The draw, held in Nyon, Switzerland, on January 30, 2026, confirmed several high-stakes matchups.

Full Playoff Fixtures:

• Real Madrid vs Benfica – a repeat of recent European encounters promises fireworks.
• Paris Saint-Germain vs Monaco – a tricky all-French showdown.
• Newcastle United vs Qarabağ
• Bayer Leverkusen vs Olympiacos
• Atalanta vs Borussia Dortmund
• Juventus vs Galatasaray
• Atletico Madrid vs Club Brugge
• Inter Milan vs Bodø/Glimt

These ties will be contested over two legs in February 2026, with the victors advancing to the Champions League Round of 16.

 

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With powerhouses like Real Madrid, PSG, Juventus, and Atletico Madrid involved, fans can expect intense battles, dramatic moments, and unforgettable nights as the road to the 2025/26 Champions League trophy continues.

 

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With the tournament expanded to 36 teams, the traditional group stage was replaced by a single-league “Swiss model” format. The inaugural league phase concluded on Wednesday, with 24 teams advancing to the knockout phase.

However, the path to the Round of 16 is not the same for all qualifiers:

– The top 8 teams automatically progressed to the last 16.
– The remaining 16 teams (9th-24th place) entered the knockout play-off round, where they will compete for the final 8 spots in the last 16.

Knockout Play-Off Format

– 16 teams will take part in the draw.
– It will be seeded, meaning:
– Teams that finished 9th to 16th will face teams that finished 17th to 24th.
– Higher-seeded teams (9th-16th) will play the second leg at home.
– No Europa League drop-down: Teams finishing 25th-36th are eliminated outright.

Fixture Pairing Format

For clarity, matchups will be based on finishing positions:
– 9th & 10th will face 23rd & 24th
– 11th & 12th will face 21st & 22nd
– 13th & 14th will face 19th & 20th
– 15th & 16th will face 17th & 18th

The knockout play-off ties will be played across two legs on:

– February 11/12 & February 18/19, 2025

After these matches, the 8 winners will join the 8 automatically qualified teams in the Round of 16, where a separate draw will determine the final matchups.

With the new format, anticipation is high as Europe’s elite prepare for a thrilling knockout stage! 🔥⚽

Clubs involved in Champions League knockout play-off round

Clubs eliminated from the Champions League after league phase

• Dinamo Zagreb
• VfB Stuttgart
• Shakhtar Donetsk
• Bologna
• Crvena zvezda
• Sturm Graz
• Sparta Prague
• RB Leipzig
• Girona
• RB Salzburg
• Slovan Bratislava
• Young Boys

When is the draw for the UEFA Champions League playoffs?

Following the completion of the league phase, two crucial draws will take place to shape the knockout rounds of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League.

The first draw, scheduled for Friday, January 31, 2025, will determine the specific matchups for the knockout playoff round. For instance, a team finishing 13th will learn whether they will face the team finishing 19th or 20th.

The seeded teams (9th-16th) will enjoy the advantage of playing the second leg at home in the play-off ties, which are set to take place on February 11/12 and February 18/19.

The second draw will then finalize the round of 16 matchups, mapping out each team’s potential route to the final. With so much at stake, the coming weeks promise high-stakes action and fierce competition in Europe’s biggest club tournament.

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on How does the UEFA Champions League knockout play-off draw work?.

The first round of matches in the revamped 2024/25 UEFA Champions League is officially in the books, with eight teams securing automatic qualification to the round of 16.

The opening phase of the competition delivered drama, shock upsets, and breathtaking performances, setting the stage for an intense knockout battle among Europe’s elite.

With the stakes higher than ever, fans can expect even more unforgettable moments, thrilling comebacks, and unexpected twists as the road to the final unfolds.

Teams who have secured automatic qualifying for the round of 16.

(1) Liverpool
(2) Barcelona
(3) Arsenal
(4) Inter Milan
(5) Atletico Madrid
(6) Bayer Leverkusen
(7) Lille
(8) Aston Villa

Clubs that qualified for the Champions League playoffs.

