UEFA Champions League Knockout Stage Draw set for Monday November 7th

UEFA Champions League Knockout Stage Draw

Set for Monday November 7^th

Aaron Ranson

Nov 6, 2022

The double round robin has come and gone, and the 16 teams that will duke it out in the knockout stages have been determined. The draw to determine the eight fixtures for the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League will be made at 11 a.m. GMT/ 6 a.m. EST on Monday November 7^th.

*= Clinched top seed

**= Clinched Runner Up  

Group A

Breakdown

-       Not much to go through here. Napoli and Liverpool displayed much higher quality throughout the round robin. The two top seeds split their two matches and handled their other five with ease. Napoli earns the top seed on goal differential, largely fuelled by their 6-1 dismantling of Ajax on matchday 3.

Group B

Breakdown

-       After a rough 0-2 start to the round robin, Porto strung together four straight victories to claim the top seed in the group. Club Brugge claims the runner-up position. The top two seeds exchanged 4-0 wins for the home side and Club Brugge could have claimed first place with a home win on matchday 6, but a draw with Leverkusen placed them just short of the team from Portugal. 

Group C

Breakdown

-       Bayern Munich did what they were expected to do, dominate. The German powerhouse breezed through the round robin seemingly without challenge, posting the highest goal differential across all groups. Inter Milan slots in at the two spot, meaning Barcelona will not be advancing to the knockout stage. A late first half goal by Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu in Barcelona’s home fixture came back to haunt the Spanish side, proving to be the difference in the standings.

Group D

Breakdown

-       This group was an absolute whirlwind. All four teams had a chance to advance to the round of 16 at some point on matchday six, but a last-minute goal by Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on Marseille flipped the table, propelling Spurs to the top and forcing Eintracht Frankfurt to settle for runner-up. The last gasp Spurs have made a habit of scoring late, doing so in their previous match with Sporting, which was called back on a controversial VAR ruling. Tottenham will have to find their form earlier in matches if they wish to stand a chance in the knockout stage.

Group E

Breakdown

-       Chelsea struggled in League play to start the season, which resulted in the firing of coach Thomas Tuchel and hiring of Graham Potter. The change fueled the Blues to four straight Champions League victories, outscoring opponents 9-2 in that stretch. Milan had their only two losses of the group stage to the English squad, and must be thankful they cannot meet in the knockouts.  

Group F

Breakdown

-       Real Madrid did what they were expected to do, they won the group, but it wasn’t as convincing as one might’ve thought. Red Bull Leipzig defeated the Spanish juggernaut on matchday five 3-2 and if not for a dreadful performance in their first fixture with Shakhtar Donetsk, the Germans would have claimed top spot. Vinicius Junior has been brilliant for Madrid in Champions League play, and he’ll look to build on his 4 goals so far in the knockout stage.

Group G

Breakdown

-       Erling Haaland may be in a league of his own. Kevin De Bruyne and the young Norwegian have a connection few teams can defend and helped Manchester City go undefeated in the group stage. Dortmund claimed the runner-up position. Their young English star Jude Bellingham has displayed his quality throughout the round robin, and will look to cement his name among the best attacking midfielders in football. 

Group H

Breakdown

-       The shock of the Champions League so far, PSG failed to win their group. Credit must be given to Benfica FC, they survived each matchup with the French favourites, earning a draw in both. A 6-1 result in Israel against Maccabi Haifa gave the Portuguese squad the tiebreak advantage on road goals, making PSG settle for runner-up. It is a nightmare scenario for the qualified group of winners, as one will draw a round of 16 matchup opponent featuring Lionel Messi, Neymar and Champions League leading scorer Kylian Mbappe. 

Qualified Teams by League

Remember, teams are limited in who they can draw in the knockout stage. Teams from the same league or same group cannot be drawn to play each other. Also, a qualified winner must play a runner-up from the group stage.

Image Credit: republicworld.com

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