Soccer

Field, seeding finalized for Champions League last-16 draw

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Seeding for the Champions League round of 16 was finalized following a topsy-turvy conclusion to the group stage on Wednesday, as Paris Saint-Germain narrowly avoided a shocking early exit to reach the knockout phase.

PSG came from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund. That result, coupled with AC Milan’s comeback victory over Newcastle United, helped the French giants finish second in the ultra-competitive Group F ahead of the Italian outfit.

Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid beat Lazio to win Group E, while FC Porto secured second place in Group H with a chaotic 5-3 triumph over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Wednesday’s results solidified the field for the last-16 draw, which is slated for Dec. 18 at 6 a.m. ET in Nyon, Switzerland.

The eight group winners will be paired with the eight runners-up. Teams from the same domestic league can’t meet in the round of 16. The same is true of teams who were in the same group for the opening round of the competition. Matchup restrictions are lifted beginning in the quarterfinals.

Here’s a look at the seeding ahead of Monday’s draw:

Group winners (seeded)

  • Bayern Munich (Group A)
  • Arsenal (Group B)
  • Real Madrid (Group C)
  • Real Sociedad (Group D)
  • Atletico Madrid (Group E)
  • Borussia Dortmund (Group F)
  • Manchester City (Group G)
  • Barcelona (Group H)

Group runners-up (unseeded)

  • FC Copenhagen (Group A)
  • PSV Eindhoven (Group B)
  • Napoli (Group C)
  • Inter Milan (Group D)
  • Lazio (Group E)
  • Paris Saint-Germain (Group F)
  • RB Leipzig (Group G)
  • FC Porto (Group H)

The Champions League resumes on Feb. 13 with last-16 first-leg matches.

Meanwhile, the third-placed teams from each group drop into the Europa League knockout playoffs, where they’ll be paired with the second-placed finishers from the group stage of that tournament.

Dropping into Europa League

  • Galatasaray (Group A)
  • Lens (Group B)
  • Braga (Group C)
  • Benfica (Group D)
  • Feyenoord (Group E)
  • AC Milan (Group F)
  • Young Boys (Group G)
  • Shakhtar Donetsk (Group H)

Sides that finished last in their respective Champions League groups – including Manchester United, Sevilla, Newcastle, and Celtic – have been eliminated from European competition altogether for the season.