(1) Atalanta
(2) Borussia Dortmund
(3) Real Madrid
(4) Bayern Munich
(5) AC Milan
(6) PSV
(7) PSG
(8) Benfica
(9) Monaco
(10) Stade Brestios
(11) Feyenoord
(12) Juventus
(13) Celtic
(14) Manchester City
(15) Sporting Lisbon
(16) Club Brugge

When is the draw for the UEFA Champions League playoffs?

Following the completion of the league phase, two crucial draws will take place to shape the knockout rounds of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League.

The first draw, scheduled for Friday, January 31, 2025, will determine the specific matchups for the knockout playoff round. For instance, a team finishing 13th will learn whether they will face the team finishing 19th or 20th.

The seeded teams (9th-16th) will enjoy the advantage of playing the second leg at home in the play-off ties, which are set to take place on February 11/12 and February 18/19.

The second draw will then finalize the round of 16 matchups, mapping out each team’s potential route to the final. With so much at stake, the coming weeks promise high-stakes action and fierce competition in Europe’s biggest club tournament.

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Teams that have qualified for UEFA Champions League knockout, playoff stages.

Chelsea have completed the signing of French centre-back Axel Disasi from Monaco.

Earlier this week, a £38 million deal was reached with Monaco to bring Disasi, who spent last season playing with current Blues defender Benoit Badiashile, to Stamford Bridge.

The agreement is officially finalized, with 25-year-old Disasi signing with Chelsea through a six-year contract.

Chelsea has once again splurged by signing Axel Diasai from Monaco. The defender has been welcomed to Stamford Bridge by co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley and will help Mauricio Pochettino’s defence.

“Axel has showcased his quality over several seasons in France and that has deservedly led to recognition on the international stage,” they told the club’s official website.

“He is ready to take the next step in his career and we are delighted that will be with Chelsea. We welcome him to the club and look forward to him joining up with Mauricio Pochettino and his new teammates in the days ahead.”

Axel is ready to get to it! 💪 pic.twitter.com/EQFipRjBnw

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 4, 2023

Axel Disasi: “I am so happy to be here, at this big club. I am really proud to be able to be a part of this great family, and I hope to achieve very big things here. To win titles. I will do everything I can to achieve those objectives. I am very ambitious.”

“I can’t wait to feel the energy of the fans. This is a very good stadium, one where you have a beautiful proximity to the fans… The fervour of the fans in the Premier League, the atmosphere, the intensity… it is something that excites me.

I’m a defender who likes to properly look for the ball and win it back. he best way of anticipating the opposition player’s move is by being in the best position possible. I like to have the ball at my feet and play passes. I like interceptions, and I like to be aggressive with the opposition, to use my physicality.

It’s a familiar club for French people, and I hope all the French players here now can join that line of great players.”

A move for Disasi was accelerated after it was revealed that fellow defender Wesley Fofana had undergone surgery on an ACL injury which will keep him out for the majority of the coming campaign.

Disasi’s former Monaco colleague Badiashile joins Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill, and Trevoh Chalobah as available alternatives at centre-back for the upcoming season.

Pochettino had an unblemished preseason and will return to Premier League action when Liverpool visits London on August 13th.

Checking into new surroundings! 🙌

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 4, 2023

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According to reports, Kylian Mbappe is set to be named in Paris Saint-Germain’s matchday squad against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

The French forward suffered a thigh strain against Montpellier on February 1.

Mbappe, 24, was expected to be out for three weeks, ruling him out of Tuesday night’s big match.

He subsequently recovered miraculously and returned to training.

He took part in training with players who did not play a significant role in Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Monaco.

According to the French paper Le Parisien, he is expected to be involved on Tuesday night.

Mbappe’s absence has hurt PSG’s performance.

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In their first game after his injury, they barely defeated Toulouse. However, they lost 2-1 to Marseille in the Coupe de France.

Saturday’s awful 3-1 defeat at Monaco followed.

Boss Christophe Galtier was also without Lionel Messi in the Principality.

The Argentine took part in a solo training session today and remains a doubt.

Messi, 35, has been in outstanding form for PSG this season, making 25 appearances across all competitions, scoring 15 goals, and providing 14 assists.

With 25 goals and six assists in 26 games, Mbappe has also put up incredible numbers.

For the weakened French champions, Marco Verratti returned to training. But Nordi Mukiele and Renato Sanches are still unaccounted for.

