Overview
- UEFA confirmed eight two-legged ties: Borussia Dortmund–Atalanta, Benfica–Real Madrid, AS Monaco–Paris Saint‑Germain, Galatasaray–Juventus, Club Brugge–Atletico Madrid, FK Qarabag–Newcastle United, Bodo/Glimt–Internazionale, and Olympiacos–Bayer Leverkusen.
- First legs are scheduled for Feb. 17–18 with second legs on Feb. 24–25, followed by the round‑of‑16 draw on Feb. 27 and the final on May 30 in Budapest.
- Under the league‑phase format, teams finishing 1–8 advance directly to the round of 16, positions 9–24 enter the playoff round, and 25–36 are eliminated.
- The knockout path is bracketed with no country protection, and each top‑eight club’s potential round‑of‑16 opponents is initially capped at four and will be narrowed after the playoffs.
- Monaco coach Sebastien Pocognoli voiced confidence about facing PSG, while analysis points to Manchester City likely drawing Real Madrid or Inter and indicates Chelsea’s possible opponents are PSG, Newcastle, Monaco or Qarabag.