UEFA Champions League reaches knock-out stages

BY CHRIS DINSDALE

December 14, 2020 – The draw for the Last 16 in the Champions League takes place in Nyon, Switzerland, as the tournament reaches the knockout stages. Group winners will be paired with runners-up, with the first matches taking place on February 16/17.

The 2020-21 UEFA Champions League is the 29th season of Europe’s primary club football tournament.

Teams from just six nations make up the contenders for the UEFA Champions League Last 16. Eight former winners remain in the tournament, including last season’s victors Bayern Munich, Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, and English Premier League rivals Liverpool and Chelsea. Elsewhere, three teams who made a mark in the 2020 “Final Eight” tournament — Paris St. Germain, Atalanta and Leipzig — complete the highly competitive line-up.

Bayern Munich are aiming for a seventh title to equal AC Milan as the joint-second most successful club in European Cup history, behind Spanish giants Real Madrid who have 13 titles.

The final will be played at Turkey’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on May 29, 2021.

The UEFA Champions League is contested by the highest ranked teams of the strongest UEFA national associations. It is the top club competition in European football and one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world. The Champions League final is the most watched annual sporting event worldwide.