After so many dramas, twists, and turns in the Group stage of the Champions League 2023-24, the knockouts are all set to be played. The winners of each of the 8 groups will be in the seeded category while the runners up will be in the unseeded category. The seeded teams can only be drawn against the unseeded ones. In this round, no side will face another team from the same national association and clubs cannot face opponents they met during the group stage.

Also Read: Liverpool vs Manchester United: Arsenal goes top of the points table after Manchester United restricted Liverpool from scoring at Anfield

UCL round of 16: Qualified Teams

Group winners:

• Arsenal (ENG)

• Atlético Madrid (ESP)

• Barcelona (ESP)

• Bayern Munich (GER)

• Borussia Dortmund (GER)

• Manchester City (ENG)

• Real Madrid (ESP)

• Real Sociedad (ESP)

Group runners-up:

• Copenhagen (DEN)

• Inter (ITA)

• Lazio (ITA)

• Napoli (ITA)

• Porto (POR)

• PSG (FRA)

• PSV Eindhoven (NED)

• RB Leipzig (GER)

The Group winners are the seeded teams while the group runners-up are in the unseeded category.

Champions League 2023-24 Round Of 16 Draw Venue

The round of 16 draws will be held at 4:30 PM IST on Monday, December 18, in Nyon, Switzerland.

How to watch the Draws?

The UCL 2023-24 round of 16 draw fixtures will be broadcast live on Sony Network in India. The fixtures can also be followed live online on SonyLiv or UEFA's official website.

The upcoming round of 16 matches will take place in February and March with the first legs taking place on Feb 13, 14, and 20,21. The second legs will be held on March 5,6 and 12,13.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin responded to recent criticism of footballers playing an excessive number of matches and warned that reducing the number of matches can result in less revenue and lower wages for the players.

According to The Sun, the UEFA President stated:

Ceferin sparked controversy after the General Assembly of the European Clubs Association, held in October 2024, where he stated that only the high-paid players expressed dissatisfaction, while those who earn less did not make any public statement regarding the issue. 

The European calendar of football and its unbalance were discussed in the assembly though Ceferin admitted that the schedule in congested and reached the maximum limit. 

The long-growing displeasure

UEFA and FIFA had already been slammed by footballers and coaches about the increasing number of games per season.

UEFA faced severe criticism after introducing the UEFA Nations League, back in 2018 with a new format including promotion and relegation. Controversies started hovering as various theories suggested this tournament to be a series of friendlies branded into a tournament to generate more revenue for UEFA. 

The Nations League matches are played during the international breaks when European teams used to feature in friendlies or take part in the qualifiers matches. 

However, many prominent footballers and managers did not welcome the idea of this new tournament. Following the 2021 UEFA Nations League third-place play-off match between Italy and Belgium on 10 October 2021, Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois publicly criticized FIFA and UEFA in the post-match interview with Sky Sports:

"This game is just a money game and we have to be honest about it,"

"We just play it because for UEFA it's extra money.

"They can be angry about other teams wanting a Super League but they don't care about the players, they just care about their pockets.

"It's a bad thing that players are not spoken about. And now you hear about a European Championship and a World Cup every year, when will we get a rest? Never."

"So in the end top players will get injured and injured and injured. It's something that should be much better and much more taken care of,

"We are not robots! It's just more and more games and less rest for us and nobody cares about us."

Former Germany coach Hansi Flick addressed his concern about the increasing number of matches in a press conference on 10 June 2022. Flick responded to a question:

"This should be looked at and we need to ask ourselves how we can offer players a break because that is important,"

"UEFA or FIFA should look into these things and take some measures."

In a very recent interview ahead of Belgium's clash against Israel in the Nations League in September 2024, Courtois' national team-mate Kevin De Bruyne addressed the same issue along with the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, which is set to be played in 2025.

🚨⚠️ De Bruyne: “The PFA and other player associations have tried to find solutions…”.

“The issue is UEFA and FIFA keep adding extra matches”.

“We can raise concerns, but no solutions have been found”.

