Arsenal and Liverpool’s Champions League path becomes clearer after playoffs

The teams who have qualified for the Round of 16 phase of the Champions League are one step closer to discovering their next opponents following the first games of the play-offs.

Sixteen teams competed across Tuesday and Wednesday night for a spot in the next round of the tournament including Newcastle, the only Premier League side who failed to automatically qualify for the last 16. Eddie Howe’s men will surely advance, though, after racking up the biggest win of the matchweek against Qarabag.

The Magpies thrashed their opponents 6-1 to chalk up an unassailable lead ahead of next week’s return leg on Tyneside. They already know their reward for getting through will be a clash with either Barcelona or Chelsea.

Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham are the other Premier League clubs who finished in the top eight of the league phase and already through.

MAKE THE MIRROR YOUR FIRST CHOICE! Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings

READ MORE: Arsenal set unwanted Premier League record with Wolves slip to blow title race wide openREAD MORE: Furious Newcastle captain Kieran Trippier confronts Anthony Gordon despite WINNING 5-0 at half-time

And while it may be too soon to start nailing down any concrete plans ahead of next week’s second leg ties, some have a better idea of what lies ahead.

Arsenal, for example, know they will play one of Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Olympiacos or Bayer Leverkusen. After the first leg ties, Dortmund and Leverkusen are in pole position to advance after winning their respective games 2-0.

Liverpool and Spurs will play the victors of the Galatasaray vs Juventus and Club Brugge vs Atletico Madrid clashes. The Turkish giants thrashed Juventus 5-2 ahead of next week’s decisive fixture in Turin, while Brugge and Atletic are all square after a 3-3 thriller.

Manchester City could face Real Madrid in the next round after they beat Benfica 1-0 away in a game which was overshadowed by the alleged racist abuse Vinicius Junior was subjected to. Bodo/Glimt and Inter Milan are their other potential opponents, with Bodo taking a 3-1 aggregate lead to the Italian capital.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£49

£35

Sky

Get the deal here

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.