The new format of the Champions League leaves no respite. As soon as the league phase is completed, you must already turn to the dams for three of the four French clubs engaged in C1. If the first eight in the ranking, of which Lille is a part, accesses directly to the round of 16, the classified clubs from 9 to 24th place will first have to compete in an attempt to reach them. This is the case of Paris, Brest and Monaco.
A draw will define the posters of these false “knockout stages”, this Friday at 12 noon in Nyon (Switzerland). A certainty, he will give birth to a Franco-French duel in the first round of the direct elimination phase. No rule prohibits a confrontation between two clubs from the same country.
The suspense is reduced for this draw, since there will only be two opponents possible for each qualified club. The team ranked 9th or 10th will meet the one having concluded the regular phase in the 23rd or 24th place, the 11th or 12th will be opposed to the 21st or 22nd and so on.
A new formula which, with regard to the final classification of the first phase, will offer a meeting “Made in Ligue 1”, between PSG (15th) and Monaco (17th) or Brest (18th). The stable which will not face the club of the capital will be opposed to Benfica (16th).
Fleet matches at the beginning of February
Note that the teams that finished between the 9th and 16th place will be head of the play -offs and will play their home return match. The meetings will compete on February 11 and 12 for the first round, while the second will take place a week later, on February 18 and 19.
In addition to the 100 % French poster for dams, the draw will also offer us a poster worthy of a Champions League final between Manchester City (22nd) and Real Madrid (11th) or Bayern Munich (12th). Very happy will be that of the last two cities which will inherit Celtic Glasgow (21st) in place of the Skyblues.
A new draw, scheduled for February 21 after the dams, will determine the table to the final. In case of qualification, Paris, Monaco or Brest will face Liverpool or FC Barcelona in the round of 16. Already qualified thanks to its seventh place obtained during the league phase, Lille will meet Sporting Portugal, Bruges, Atalanta Bergame or Borussia Dortmund.