Champions League: What the new seeding rules mean for Bayern and Leverkusen

FC Bayern was both lucky and unlucky in this draw for the Champions League round of 16. Lucky because Atalanta Bergamo and not Bayer Leverkusen will be the opponent, but in this case this should not be a judgment about the assumed strength of the opponent. No, the Bundesliga schedule would have created the strange situation that Munich would have played against Leverkusen on March 11th (Champions League first leg), March 14th (Bundesliga) and March 18th (second leg). The DFB Cup semi-final on April 21st would also have been added. Also, what was the Champions League round of 16 last year? Correct: Bayern against Leverkusen. The risk of spectators and players becoming fed up would have been great.

So now Atalanta, the team that knocked Borussia Dortmund out of the competition and didn’t deserve arrogance for that reason alone. But should Bayern, unlike BVB, pass the test in Lombardy, the bad luck part of the draw would become visible. Because in the system that has been in place since last year, the Champions League tournament tree has already been determined – and Munich’s opponents would be either Real Madrid or Manchester City if they progress. If FC Bayern Leverkusen had drawn (and progressed), Bodö/Glimt or Sporting Lisbon would have been the opponents. This makes it easier to judge the subjectively perceived difficulty.

Should Leverkusen overcome Arsenal’s high hurdle, the club would face one of the two outsiders. Things get speculative in the semi-finals. There Bayern are threatened by either Chelsea, Liverpool, Paris or Galatasaray. Leverkusen could face Barcelona, ​​Tottenham, Atlético or Newcastle.

Bayern can now play every second leg at home

What is new about the Champions League knockout round is that this draw was the last; from now on, all matches and their order of play are determined by the tournament tree and the placement in the league phase. The better you did in the preliminary round, the more advantages you have. For example, FC Bayern, as second in the table, can only meet first in the table, FC Arsenal, in the final. As one of the two top seeded teams, Bayern always have the right to play the second leg at home – which has been even more of an advantage since the away goals rule was abolished. In general, the team that performed better in the league phase has home advantage in the second leg.

But: You can earn this right as an outsider. For example, if Atalanta beat Bayern, they would take over Bayern’s “placement”, meaning they would play the second game in Bergamo in a quarter-final against Real or Manchester City. The same rules apply to the Europa League, where VfB Stuttgart meets Porto (and initially plays at home). SC Freiburg has home advantage against Genk in the second game.

What is also remarkable about this Champions League round of 16 is that teams from eight different nations are taking part. A variety apparently gained through the new mode. In the past, the round of 16 consisted exclusively of teams from the six major nations: England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Portugal. Now Norway and Turkey are added. And: The encounter between Real Madrid and Manchester City is developing into the annual meeting of European football. Including the upcoming round of 16, the game will have taken place a total of eleven times since 2022. With clear advantages for the Spanish record champion.

The round of 16 duels in the Champions League:

• Paris Saint-Germain – FC Chelsea
• Galatasaray Istanbul – FC Liverpool
• Real Madrid – Manchester City
• Atalanta Bergamo – Bayern Munich
• Newcastle United – FC Barcelona
• Atlético Madrid – Tottenham Hotspur
• FK Bodö/Glimt – Sporting Lisbon
• Bayer Leverkusen – FC Arsenal

The round of 16 duels in the Europa League:

• Ferencvaros Budapest – Sporting Braga
• Panathinaikos Athens – Betis Sevilla
• KRC Genk – SC Freiburg
• Celta Vigo – Olympique Lyon
• VfB Stuttgart – FC Porto
• Nottingham Forest – FC Midtjylland
• FC Bologna – AS Rom
• OSC Lille – Aston Villa

The round of 16 duels of the Conference League

• Lech Poznan – Shakhtar Donetsk
• AZ Alkmaar – Sparta Prag
• Crystal Palace – AEK Larnaca
• AC Florenz – R. Czestochowa
• Samsunspor – Rayo Vallecano
• NK Celje – AEK Athens
• Sigma Olomouc – FSV Mainz 05
• HNK Rijeka – Racing Straßburg