Liverpool have been drawn against Paris St-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Liverpool topped the league phase of the competition with seven wins from their eight matches, and must now topple the French champions to progress.
Arsenal will face Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, who knocked out Juventus in the play-off round.
Aston Villa, who secured the final automatic spot in the last 16, will face Belgian side Club Brugge.
Here is Telegraph Sport’s verdict on how the last-16 ties will play out and our predictions for the rest of the tournament.
PSG vs Liverpool: Liverpool win
Perhaps the tie of the round. PSG are on a fabulous run of form and scored a combined 10 goals against Brest over the two legs of their play-off. The second leg is at Anfield, though, which could be crucial. Liverpool to edge it, just.
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa: Villa win
Villa lost away to Brugge earlier this season but should have too much attacking quality for the Belgian side, especially following the January transfer business at Villa Park.
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid: Real win
The Madrid derby has the potential to be the most fractious and emotional contest of the round of 16. The two teams are currently separated by just one point in La Liga, but Real know better than anyone how to navigate these ties. If Kylian Mbappe maintains his current form, Real should have too much for their city rivals.
PSV vs Arsenal: Arsenal win
For the third season in a row, Arsenal face PSV. Mikel Arteta’s side have had difficulties away from home against the Dutch team but beat them 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium in September 2023.
Feyenoord vs Inter: Inter win
Inter conceded only one goal in eight matches in the league phase. A ridiculous defensive record, and that solidity could carry them a long way in this competition. Feyenoord are fourth in the Eredivisie. This is a tough ask for the Dutch side.
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen: Leverkusen win
Bayern currently have the edge in the Bundesliga but Vincent Kompany’s team looked alarmingly vulnerable against Celtic in the previous round. Xabi Alonso, the Leverkusen coach, is unbeaten in six matches against Bayern and beat them to the league title last season.
Borussia Dortmund vs Lille: Dortmund win
Dortmund are enduring a challenging season (they are 11th in the Bundesliga) but this appears to be a relatively favourable draw, even though Lille finished seventh in the league phase. The French side have been inconsistent since the turn of the year.
Benfica vs Barcelona: Barcelona win
Expect goals in this one. When these teams played in January, it finished 5-4 in Barcelona’s favour. Benfica also had a thrilling knockout tie against Monaco, drawing 3-3 at home earlier this week to progress 4-3 on aggregate. It promises to be an end-to-end sort of contest, with Barcelona’s superior firepower surely sending them through.
Quarter-final predictions
Arsenal vs Real Madrid: Real win
Liverpool vs Aston Villa: Liverpool win
Barcelona vs Dortmund: Barcelona win
Leverkusen vs Inter: Inter win
Semi-final predictions
Real Madrid vs Liverpool: Real win
Barcelona vs Inter: Barcelona win
Final prediction
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Real win
12:07 PM GMT
A good omen for Arsenal
5 – Arsenal are unbeaten in their five home matches against PSV (W3 D2); the most home games they’ve played against an opponent in European competition without ever losing. Passage. pic.twitter.com/tw3N827hzY
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 21, 2025
12:06 PM GMT
A tie we have not seen in a while
1 – Liverpool and PSG will face each other in the knockout stages of a major European competition for the first time since the semi-finals of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996/97 (Parisians won 3-2 on aggregate). Glamour. pic.twitter.com/qxYfQXZxJr
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 21, 2025
11:36 AM GMT
Looking ahead in the draw
Arsenal, should they make it beyond PSV, will play at home first in both the quarter-final and semi-finals which seems less than ideal given the heavyweight opponents they could face. Given their defensive record though, it might suit them to get their noses in front and hold out.
Liverpool will be at home first in the quarter-finals, but would have an Anfield second leg in the semi-finals.
Villa would have home second legs all the way through to the final if they can pull it off.
11:27 AM GMT
How the road to Munich now looks
These ties will be played March 4/5 and March 11/12.
11:25 AM GMT
The last-16 ties in their brackets
PSG vs Liverpool
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
PSV vs Arsenal
Feyenoord vs Inter
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen
Borussia Dortmund vs Lille
Benfica vs Barcelona
11:19 AM GMT
Liverpool draw PSG!
That’s an extremely harsh outcome having topped the league phase. But they will face Club Brugge or Villa if they can get through.
That draw means the final last-16 tie is Benfica vs Barcelona.
11:18 AM GMT
Arsenal are out of the bowl…
And they have drawn PSV Eindhoven. That puts them on the Madrid clubs’ side of the draw.
