We are finally done with the group stages of the Champions League. There were some unexpected results on the last matchday as Juventus ended up being the winners of their group.
Zenit battled Chelsea but could only manage a draw and they along with Borussia Dortmund saw a surprise exit from the competition. It will be a very interesting draw because some of the big names like Chelsea, PSG, and Inter are in the competition as second seeds.
This could mean that we might have some big matchups in the round of 16 itself. Also, there are rules on how the seeding will be done. So in theory we can try to guess what the matchups can be.
When is the Champions League Round of 16 Draw and where to watch it?
The Champions League draw is set to start on 13th December at 4:30 pm IST. All Champions League events are generally held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland and this one will be held there too.
A lot of football fans will be eagerly waiting for the draw but the question is where to watch it live. Worry not because we do have some answers for you.
1) USA (6:00 am EST) – TUDN (Channel), Univision (Channel), fuboTV (Stream), Paramount+ (Stream), CBS Sports HQ (Stream), HULU + (Stream), TUDN (App)
2) Canada (6:00 am EST) – , DAZN (Stream)
3) India (4:30 pm IST) – The Sony Pictures Sports Network(Channel), SONY LIV (App), JIO TV (App)
4) UK (11:00 am GMT) – BT Sport1 HD (Channel), BT Sport (App)
If all else fails you can go to the official Champions League website for streaming.
How does the draw work?
So 8 teams are the winners of the group and are called seeded teams. Then there are 8 teams who are the runners-up and are called the unseeded team. Each unseeded team will be matched up against a seeded team.
The rules are in such a way that no team from the same country can face each other. Also, no team from the same group can face each other. So if you apply logic we can narrow down a team’s possible matchups.
This will be a 2 legged round however this time around there is a big change. The away goal rule has been scrapped. Now if scores are tied on aggregate the game will go to extra time regardless of the number of away goals scored.
When are the fixtures scheduled?
It will be a long wait for football fans as the Champions League is going away for a couple of months.
Fixture’s listed by dateÂ
1) Round of 16 – Feb 15-16, 22-23 (first leg), March 8-9, 15-16 (second leg)
2) Quarterfinals: April 5-6, April 12-13
3) Semifinals: April 26-27, May 3-4
4) Final: May 28, 2022 (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Each team will be hoping for an easy draw. However, this unpredictability is the most beautiful thing about the Champions League. We might get to see the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi go head to head in the Round of 16 itself.
Although, fans will be hoping that such high-profile matchups are left for the final stages of the tournament because it would be a shame to see a potential finalist being eliminated in the initial stages of the tournament.
