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Barcelona will take on a familiar opponent in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League as they have been drawn against SL Benfica in the knockout stages.
Real Madrid endured a tough start to the competition and as a result finished outside the top eight, securing an 11th-place finish, which meant they had to play a knockout playoff to secure their spot in the Round of 16.
Having been drawn against Premier League champions Manchester City, Los Blancos secured a thumping 6-3 aggregate win to book a place in the Round of 16, where they will now face Atleti/the current Bundesliga champions.
From the knockout phase play-offs onwards the tournament is a bracket with potential opponents in the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals also pre-defined by pairings which are determined by teams’ final league positions.
For example, teams that finished first and second in the league phase will face the winners of the knockout phase play-off ties involving the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th-placed teams in the round of 16.
👀 El nostre rival de vuitens de final de la Champions és el Benfica#UCLDraw pic.twitter.com/m8lSPI2ZRr
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) February 21, 2025It meant that Liverpool and Barça, who finished first and second, respectively, would be facing the winners of knockout playoff matches between PSG and Brest, and SL Benfica and Monaco.
With PSG and Benfica prevailing in their respective playoff games, it came down to Barcelona facing either Luis Enrique’s men, who eliminated them last season from the competition or Benfica, whom they faced in the group stage this term.
As it would turn out, they have now been drawn against Benfica.
The teams who finished in the top eight are seeded and will be at home in the second leg.
As such, the first leg will played at Estadio da Luz on March 4/5 and the second leg at Montjuic on March 11/12.
QF and SF draw
With the brackets for the entire tournament now set, Barcelona, should they get through to the Round of 16, will face the winners of Borussia Dortmund vs Lille in the quarter-finals.
In case the La Liga leaders prevail there as well, a semi-final date would await against one of Feyenoord, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich or Bayer Leverkusen.
