Newcastle given favourable draw as Champions League knockout play-off fixtures confirmed | OneFootball

Newcastle will face Qarabag for a place in the Champions League round of 16 after the draw for the knockout play-offs was confirmed.

A final day draw with Paris Saint-Germain secured a 12th placed finish in the league phase for Eddie Howe’s side, which has now resulted in a tie with the first Azerbaijani club to reach the knockout rounds of the competition.

PSG will face fellow Ligue 1 side Monaco, while Real Madrid face a rematch with Benfica after a dramatic defeat to Jose Mourinho’s side in midweek.

Benfica and Real Madrid will meet again after a dramatic end to the league phase (Reuters)

Bodo/Glimt of Norway, who beat Manchester City 3-1 in the penultimate league phase round and were Europa League semi-finalists last season, were drawn against Inter Milan.

Atalanta will take on Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen were paired against Olympiacos, Juventus play Galatasaray and Atletico Madrid are up against Club Brugge.

Speaking before Newcastle’s draw was confirmed, Howe said: "Whoever we get, it's going to be a great tie. It is a great moment for us.

"I'm really pleased with Wednesday and really pleased we showed really good defensive qualities. We go into the next draw with real positivity and I'm excited for whoever we get."

The two-legged knockout play-off fixtures will take place across the evenings of 17-18 February and 24-25 February.

The winners of the eight ties will progress to the last-16 to take on the direct qualifiers from the league phase. Included within those eight clubs are five Premier League sides: Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City.

The draw for the round of 16 will be held on 27 February following the conclusion of the play-off ties. PSG came through the extra knockout round on their way to securing a first Champions League crown last season.