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William Gallas has disclosed Benoit Badiashile’s biggest weakness after Chelsea signed him from Monaco in the January transfer window.

The Ligue 1 club transferred Badiashile to Stamford Bridge in a £35 million move, and the Blues spent more than £300 million on eight new players.

The 21-year-old centre back from France, who was signed for £75 million in the summer, will probably challenge fellow defender Wesley Fofana.

However, he has cautioned Blues supporters about a critical flaw in Badiashile’s style. Gallas has supported Badiashile to “create a strong partnership” with Thiago Silva.

‘Technically, he is really good,’ Gallas told Genting Casino. ‘He has a presence and is very calm with the ball at his feet.

‘He has a good left foot and is very composed. All the ingredients are there [but] I want to see how he responds to a physical challenge.

‘When he has to go one against one with a good opponent. At Monaco, his weakness was his physicality – he struggled against bigger opponents in France.We know in England that the Premier League is a lot more physical than Ligue 1, so we will have to see how he responds to this challenge.’

Quizzed about Chelsea’s spending spree since the summer, with the west London club having now splurged around £600m in the Todd Boehly era, Gallas added: ‘Chelsea are very behind the other teams in the league at the moment.

‘I look at the club and I don’t know what they’re doing, just buy, buy, buy players, handing out seven-year contracts like in American sports.

‘I’ve never heard of a seven-year contract in England – that is the style of the American owners.

‘I think slowly, slowly, Todd Boelhy will understand that football is totally different to American football or American sports generally.

💰 Sterling
💰 Koulibaly
💰 Slonina
💰 Chukwuemeka
💰 Cucurella
💰 Hutchinson
💰 Casadei
💰 Fofana
💰 Aubameyang
💰 Zakaria
💰 Datro Fofana
💰 Badiashile
💰 Gusto
💰 Andrey Santos
💰 Felix
💰 Mudryk
💰 Madueke
💰 Enzo Fernandez

18 new signings under Todd Boehly 😱 pic.twitter.com/YplHpjht4K

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 1, 2023

‘At the moment, he has bought players but where are the results? They fired Tuchel and brought in Graham Potter, but they don’t have the results.

‘They fired all the medical staff but on face value it’d be a concern if they are delivering better results.

‘You have so many players that are injured at the club. Fofana is injured. Reece James was injured, came back and got injured again. ‘It’s a big mess at Chelsea at the moment. What are they going to do with all these players they have signed? They have bought so many players.

‘What will they do with the players they don’t want at the end of the season? They will try to sell them, but some players will not want to go. What will they do then?

‘If you want to compare Chelsea under Abramovich and under Boehly, you have to remember that Abramovich bought the club and the objective was to qualify for the Champions League.

‘He was an owner who took his time. He learned the mentality of the club and also got to understand how football works in the UK – that is what you have to do.  

‘Boehly came into the club and changed everything. Buying players, firing a coach, bringing in Potter, firing the medical staff. It is the responsibility of the owner and we’ll see what happens.’

🗣️ "It isn't sustainable to have so many players… What happens if they don't perform?"

Mark Ogden discusses Chelsea's big squad and the issues that it could cause in the future… 🤔📰pic.twitter.com/fmIHDTItSB

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 1, 2023

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on William Gallas exposes major flaw in new Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile..

After a disastrous loan stint at AC Milan, Tiemoue Bakayoko is reportedly being actively pursued by Chelsea to have his contract terminated.

Tiemoue Bakayoko, a Monaco player, had great hopes when he came to Stamford Bridge in 2017. However, following a nightmare stint in the English capital, he was loaned out to Napoli, Monaco, and currently AC Milan. He also played for the Italian champions between 2018 and 2019.

However, as Milan tries to avoid activating an automatic £13 million acquisition clause based on appearances, the 28-year-old has been forced to sit on the San Siro bench as an unused substitute this season.

Bakayoko hasn’t played for Milan since May as they aim to keep him from reaching the mark of 15 appearances across the two-year loan stint that would trigger the clause. The Evening Standard now reports that Chelsea believe a contract termination would be best for all parties.

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His transfer worth is steadily decreasing as neither Milan nor Chelsea are interested in his long-term prospects. If he is not freed, he will play one more season at Stamford Bridge in 2023–2024 on a £120,000 weekly salary.