“It seems money speaks louder than players' voices!”, says via @Reuters. pic.twitter.com/8PzTIogMlQ

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 7, 2024

"The real problem will emerge after the Club World Cup...We know there will be only three weeks between the Club World Cup final and the first Premier League match. So, we have three weeks to rest and prepare for another 80 matches,"

"The issue is that UEFA and Fifa keep adding extra matches, and we can raise concerns, but no solutions have been found. It seems that money speaks louder than the players' voices"

via Reuters

Criticism and legal actions regarding the expanded FIFA Club World Cup 2025

The FIFA Club World 2025 will introduce an expanded format that will feature 32 participating teams competing for the glory. This new tournament has further increased the number of matches in a season and resulted in grievances from prominent players and managers.

2024 Ballon d'Or winner and Manchester City's midfielder Rodri expressed his concern about the excessive number of games and said that every player should have an optimum number of matches to play every season.

"From my experience I can tell you that 60-70 [is no good]. Between 40 and 50 is the amount of games in which a player can perform in the highest level. After that you drop because it is impossible to sustain the physical level."

"This year we can go to 70, maybe 80, I don’t know. It depends how far you go in the competitions. It is too much. We have to take care of ourselves. Someone has to take care of ourselves because we are the main characters of this sport or business or whatever you want to call it."

via The Guardian

However, this long-growing cold war between the players or officials and the governing bodies has now turned into a legal battle. 

The tension emerged when FIFPro, the worldwide players' union, and the European Leagues, which represents 37 domestic leagues submitted a legal claim against FIFA on 13 June 2024, "challenging the legality of FIFA's decisions to unilaterally set the International Match Calendar and, in particular, the decision to create and schedule the FIFA Club World Cup 2025."

Here is the official legal claim.

"We don't have enough dates anymore in the calendar."

The Premier League's director of international relations, Mathieu Moreuil, states that legal action is the 'only option' as they allege that FIFA have failed to consult properly regarding football fixtures 😬 pic.twitter.com/GHqgwY8rgF

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 14, 2024

At the European Commission in Brussels On 14 October 2024, the protesting bodies jointly filed a legal complaint against FIFA over FIFA's imposition on match calendars. 

Check the official legal complaint here.

The third international break of the year has already started and the players are on their national duties. But the question remains, will there be any change regarding this distressing issue?

FC Barcelona defender Paul Cubarsi had to go through a rigorous payment of getting 10 stitches on his face after facing a brutal injury in the Crvena Zvezda vs Barcelona UEFA Champions League 2024/25 match.

In the 63rd minute of the game while defending a low ball in Barcelona's box Cubarsi suffered nearly a career threatening injury. It was Crvena captain Spajić who went for the ball with a high boot and Cubarsi also went for the ball with his header. 

Unfortunately, the high boot from Spajić caught the face of Cubarsi and an immidiate medical attention was called by the Barcelona players on the field. The game was stopped for nearly 3-4 minutes as Cubarsi recieved an early attention from the doctors. 

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A post shared by FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona)

He was soon subbed off as Sergi Dominguez replaced him on the filed. Spajić was shown a yellow card for this offence. 

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick after the match confirmed that Pau Cubarsi is all fine and recieved 10 stitches on his face after the injury. His teammate Gavi showed respect for the 17 year old defender by calling him a fighter on his Instagram story.

Barcelona thrashed Crvena Zvezda by 2-5 in an away fixture as Robert Lewandowski scored a brace for them. Jules Kounde provided three assists in the match while Raphinha, Inigo Martinez and Fermin Lopez scored a goal apiece in the match. Barcelona now have moved to 6th position in the UEFA Champions League table with 9 points from 4 games.

Hello and welcome to another LIVE coverage of the UEFA Champions League football match. Tonight, we will cover the Crvena Zvezda vs Barcelona match in the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 season. 

The story before the match

Barcelona have been in red-hot form and on the contrary Crvena Zvezda have not won any matches in the tournament this season. With 6 points in three games, FC Barcelona are currently placed at the number 15 position. Meantime, with no points and a -9 goal difference, the Serbian club are currently at the number 33 position in the points table.

Read Also | Viktor Gyokeres: Do you know he was sold by Brighton for only £1 m in 2021?

