The Independent
·21. Februar 2025
Champions League draw LIVE: Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa learn last-16 opponents and route to the final
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·21. Februar 2025
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Guardiola admits 'the best team won' after Champions League exit
The Champions League knockout stage draw takes place this morning with Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa set to learn their last-16 opponents.
Midweek saw the conclusion of eight intriguing play-off ties across the continent, with Real Madrid’s impressive dismantling of Manchester City a notable result as the kings of the competition look to retain their crown.
PSG’s 10-0 aggregate demolition of Brest caught the eye alongside PSV’s deserved win over Juventus, while Celtic’s last-minute elimination at the hands of Bayern Munich proved that drama is still alive in Europe’s premier cup competition.
And today the eight play-off winners will learn which of the eight automatic qualifiers they face, with some potentially fascinating fixtures on the cards in Nyon.
Perhaps surprisingly, Real Madrid are the current bookies’ favourites to win the Champions League after their results against City.
The current holders can never be ruled out of this competition, having won it 15 times, with Kylian Mbappe perhaps signalling a return to his lofty heights with that second-leg hattrick.
Nevertheless, Liverpool were the previous favourites and eased to a 2-0 win over Madrid at Anfield a few months ago. The Reds are currently the second favourites, having qualified with six wins from six.
Barcelona are the third-favourites, with the Blaugrana another side who recently inflicted a damaging defeat to Madrid. However, that 5-2 win seems to have little bearing on whatever algorithm is used!
Arsenal are fourth in the favourites line, followed by Bayern Munich and then PSG.
Celtic suffered the cruellest of Champions League exits after Alphonso Davies scrambled an equaliser for Bayern Munich in the final minute of stoppage time in the Allianz Arena.
The Scottish champions looked set to take the play-off into extra time after Nicolas Kuhn put them ahead in the second half from the latest in a series of good chances they created.
Bayern belatedly exerted some sustained pressure and it paid off deep into four minutes added on.
Kasper Schmeichel made a good stop from Leon Goretzka's header but Davies scrambled home from close range as he tackled Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Bayern Munich 1-1 Celtic (3-2 agg): Alphonso Davies’s stoppage time goal sent the German side through on aggregate
Chris Wilson21 February 2025 09:50