Champions League last 16 draw LIVE: Arsenal & Man City to learn fate

  • Champions League last 16 draw to take place at 11am GMT
  • Arsenal, Man City, Barcelona and Real Madrid among seeded sides
  • Inter, Napoli and PSG unseeded
Who will take home ol' big ears?
Who will take home ol' big ears? / Anadolu/GettyImages
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It's December 18, it's nearly Christmas, and so that means a much bigger and holier day is upon us - Champions League last 16 draw day.

The competition's reformatting from next season onwards means this is the last we'll see the draw in this current guise of pitting group winners versus the runners up. Get ready to learn about the Swiss Model's top eight against play-off victors over the next few months, people.

Today's draw is scheduled to kick-off at 11am GMT and 12pm local time, but it wouldn't be UEFA without some kind of painstaking rigmarole to preface the main event.

Follow our live blog below and discover the key details you need to know about the draw.


LIVE BLOG

11:30 - Thank you for following along. You can read further coverage about the Champions League last 16 draw elsewhere on 90min!

11:21 - The draw is over! Here are your ties for the Champions League last 16:

  • Porto vs Arsenal
  • Napoli vs Barcelona
  • PSG vs Real Sociedad
  • Inter vs Atletico Madrid
  • PSV Eindhoven vs Borussia Dortmund
  • Lazio vs Bayern Munich
  • RB Leipzig vs Real Madrid
  • Copenhagen vs Manchester City

11:20 - Reigning champions Manchester City will take on Copenhagen, who helped eliminate Manchester United at the group stage.

11:19 - 14-time winners Real Madrid will face Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.

11:18 - Not for the first time in recent history, Lazio have been drawn with Bayern Munich.

11:17 - Peter Bosz will return to Borussia Dortmund with his high-flying PSV Eindhoven side.

11:16 - An intriguing tie awaits between Atletico Madrid and last season's finalists Inter.

11:15 - Real Sociedad's reward for winning their group is a tie with Paris Saint-Germain.

11:14 - Barcelona will take on Italian champions Napoli.

11:12 - Porto have been drawn against Arsenal in the first matchup.

11:10 - The draw will now begin!

11:07 - Chelsea legend and 2012 winner John Terry is out to lend a helping hand with the draw. He is, sadly, not in full kit.

11:00 - UEFA have kicked off proceedings. And by that I mean the presentation is underway. The actual draw is still yet to start. You have time to go and make a coffee or something.

10:55 - Before the draw gets started, here are a few interesting tidbits:

  • Manchester City could be drawn with Inter in a repeat of last season's final
  • Arsenal are looking to win a Champions League knockout tie for the first time since 2010 and could be drawn with the side they knocked out that year (Porto)
  • Manchester United's conquerors Copenhagen have reached the last 16 for just the second time - they were eliminated at this stage by Chelsea in 2011
  • Barcelona are set to play their first Champions League knockout since the 2020/21 season
  • Fellow La Liga side Real Sociedad have reached this stage of the competition for the first time since the 2003/04 season

Who is in the Champions League last 16 draw?

The eight group winners heading into Monday's draw are Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Barcelona. They will be drawn as away teams for the first leg.

The runners up who will be drawn as the home sides for the first leg are Copenhagen, PSV Eindhoven, Napoli, Inter, Lazio, Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig and Porto.


When will the last 16 ties be played?

The first legs of the last 16 ties will be played on 13, 14, 20 and 21 February, with the second legs taking place on 5, 6, 12 and 13 March. Two games will be played per night on those dates with all fixtures kicking off at 8pm GMT.


Can teams from the same country play each other?

Teams cannot be drawn against other sides from their own association at this stage of the competition. Country protection is only removed from the quarter-final stage onwards.

The only exception to this rule came during the 2005/06 season when Liverpool were allowed entry into the Champions League as the holders at a time where UEFA permitted a maximum of four teams from one nation to qualify. Everton finished fourth in the Premier League ahead of their city rivals and so the rules were changed to allow Liverpool in at the first qualifying round and without any country protection - they went on to draw Chelsea in the group stage.


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