However, in all competitions, Crvena Zvezda have won four out of their last five matches and looked in great form in the national league. Barcelona have also been undefeated and won all of their last five games across competitions. 

This will be the fifth time these two teams face each other. Barcelona have won 3 of those four games while drawing once. Only time will tell if the Serbian League champions will be able to resist rampant Barcelona, or if it will be an easy win for the La Liga table toppers.

So, sit down and relax as we bring you updates, facts, and news of the Crvena Zvezda vs Barcelona match from our webdesk. 

Paris Saint-Germain is back to their Champions League quest as the French champions will take on Atletico Madrid at Parc des Princes on 7 November 2024. Both teams will head onto the fourth UCL match-week in search of their second win in the UEFA Champions League 2024-25. This electrifying encounter will kick-off in Paris tonight at 1:30 AM IST.

From possible starting XIs to Fantasy predictions, here is everything you need to know about the League match of Paris Saint-Germain vs Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League 2024-25. 

Match Details 

Match: Paris Saint-Germain vs Atletico Madrid - UEFA Champions League 2024-25 League Match

Date: 7 November 2024

Time: 1:30 AM IST

Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris, France

How to watch the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 League Match between Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid

The match will be streamed Live on the Sony Liv app and website. Viewers can also watch the game live on TV on Sony Sports Network. 

Team News

Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain have had a complex start to their UCL 2024-25 campaign, winning 1 game, losing 1, and drawing 1 game as well. The French champions opened their account with a 1-0 win over Girona in the first match-week following a 0-2 defeat against Arsenal in the second match-week. In their last UCL outing against PSV Eindhoven, PSG came from behind to end the game in a 1-1 draw. 

🏆 Champions League mode: ON! 🔴🔵#PSGATM | #UCL pic.twitter.com/lZOm0aFR89

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) November 5, 2024

However, PSG will be confident against Atletico after winning two back-to-back games in the Ligue 1, having earned a 3-0 victory over historic rivals Olympique de Marseille and beating Lens by 1-0 in their last game. Currently, Les Parisiens are in the 23rd position in the UCL league table with 4 points in 3 matches.

Head coach Luis Enrique will ensure to build a strong starting eleven to take on Atletico Madrid. However, PSG will be playing without Presnel Kimpembe, Lucas Hernandez, and Gonçalo Ramos who are sidelined due to long-term injuries. 

The Parisian squad for the home match against @Atleti! 📋🔴🔵#UCL | #PSGATM pic.twitter.com/xgxD0y4YPP

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) November 6, 2024

However, Enrique will start Donnarumma again in the goal after dropping him from in starting eleven against Lens last week. Dembele, Barcola, and Asensio will lead the PSG attack whereas Hakimi and Marquinhos will solidify the defence.

Last 5 Matches: D W D W W 

Read Also | UEFA Champions League 2024-25 league phase match week 3 roundup

Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid is almost on the same page with their inconsistent performances both in the UCL and LaLiga 2024-25. The Rojiblancos started their UCL campaign with a 2-1 victory over RB Leipzig as José María Giménez scored a last-minute winner that ensured three points for the Spanish side. However, Atletico faced a 0-4 thrashing by Benfica in their second UCL outing and lost to Lille OSC by 1-3 in the third match-week. 

💫 Champions League mode activated pic.twitter.com/r2V0het5cg

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) November 4, 2024

Atletico is also struggling in the LaLiga with 5 draws in 12 matches although they had a 2-0 victory over Las Palmas in their last match across all competitions. Currently, Atletico Madrid is standing in the 28th position in the UCL league table having 3 points earned in 3 matches.

🎙️ Simeone

❝We are facing a very important rival, with the hallmark of their coach. They are a team full of very good and dynamic young players and with a great coaching staff. We will try to take the game to where we can hurt them❞. pic.twitter.com/3pqlhjDCaO

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) November 5, 2024

Coach Diego Simeone will have to field the best eleven to take on PSG with Robin Le Normand, Marcos Llorente, Thomas Lemar, and Cesar Azpilicueta being sidelined due to injuries. José María Giménez is also suspended due to a second consecutive yellow against Benfica and LOSC.