The loan agreement is now being discussed, but he is entitled to over £9 million per year under his current Chelsea contract, which would allow him secure a substantial compensation sum if he left the Blues early.

Bakayoko made his lone appearances for Chelsea during the 2017–18 season after moving there for £40 million from Monaco. Under Antonio Conte, he scored three goals and three assists in 43 games, but he never felt completely at home in London, and his performances increasingly declined.

Leaving Chelsea could help the French midfielder revive his career. Serie A minnow Monza have tried to hijack his loan at Milan but his wage demands have scared off suitors in recent years.

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Chelsea FC has announced the signing of Benoît Badiashile from AS Monaco as a new defensive center-back. The club has finalized a permanent transfer from AS Monaco, with the player signing a seven-and-a-half-year contract.

The central defender has played in Ligue 1 for the past five seasons and just made his professional debut for France, having previously represented Les Bleus at the Under-16 level.

Despite the fact that he will turn 22 in March, Badiashile already has extensive experience in the French top division and in Europe, where he has played for Monaco in the Champions League and Europa League, totalling about 150 matches in all competitions.

At 6 feet 4 inches, Badiashile is a strong defender in the air, but he is also at ease with the ball in his feet. He can play quick passes out of the back or change the play with long diagonal passes. He has experience playing in both a back four and a back three at the club level, and his lightning pace is a vital quality.

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• Chelsea confirms deal for Molde’s David Datro Fofana
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While still a youngster, he solidified himself as Monaco’s left-sided centre defender, and Didier Deschamps gave him his international debut in September at the age of just 21 as compensation for his significant contribution to Monaco’s back-to-back third-place finishes in Ligue 1.

Badiashile completed his physical for the club yesterday, and all that remained before the deal was finalised was for the club to make this announcement.

The French defender is highly regarded and is likely to be an important element of Chelsea’s defense for many years to come.

Speaking on his move to Chelsea, Benoit Badiashile had this to say, “I’m very happy to be here at Chelsea. I’m so excited to start playing for this club. I can’t wait to see the fans and start playing in the best league in the world”.

Chelsea Chairman Todd Boehly and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali said: ‘We’re delighted to welcome Benoit to Chelsea. He’s an excellent young player who has quickly established a strong reputation for himself and has a huge amount of experience for his young age. We are sure he will form an important part of our team in the years ahead.’

Welcome to Chelsea, Benoit!

Welcome to Chelsea, Benoit Badiashile! 👊#BonjourBenoit 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/4Hn38DZEnL

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 5, 2023

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Chelsea manager Graham Potter has refused to reveal whether the Blues will keep looking for new players during the January transfer window.

Nearly £280m was spent on eight new players during the summer, with new owner Todd Boehly keen to revolutionise the squad. That included in excess of £40m on teenage trio Carney Chukwuemeka, Gabriel Slonina and Cesare Casadei.

Already in January, Chelsea have recruited 19-year-old striker David Datro Fofana from Molde.

Reports claim that a deal worth slightly more than £30 million for Monaco center defender Benoit Badiashile has also been reached after attempts to convince RB Leipzig to part with the more costly Josko Gvardiol fail.

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Aurelien Tchouameni had an “interesting” talk with Kylian Mbappe, who tried to convince him to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) instead of Real Madrid.

Tchouameni moved from Monaco to Madrid last summer in a deal reportedly for €100 million. The 22-year-old said in June that Mbappe tried to get him to move to Paris instead of Spain since he was wanted by a lot of elite teams.

The France international has revealed how the conversation went, as he told L’Equipe: “It was a very interesting conversation with Kylian. He wanted to know what I was planning to do. I also asked him what he was planning to do.

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In June he decided he was going to stay and he was teasing me with [Presnel] Kimpembe: ‘Come on, you have to come too [to PSG]!’ But my choice had already been made a long time ago. We laughed.”

Tchouameni moved to Madrid in the summer and has already made 18 appearances for Carlo Ancelotti’s squad across all competitions. Madrid is two points behind Barcelona in La Liga and will play Liverpool in the round of 16 of the Champions League.

Both Mbappe and the Madrid midfielder were selected for the France squad, and they will soon reunite as they get ready to begin their World Cup campaign against Australia on November 22.

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