Who Arsenal, Liverpool and Other PL Clubs Can Face in Champions League Last 16

Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City now know who they could face in the Champions League round of 16 after the conclusion of the group stage.

Five English teams finished in the top eight of the standings and secured their progression automatically to the last 16 of the competition.

Newcastle, meanwhile, drew 1-1 with PSG and will contest the play-off stage in February , having finished in place in the group.

Arsenal were already qualified for the last 16, and secured their spot as group winners with a 3-2 win over Kairat Almaty.

They were joined by Bayern Munich, who finished second after their 2-1 win away at PSV, who have been knocked out of the competition.

Liverpool and Tottenham made it three English teams in the top four, with Barcelona in fifth after they came from behind to thrash FC Copenhagen 4-1.

Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon and Manchester City round out the top eight after they all won their respective matches against Napoli, Athletic Bilbao and Galatasaray.

Here is what happens next:

Who will Newcastle play in the play-offs?

As with last season's format, the teams that finish between ninth and 24th in the group stage will now contest the play-offs.

The play-offs are seeded, with the 16 teams involved being separated into pairs corresponding to where they finished in the league table.

Four pairs of teams - the teams who finished ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th - are seeded, while the remaining lower-ranked teams are unseeded.

That means Newcastle will face either Qarabag or Monaco, who finished in 22nd and 21st places, in the play-off round.

The draw will take place on Friday, January 30 at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Who can Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Man City play?

As group winners, Arsenal have been paired alongside Bayern Munich and will occupy either the top or the bottom of the draw bracket.

Mikel Arteta's side could take on Borussia Dortmund, Olympiacos, Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen.

Liverpool, meanwhile, finished in third place and will be paired with Tottenham.

The two English clubs will take on either Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Juventus or Atletico Madrid in the last 16 phase.

As for Manchester City, who sneaked through in eighth place after their win over Galatasaray - and Real Madrid, PSG and Newcastle all failing to win - they will avoid playing in the play-offs for a second consecutive season.

Pep Guardiola's side have been paired with Sporting Lisbon - but could face a horror tie in the last 16.

That is because Real Madrid, who knocked them out in the play-offs last season, are a potential opponent, along with Bodo/Glimt, Benfica and Inter Milan.

Finally, Chelsea have been paired with Barcelona and face perhaps the most difficult prospect.

Newcastle, Monaco, Qarabag or reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain await them in the round of 16

Newcastle will get home advantage in their play-off tie by virtue of being a seeded team, but the automatic qualifiers for the last 16 will have home advantage for their matches.

That means Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City will all play their last 16 ties at their home stadiums.

Should Newcastle progress, it would be the first time that six English clubs will compete in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

English clubs gained an extra qualification spot via league position through their UEFA co-efficient last season, while Tottenham won the Europa League to earn their place in the Champions League.

What about other major European clubs?

Like Arsenal, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich have the same potential opponents in the last 16 depending on the play-off draw.

Vincent Kompany's side could come up against fellow German opposition in Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen - something that is now permitted at this stage under UEFA rules for the new format.

Barcelona, meanwhile, have been paired with Chelsea, with a potential Paris Saint-Germain tie surely one of the most mouth-watering fixtures of the last 16 phase.

And Real Madrid's 4-2 defeat consigns them to the play-offs, with City, Sporting, Barcelona and Chelsea finishing ahead of them by a single point.

Alvaro Arbeloa's side have been paired with Inter Milan and will therefore face Bodo/Glimt or a repeat of their tie against Benfica in the play-offs.

They can then face either Sporting or Manchester City in the last 16 if they progress.