✈️ Squad list for PSG vs Atleti pic.twitter.com/kV5oI5haqL

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) November 5, 2024

In these circumstances, Axel Witsel and Clément Lenglet are likely to be the central-back pairing whereas Rodrigo De Paul will lead the midfield. Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez are expected to be the attacking duo for Atletico tonight.

Last 5 Matches: W L L W W 

Head-to-head

Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid will face each other for the first time in any competitive match.

Possible Playing XI

Paris Saint-Germain 

Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK); Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Warren Zaïre-Emery, Vitinha, João Neves; Ousmane Dembélé, Marco Asensio, Bradley Barcola

Atletico Madrid

Jan Oblak (GK); Nahuel Molina, Axel Witsel, Clément Lenglet, Reinildo Mandava; Rodrigo De Paul, Koke, Conor Gallagher, Sameul Lino; Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez

Paris Saint-Germain vs Atletico Madrid: Fantasy XI Prediction

Donnarumma, Hakimi, Molina, Witsel, Mendes, De Paul, Zaïre-Emery, Dembélé, Griezmann, Alvarez, Asensio.

Manchester City has failed to win a UEFA Champions League match since May 2022 as Sporting CP crushed the English side by 4-1 with Viktor Gyökeres scoring a hat-trick. Ruben Amorim's brigade ends Manchester City's record unbeaten run of 26 games in the UCL. 

Manchester City lose their first match in the Champions League since May 2022.

They set the longest unbeaten streak in the UCL (26 games).

What a run 👏 pic.twitter.com/k5G3jD5yqW

— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 5, 2024

Pep Guardiola's men broke United's record of 25-game unbeaten streak in City's last UCL outing against Sparta Praha last week, making it more memorable with a 5-0 win. However, the defeat to Sporting has ended City's record-breaking 26-match unbeaten run which is the longest unbeaten run in the UCL.

Man City set a 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗 for longest unbeaten run in #UCL history (𝟮𝟲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀) 🥇🆕 pic.twitter.com/awt7kv3s72

— LiveScore (@livescore) October 23, 2024

Although Man City broke the record set by their long-standing rival Manchester United; the Red Devils are the only team to maintain an unbeaten streak of more than 15 games three times in different periods. 

Here are the longest unbeaten runs in the UEFA Champions League:

1. Manchester City | 26 games (2022-2024)

Manchester City's unbeaten run started in September 2022 whereas their last defeat before that came against Real Madrid in the second leg of the 2021-22 UCL semi-final where they lost 1-3 to the eventual champions. 

Following that defeat at Bernabeu, Manchester City went on to be undefeated in 26 UCL matches consisting of 18 wins and 8 draws. During this period, Manchester City lifted their maiden UEFA Champions League trophy in their historic treble-winning 2022-23 season.

Manchester City’s 2023 Champions League Campaign is one of the Greatest!

- Group Winners
- Invincibles
- Knocked out Real Madrid
- Knocked out Bayern Munich
- Defeat Inter Milan in the Final pic.twitter.com/rBuH0UfzVk

— City Chief (@City_Chief) July 6, 2023

Manchester City could not retain the title next season, but their exit came in the Quarter-finals after two draws in both legs and Real Madrid knocked City out in penalties.

However, City extended their unbeaten run to 25 games after thrashing Slovan Bratislava by 4-0 and broke the all-time record and stretched it to 26 games after crushing Sparta Praha by 5-0 last matchday. Now their run comes to an end after losing 1-4 to Sporting CP on 6 November 2024.

2. Manchester United | 25 games (2007-2009)

Manchester United remained unbeaten for 25 games from September 2007 to May 2009 when they lost 0-2 to FC Barcelona in the 2008-09 UCL Final. The Red Devils' unbeaten run started with a 1-0 victory over Sporting CP, and it was Cristiano Ronaldo who scored the only goal. 

However, their stint included the 2007-08 UCL Final when they defeated Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out. This one remains as of the most iconic undefeated UCL-winning campaigns.

