With Liverpool, Sevilla, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk the final four to book their place in the Champions League knock-out stages, attention turns to Monday’s draw for the last-16 knockout stage.
Each team finishing first will be seeded and cannot face second-place sides from their initial groups. So Man City will not be drawn against Shakhtar Donetsk, for example.
Seeded teams will also play the second leg of their knock-out match at home – meaning Chelsea will be at Stamford Bridge for their first-leg – while sides from the same country are not eligible to play each other in the last-16.
Liverpool became the fifth English team to book their place in the last 16 on Wednesday
The first-legs are scheduled for February 13/14 and 20/21, with the return fixtures March 6/7 and 13/14.
Sportsmail profiles the clubs in the last-16 and their various connotations as the Champions League becomes a knock-out.
MANCHESTER UNITED
Jose Mourinho’s side breezed through into the last-16 with five wins in Group A. A minor hiccup occurred in game five, when they were beaten 1-0 by Basle in Switzerland but it only ever delayed the inevitable. A comeback 2-1 win over CSKA Moscow on Tuesday saw them top the group by three points.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Sevilla, Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto, Real Madrid.
Marcus Rashford scores for Manchester United against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday
CHELSEA
The 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge, coinciding with Roma’s 1-0 victory over Qarabag, meant Antonio Conte’s side advanced into the last 16 in second place. PSG or Barcelona – who Chelsea had numerous memorable showdowns with during the tenures of Mourinho and Roberto Di Matteo – will be the teams to avoid while Besiktas – and a trip to Turkey – is never straightforward.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Besiktas
Eden Hazard scored for Chelsea against Atletico Madrid but the Blues came second in Group C
MANCHESTER CITY
Pep Guardiola’s men won five of their group games – only stumbling at the last hurdle against Shakhtar – conceding only five goals in the process. Under Guardiola’s guidance, City are one of the favourites to win the competition overall and no side will favour drawing them in the knock-out stages. Although a showdown with two-time defending champions Real Madrid will not be welcomed by anyone in the blue half of Manchester, either.
POTENTIAL OPPONENT: Basle, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Sevilla, Porto, Real Madrid.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are one of the favourites for the Champions League
TOTTENHAM
Mauricio Pochettino has done superbly to guide Tottenham out of the most demanding of groups in this year’s tournament, also sealing first place with a game to spare. A win and a draw over Madrid consigned the holders to send place in the group and while Spurs had a nightmare in last season’s competition, are a force to be reckoned with this time around.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Basle, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Sevilla, Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto.
Tottenham have impressed in Europe by beating Real Madrid to Group H top spot
LIVERPOOL
Like their season overall, Jurgen Klopp’s side made life harder for themselves than necessary. Surrendering a 3-0 lead in Seville meant that they approached the final match against Spartak Moscow ‘like a cup final’, according to captain Jordan Henderson. Still, they advanced in first place in some style and didn’t lose a game. Anfield on European nights makes things harder for any opponent they come up against, as proved by their 7-0 drubbing of Spartak Moscow.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Basle, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk, Leipzig, Real Madrid.
Mohamed Salah was in fine form yet again as Liverpool eased past Spartak Moscow 7-0
BASLE
Their victory over United proved decisive as they sealed second place in Group A by three points, consigning CSKA Moscow to the Europa League.
They could face one of three English teams in the next round, as well as big hitters Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Paris Saint-Germain, Roma, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester City, Besiktas, Tottenham
Basle’s victory against Manchester United proved pivotal in making the knock-out stages
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
Despite losing their last group game 3-1 to Bayern Munich, they progressed as Group B winners due to their head-to-head record against the German side. They crave their first European title and with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe leading their attack, they are one of the favourites this season.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Basle, Chelsea, Juventus, Sevilla, Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto, Real Madrid.
Neymar’s arrival at Paris Saint-Germain has made them a major force in Europe
BAYERN MUNICH
They look to be returning to the form they are synonymous with after sacking Carlo Ancelotti in September. One of the runners-up who all the group winners want to avoid.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Manchester United, Roma, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester City, Besiktas, Tottenham.
Bayern Munich look to be returning to their best form after a change of manager
ROMA
The Italian side surprised and impressed everyone by topping Group C ahead of Chelsea and Atletico Madrid and are not to be understimated.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Basle, Bayern Munich, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sevilla, Porto, Real Madrid.
Roma made a statement by finishing ahead of Chelsea and Roma in their group
BARCELONA
Ernesto Valverde’s side went unbeaten in Group D, avoiding the humbling at the hands of Juventus like they had last year. With Ousmane Dembele returning from injury at the turn of the year there could be another level to come from the La Liga leaders.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Basle, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto.
Barcelona went unbeaten in Group D and have Ousmane Dembele returning next year
JUVENTUS
Finishing second to Barcelona is nothing for the Italian side to be ashamed of, despite them getting to the final last year. They might not be having it all their own way in Serie A this season but Paulo Dybala and Co are distinguished opponents for anyone.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Manchester United, PSG, Liverpool, Manchester City, Porto/Leipzig, Besiktas, Tottenham.
Paulo Dybala and Juventus will provide distinguished opponents for anyone in the tournament
SEVILLA
A draw away at Maribor on the final matchday, coupled with Liverpool’s 7-0 thrashing of Spartak Moscow at Anfield, left Sevilla in second place in Group E.
It could have been worse, though – had results not gone their way, they could have dropped into the Europa League, instead.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Roma, Manchester City, Besiktas, Tottenham
Sevilla’s players celebrate their goal against Maribor, but they couldn’t net again for victory
SHAKHTAR DONETSK
The Ukrainian side enjoyed a brilliant Champions League week, becoming the first side of the season to record a win over the might of Manchester City. Despite Sergio Aguero’s injury-time penalty, they hung on for a 2-1 win and go through in second place.
In a group including Napoli and Feyenoord, that is no mean feat. A tough draw awaits in the last-16, though.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Roma, Liverpool, Besiktas, Tottenham
Shakhtar Donetsk became the first team to beat Manchester City all season on Wednesday
BESIKTAS
The Turkish side made the most of a favourable draw by sealing first place after five matches. The ferocious atmosphere in the Vodafone Arena poses a challenge for any team.
They finished off their group campaign with a 2-1 victory over Leipzig, taking them to a tremendous 14 points.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Basle, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Sevilla, Shakhtar Donetsk, Real Madrid.
Besiktas finished off a tremendous group stage campaign with a 2-1 win away at Leipzig
PORTO
Porto were far from favourites to qualify from Group G, but last year’s semi-finalists Monaco gave them a huge boost – purely by being dreadful.
The French side finished bottom with just two points, and the Portuguese side managed to qualify in second, above Leipzig in third. Besiktas won the group.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Roma, Liverpool, Manchester City, Besiktas, Tottenham.
Porto stuck five past struggling Monaco to confirm their place in the knockout stages
REAL MADRID
The signs are there that this Madrid side are starting to waver. They may have been the first team to successfully defend the European Cup in the Champions League format but they are languishing in fourth in La Liga and finished behind Tottenham in Group H. They may not be as fearsome to draw as they have been in previous years.
POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Manchester United, PSG, Manchester City, Roma, Liverpool, Besiktas, Tottenham.
Real Madrid progressed but the Champions League has not been straightforward for them