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And why were those final league phase positions so important?

Here's how it all works.

Which clubs are in the knockout playoff round?

Only the 16 teams that finished in positions nine to 24.

The clubs that finished in the top eight and went directly through to the round of 16.

Clubs finishing 25th to 36th had already been eliminated.

What are the knockout playoff round fixtures?

The teams placed ninth to 16th are seeded and will play at home in the second leg, and are listed second.

Brest vs.

18-19

Each club plays once on a Tuesday and once on a Wednesday.

So what about the top eight clubs?

The teams who finished inside the top eight still have four possible opponents in the round of 16.

For instance, Liverpool and Barcelona, who finished first and second in the league phase, are able to play any of 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th (PSG, Benfica, Monaco and Brest).

This is because Liverpool and Barcelona could yet be drawn into either half of the bracket, but only into the specific paths for those fixtures.

Once the knockout playoff round is complete and two of those clubs have been knocked out, Liverpool and Barcelona would have two possible opponents remaining: the winners of the knockout playoff round ties.

Possible round of 16 ties:

Liverpool or Barcelona will play one of the winners of:
Brest vs.

Bayern Munich

What does the bracket look like?

The teams in the knockout playoff round are now set in their half of the bracket.

For instance:

Man City and Real Madrid cannot play Bayern Munich until the final, as they are in opposite halves.

But Real Madrid and Man City know that Juventus and PSV are in the same path of the bracket through to a potential quarterfinal tie.

The top half of the knockout playoff round bracket looks much stronger than the lower half.

When is the draw for the round of 16?

The round-of-16 draw takes place on Feb.

If a club wanted to add a new signing, they had to remove someone else.

Why did it matter where you finished in the table?

The league placings created the knockout bracket, and the new "seeding" system means the highest-placed teams can't face each other until the latter stages of the knockout round.

For instance, if we look at the final table, Liverpool and Barcelona finished first and second and can't play each other until the final.

The teams in third and fourth -- Arsenal and Internazionale -- can't play Liverpool or Barcelona until the semifinals.

However, the value of being placed high in the table has been complicated by poor European seasons for Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, who unexpectedly became possible opponents earlier in the knockout rounds.

Indeed, with Man City finishing 22nd, it's created a heavyweight tie in the knockout playoff round, as they must face 11th-place Read Madrid.

PSG, meanwhile, will have to face Barcelona or Liverpool in the round of 16 if they get through.


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