11:17 AM GMT
And that means an all-German tie…
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen battered Bayern but only drew 0-0 in the Bundesliga last week.
11:16 AM GMT
We get our Madrid derby…
It will be Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid in the last-16.
11:16 AM GMT
The second last-16 tie is confirmed
It is Lille vs Borussia Dortmund.
11:15 AM GMT
The draw is starting now…
The first balls are being drawn. And Aston Villa are the first team out.
They will play Club Brugge! They will take that, but a tough quarter-final route awaits: Liverpool, Barca or PSG.
11:13 AM GMT
The brackets are already mapped out…
Uefa are informing us that once the last-16 ties have been drawn, the remainder of the draw will be to determine which team will play at home first in the quarter-final and semi-finals.
11:10 AM GMT
The first special guest is on the stage
It is Giovane Elber, the Brazilian striker who won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2000.
11:07 AM GMT
The draw is slowly getting underway
Some marvellous bits of Uefaspeak so far. Apparently we can “anticipate more emotions” as teams try to make the “Bavarian appointment” in May. The final is in Munich in case that make no sense to you. The Bavarian Appointment sounds like a Robert Ludlum title.
10:59 AM GMT
History repeating itself in the draw
There is the prospect of Barcelona facing PSG in the last-16 which would pit two of Europe’s most fearsome attacking units against each other, and also prompt memories of the remontada in 2017. In case you have forgotten, Barcelona overturned a four-goal deficit by winning the second leg 6-1 with three goals coming after the 88th minute.
We could also be looking at a Madrid derby, with Atletico beaten by Real first in extra time and then on penalties in the 2014 and 2016 finals.
Arsenal and PSV have played each other plenty of times too. Gilberto Silva scored after 21 seconds in a 4-0 victory in Eindhoven in 2002, but PSV eliminated Arsenal at the last-16 stage in 2007 in the first Champions League knockout tie at the Emirates. Alex scored a late header to send the Dutch side through on away goals, and the defender would go on to haunt Arsenal again with Chelsea.
10:36 AM GMT
The paraphernalia is in place
10:23 AM GMT
Mapping out the brackets for the English clubs
Arsenal can draw PSV or Feyenoord in the last 16. If they draw PSV, then Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen are potential quarter-final opponents. If they draw Feyenoord then Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen are potential quarter-final opponents.
Liverpool can draw Paris St-Germain or Benfica in the last 16. If they draw PSG, then Club Brugge, Lille or Aston Villa are potential quarter-final opponents. If they draw Benfica then Aston Villa, Lille or Borussia Dortmund are potential quarter-final opponents.
Aston Villa can draw Club Brugge or Borussia Dortmund in the last 16. If they draw Club Brugge then Liverpool, Barcelona or PSG are potential quarter-final opponents. Should they draw Dortmund then Benfica, Liverpool and Barcelona are potential quarter-final opponents.
Of course, those quarter-final options will be reduced from three to two once we know the last-16 draw.
10:17 AM GMT
A last-16 draw but not as we know it
Welcome to the last Champions League draw of the season where Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa will discover not only their last-16 opponents but their potential route to the final in Munich.
This season’s new ‘Swiss model’ format means each club has only two possible last-16 opponents, rather than as many as seven in previous seasons when there was an open draw.
For Liverpool, they will face either Benfica or Paris St-Germain. The French side put 10 past fellow Ligue 1 club Brest in the play-offs, and are hitting their stride under Luis Enrique after a sticky start to the season. Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola are tearing opponents apart from the wings.
Arsenal look to have fallen on their feet with PSV Eindhoven or Feyenoord their potential opponents. They will have to navigate the next round without Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz though, and PSV delivered a stirring performance to knock out Juventus in the play-off. Drawing Feyenoord will mean a reunion with Robin van Persie, who is about to take over as head coach at the Rotterdam club where he came through the youth ranks.
Aston Villa can play either Borussia Dortmund or Club Brugge after Unai Emery’s team secured a top-eight spot in the league phase. Villa will feel those ties are very winnable, if they can nurse their central defenders back to full health. Club Brugge gave Man City an almighty scare, and came through a thriller in the play-off round against Atalanta.
As interesting, even if it involves counting some chickens, is the quarter-finals the draw could throw up. Arsenal could be on collision course for a quarter-final against Real Madrid (if they draw PSV) or, if they are on the other side of the draw, Bayern Munich (if they draw Feyenoord). It is possible that Liverpool and Aston Villa could be put on course to play each other in the last-eight in an all-English tie (if Liverpool draw PSG).
The draw is expected to start at 11am.
