Arsenal, Liverpool, and Aston Villa now have a much clearer path to the Champions League final after the last 16 lineup was confirmed on Wednesday night. The inaugural Champions League knockout phase play-offs came to an end on Tuesday, with Feyenoord, Bayern Munich, Club Brugge, and Benfica punching their tickets, followed by Real Madrid, PSV, PSG, and Borussia Dortmund securing their positions the following day.
Meanwhile, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan, Lille, and Liverpool have received VIP treatment, advancing directly to the round of 16 after finishing in the top eight of their respective group stages. The English trio has had the luxury of sitting back and watching the pandemonium unfold, but on Friday at 11 a.m. in Nyon, Switzerland, all eyes will be on the draw.
But this isn’t just a random roll of the dice. The final league rankings have resulted in a new’seeding’ method, which effectively plots each team’s potential path to victory. The quarter-final and semi-final draws will also be revealed, giving clubs a sneak peak at the potential roadblocks to the biggest prize in European football. Below is a list of potential opponents for each English team:
Liverpool’s Potential Route
They might face PSG in the round of 16.
The biggest advantage for Liverpool after winning the Champions League league phase is that, if they go the distance, they won’t have to face a red-hot Barcelona team until the final in Munich. However, their path to triumph is far from easy, as they might still face Benfica or a surging PSG in the Round of 16 – the latter coming off a stunning 10-0 aggregate demolition of Brest.
The definition of domination…
PSG beat Brest 10-0 on aggregate 🤯 pic.twitter.com/US9uEdBkzq
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 19, 2025
Looking ahead to the quarter-finals, the Reds’ destiny is largely up on which side of the bracket they fall into, although prospective opponents include Club Brugge, Lille, Aston Villa, and Borussia Dortmund. Meanwhile, in the semi-finals, they might face European heavyweights like Real Madrid, PSV, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, or Feyenoord.
However, compared to their English opponents, Liverpool appear to have a smoother path to the final, which is one of the main reasons they’ve been installed as second favourites to win the cup in May (full odds at the bottom of the article).
Arsenal’s Potential Route
Gunners set to face one of the three least favoured teams
Arsenal will face either PSV, one of the tournament’s biggest underdogs, or their Dutch rivals Feyenoord, who are huge odds at 200/1 to win it all. While this will be good news for Arsenal fans, their path to victory is projected to become considerably more difficult after the quarter-finals.
Depending on how the bracket plays out, Arsenal might face Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, or Real Madrid in the final eight. If they make it to the semi-finals, they might face PSG, Liverpool, Barcelona, Club Brugge, Lille, Aston Villa, Benfica, and Borussia Dortmund. The early rounds may be easy sailing, but storm clouds lurk over Mikel Arteta’s thin squad.
Aston Villa’s Potential Route
Villans’ first foray into European competition for three decades is a baptism of fire
Balancing Premier League and Champions League commitments for the first time since their 1982 European Cup victory is no easy task, but Aston Villa has both the players and the manager to meet the challenge. They demonstrated it in the group stage, defeating Bayern Munich 1-0.
However, if Villa wants to continue rubbing elbows with Europe’s elite, they must provide something truly exceptional. In the Round of 16, they will face either Borussia Dortmund or Club Brugge. This offers an uphill battle, as they prepare to face either last season’s finals or an understated Belgian power that defeated the defending Europa League champions 3-1 in the knockout stage the previous time around.
Should they advance, they might face PSG, Benfica, Liverpool, or Barcelona in the quarterfinals, depending on the bracket. In the semi-finals, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Feyenoord, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Real Madrid, and PSV all appear as probable opponents.
Champions League Winner Odds
Only one team has a better chance of glory than Liverpool.
After defeating Manchester City on Wednesday night, Real Madrid has re-emerged as the favourites for a championship they have dominated throughout their history. Current odds show them as 7/4 chalk horses to win their 16th European title.
The knockout bracket ahead of Friday's #UCLdraw 👀 pic.twitter.com/voAQys7uoI
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 19, 2025
Premier League leaders and current champions-elect Liverpool are close behind, followed by Barcelona and Arsenal, the latter of which has never hoisted the big-eared trophy and is dealing with an injury issue as they try to end a well-documented drought. See the full odds below.
2024/25 Champions League Winner Odds:
Club
Current odds
Real Madrid
7/4
Liverpool
4/1
Barcelona
6/1
Arsenal
6/1
Bayern Munich
7/1
PSG
10/1
Inter Milan
12/1
Atlético Madrid
18/1
Bayer Leverkusen
25/1
Aston Villa
33/1
Borussia Dortmund
50/1
Benfica
66/1
Lille
100/1
PSV
150/1
Club Brugge
150/1
Feyenoord
200/1
xz
