2020–21 UEFA Champions League knockout phase
The 2020–21 UEFA Champions League knockout phase will begin on 16 February with the round of 16 and will end on 29 May 2021 with the final at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, to decide the champions of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League.[1] A total of 16 teams will compete in the knockout phase.[2]
Times are CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Qualified teams
The knockout phase involves the 16 teams which qualify as winners and runners-up of each of the eight groups in the group stage.
| Group | Winners (seeded in round of 16 draw) |
Runners-up (unseeded in round of 16 draw) |
|---|---|---|
| A |  Bayern Munich
|
 Atlético Madrid
|
| B | Real Madrid
|
Borussia Mönchengladbach
|
| C |  Manchester City
|
 Porto
|
| D | Liverpool
|
 Atalanta
|
| E | Chelsea
|
Sevilla
|
| F | Borussia Dortmund
|
Lazio
|
| G | Juventus
|
Barcelona
|
| H |  Paris Saint-Germain
|
RB Leipzig
|
Format
Each tie in the knockout phase, apart from the final, is played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scores more goals on aggregate over the two legs advances to the next round. If the aggregate score is level, the away goals rule is applied, i.e. the team that scores more goals away from home over the two legs advances. If away goals are also equal, then extra time is played. The away goals rule is again applied after extra time, i.e. if there are goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score is still level, the visiting team advances by virtue of more away goals scored. If no goals are scored during extra time, the winners are decided by a penalty shoot-out. In the final, which is played as a single match, if the score is level at the end of normal time, extra time is played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if the score is still level.[2]
The mechanism of the draws for each round is as follows:
- In the draw for the round of 16, the eight group winners are seeded, and the eight group runners-up are unseeded. The seeded teams are drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
- In the draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals, there are no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association can be drawn against each other. As the draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals are held together before the quarter-finals are played, the identity of the quarter-final winners is not known at the time of the semi-final draw. A draw is also held to determine which semi-final winner is designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it is played at a neutral venue).
For the quarter-finals and semi-finals, teams from the same city are not scheduled to play at home on the same day or on consecutive days, due to logistics and crowd control.[3] To avoid such scheduling conflict, if the two teams are drawn to play at home for the same leg, the order of legs of the tie involving the team with the lower domestic ranking in the qualifying season is reversed from the original draw.[4]
Schedule
The schedule is as follows (all draws are held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland).[5]
| Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round of 16 | 14 December 2020, 12:00 | 16–17 & 23–24 February 2021 | 9–10 & 16–17 March 2021 |
| Quarter-finals | 19 March 2021, 12:00 | 6–7 April 2021 | 13–14 April 2021 |
| Semi-finals | 27–28 April 2021 | 4–5 May 2021 | |
| Final | 29 May 2021 at Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul | ||
Round of 16
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 14 December 2020, 12:00 CET.[6]
Summary
The first legs will be played on 16, 17, 23 and 24 February, and the second legs will be played on 9, 10, 16 and 17 March 2021.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borussia Mönchengladbach
|
1 | Manchester City
|
24 Feb | 16 Mar |
| Lazio
|
2 | Bayern Munich
|
23 Feb | 17 Mar |
| Atlético Madrid
|
3 | Chelsea
|
23 Feb | 17 Mar |
| RB Leipzig
|
4 | Liverpool
|
16 Feb | 10 Mar |
| Porto
|
5 | Juventus
|
17 Feb | 9 Mar |
| Barcelona
|
6 | Paris Saint-Germain
|
16 Feb | 10 Mar |
| Sevilla
|
7 | Borussia Dortmund
|
17 Feb | 9 Mar |
| Atalanta
|
8 | Real Madrid
|
24 Feb | 16 Mar |
Matches
Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals will be held on 19 March 2021, 12:00 CET.[7] The first legs will be played on 6 and 7 April, and the second legs will be played on 13 and 14 April 2021.
Semi-finals
The draw for the semi-finals will be held on 19 March 2021, 12:00 CET, after the quarter-final draw.[7] The first legs will be played on 27 and 28 April, and the second legs will be played on 4 and 5 May 2021.
Final
The final will be played on 29 May 2021 at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. A draw will be held on 19 March 2021, after the quarter-final and semi-final draws, to determine the "home" team for administrative purposes.[7]
| Manchester City | 0–1 | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Notes
- ^ CET (UTC+1) for dates up to 27 March 2021 (round of 16), and CEST (UTC+2) for dates thereafter (quarter-finals, semi-finals and final).
- ^ Real Madrid will play their home matches at Alfredo di Stéfano, Madrid, instead of their regular home stadium Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid.
References
- ^ "Updated UEFA competitions calendar". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Regulations of the UEFA Champions League, 2020/21". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 September 2020.
- ^ "Why Manchester United's UEFA Champions League home leg vs Barcelona has been reversed". Manchester Evening News. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ "Champions League quarter-final and semi-final draws: all you need to know". UEFA. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "2020/21 UEFA Champions League match calendar". Union of European Football Associations. 24 September 2019.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw". UEFA.com.
- ^ a b c "UEFA Champions League quarter-final and semi-final draws". UEFA.com.
- ^ "Full Time Report Final – Manchester City v Chelsea" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 May 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.