first drawn from the silver side and the second from the blue. The draw will conclude with the seeded teams finishing in ninth or tenth being matched against the teams finishing in 23rd or 24th positions, respectively. Notably, seeded clubs will play the first leg of their play-off away from home, returning for the second leg at their own stadium.
While no teams have yet been definitively confirmed for the knockout phase play-offs, the current standings indicate that the competition for qualification remains fierce as the final round of matches approaches. As the excitement builds, fans will be eagerly anticipating the outcomes that will shape the next stage of this prestigious tournament.