Round of 16 clash against BVB? Here’s what’s next for Bayern in the CL | OneFootball

FC Bayern finished the league phase of the Champions League as runners-up and thus qualified directly for the round of 16. The tournament format has already determined which play-off branch the next opponent will come from, with both a German duel with Borussia Dortmund and a clash with Bayer Leverkusen possible.

In the round of 16, FC Bayern will face the winner of one of the two play-off duels involving Borussia Dortmund, Olympiakos Piraeus, Atalanta Bergamo and Bayer Leverkusen. The specific pairings will be drawn on Friday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon.

The Champions League play-offs will be played on February 17 and 18 (first legs) and February 24 and 25 (second legs), after which the final round of 16 pairings will be determined. FC Bayern will play their first leg of the round of 16 on March 10 or 11, followed by the second leg on March 17 or 18 at the Allianz Arena.

By finishing second in the league phase, Munich have secured a clear structural advantage. Up to and including a possible semi-final, FCB would play the second leg in their own stadium. This home advantage is independent of the specific opponent.

Real or Guardiola could be waiting in the quarter-finals

A potential German clash would have a special appeal. Borussia Dortmund (17th) and Bayer Leverkusen (16th) finished the league phase outside the top eight and must therefore first take a detour via the play-offs. If one of the two Bundesliga clubs prevails, there could be a domestic clash on the European stage in the round of 16.

The rest of the tournament tree also shows how things could continue for Munich in the knockout phase. Real Madrid or Manchester City, among others, could be waiting in the quarter-finals if the respective favourites prevail. In the semi-finals, possible clashes with FC Barcelona, Chelsea FC, Paris Saint-Germain or Liverpool FC could be on the cards.

But for now, the German record champions can sit back and relax and watch the play-offs from the comfort of their sofa, unlike last year, so that they can go into the round of 16 in March full of energy.

All CL dates at a glance