On this day in 2008: #MUFC lifted the Champions League trophy after a penalty shootout win over #CFC. pic.twitter.com/YfFrqufNeL

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 21, 2015

However, Sir Alex Ferguson and his Red Devils continued their streak and reached a second consecutive UCL Final in the 2008-09 season. Barcelona ensured a 2-0 victory over Manchester United and United's unbeaten streak ended as well. 

3. Ajax Amsterdam | 20 games (1985-1996)

Ajax is only the third team to remain unbeaten in the Champions League for 20+ games and the Dutch side made the record in a 10-and-a-half-year period; extended to both the European Cup and the Champions League era!

Ajax's unbeaten run of 20 games reigned for this extensive period of time due to an incident that led Ajax to get banned from European competitions for a year in 1990 and they could not qualify from 1985 to 1988 and 1991 to 1993. 

Ajax was banned for a year from participating in European competitions following their 1989-90 UEFA Cup defeat against Austria Wien where an Ajax fan threw a bar towards the ground during the match and Wien's keeper Franz Wohlfahrt got injured. 

Ajax triumphed in the #UCLfinal against Milan #OnThisDay in 1995... pic.twitter.com/k9PUIHR0oa

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 24, 2016

However, the return of Ajax to the UCL remains iconic to date for their undefeated 1994-95 UCL-winning campaign as the Louis Van Gaal-coached side beat AC Milan by 1-0 in the final. Ajax's unbeaten run ended in a 0-1 defeat to Panathinaikos in the first leg of the 1995-96 UCL semi-final.

4. Bayern Munich | 19 games (2019-2021) 

Bayern Munich kept their unbeaten streak intact for 19 matches from 2019 to 2021, which included their undefeated UCL victory in the 2019-20 season during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Bayern dominated their group by winning 6 out of 6 games and in the knock-out stages as well; with crushing Barcelona by 8-2 in the quarter-final. The Bavarians also became the first-ever team to win every match in a UCL campaign and maintain a 100% win record.

🏆 INVINCIBLES 💪

🔴 Bayern = 1st side in history to lift the trophy having won every game in a UCL season (11 games, 11 wins) 💯#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/HvuRNSmEIQ

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 24, 2020

However, Bayern's 19-game streak ended in a 2-3 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the 2020-21 UCL quarter-final.

5. Bayern Munich | 19 games (2001-2002)

Bayern Munich had another great unbeaten run in the early 2000s, going 19 games without facing a defeat from 2001 to 2002. Following the 0-3 defeat against Lyon in the second group stage of the 2000-01 UCL, Bayern remained undefeated after that loss including the penalty shoot-out victory in the Final against Valencia to lift the 2000-01 UCL. 

📅 23rd May 2001. The day we made history 🏆#FCBayern #MiaSanMia #UCL #OnThisDay pic.twitter.com/8Bhf1COOFd

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) May 23, 2020

Bayern extended their unbeaten run in the 2001-02 UCL as well and remained undefeated in both the first and second group stages. Bayern's run came to an end with a 0-2 defeat against Real Madrid in the second leg of the 2001-02 UCL quarter-final. 

The longest unbeaten runs in the European Cup and Champions League history:

1. Manchester City – 26 games (6 Sep 2022 – 6 November 2024)
2. Manchester United – 25 games (19 Sep 2007 – 5 May 2009)
3. Ajax – 20 games (2 Oct 1985 – 20 Mar 1996)
4. Bayern Munich – 19 games (18 Sep 2019 – 17 Mar 2021)
5. Bayern Munich – 19 games (14 Mar 2001 – 2 Apr 2002)
*6. Crvena zvezda – 17 games (7 Sep 1988 – 6 Nov 1991)
7. Barcelona – 16 games (8 Mar 2011 – 3 Apr 2012)
8. Manchester United – 16 games (23 Oct 2001 – 23 Oct 2002)
9. Manchester United – 16 games (4 Mar 1998 – 29 Sep 1999)
10. Real Madrid – 15 games (12 Apr 2016 – 2 May 2017)
11. Barcelona – 15 games (14 Sep 2005 – 27 Sep 2006)
*12. FC Köln – 15 games (26 Sep 1962 – 11 April 1979)

*Starred ones happened in the European Cup era.