This is the first season of the Champions League to be organised in a new format. The top eight teams will advance straight to the round of 16; teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in a play-off round, with the winners advancing to the round of 16.
After 8 matches, Liverpool leads with 21 points with 7 wins and 1 loss. Close behind are Barcelona and Arsenal with 19 points each. It is quite surprising that strong teams such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Man City cannot win a place in the top 8.
In previous years, teams from the same tournament could not meet in the round of 16. This year, teams from the same country and teams that met in the group stage can still meet in the play-offs and round of 16.
The first draw, on 31 January, will determine the play-off ties. For example, the 13th-placed team will know whether they will play the 19th- or 20th-placed team.
Teams ranked 9th to 16th play the second legs at home on 11 and 12 February, with the first legs on 18 and 19 February.
Teams ranked 1 to 8 have until February 21 to find out their opponents in the round of 16.
Teams directly into the round of 16: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Atleti, Barcelona, Inter, Leverkusen, Lille, Liverpool
Play-off winners: Atalanta, Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Brest, Celtic, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, Juventus, Man City, Milan, Monaco, Paris, PSV, Real Madrid, Sporting CP
Eliminated teams: Bologna, Crvena Zvezda, Girona, GNK Dinamo, Leipzig, Salzburg, Shakhtar, Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Praha, Sturm Graz, Stuttgart, Young Boys
