PSG could face Chelsea, Man City or Spurs in Champions League

LONDON. — Liverpool will not face Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League football after the French giants finished second in Group H.

The Reds finished as runners-up in Group A and were at risk of drawing

PSG, yet that’s no longer possible after Wednesday night’s results. It also means Manchester City, Chelsea or Tottenham could now face Christophe Galtier’s side in the first knockout round.

PSG were denied top spot in Group H after Benfica hammered Maccabi Haifa 6-1 in their final game. As PSG also won their last match by beating Juventus 2-1, Benfica were deemed group winners by virtue of away goals scored - boasting a nine to six advantage.

PSG would’ve won Group H if it wasn’t for Joao Mario’s 92nd-minute goal. Positions in Champions League groups are determined by points, goal difference, goal scored and then away goals scored. The two games between PSG and Benfica both finished 1-1.

“Firstly, congratulations to Benfica,” said Galtier at full-time. “I have to congratulate my team, my squad too. We’ve beaten Juventus twice and we were very happy until the 92nd minute. But if you want to go far in this competition, you have to beat big teams.”

English clubs can’t be drawn against fellow Premier League sides or their group-stage opponents in the last 16, which limits the number of teams Liverpool can be drawn against. Their potential opponents are Porto, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Benfica.

City, Chelsea and Tottenham will all be hoping to avoid PSG in the draw, which takes place in Switzerland on Monday. City’s potential opponents are Club Brugge, Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt,

AC Milan, RB Leipzig and, of course, the Ligue 1 champions.

Chelsea’s scouting department will be preparing for a tie against Brugge, Inter, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Dortmund or PSG. Tottenham’s potential opponents are Brugge, Inter, Milan, Leipzig, Dortmund and PSG. The latter are undoubtedly the most feared side.

PSG have never won a European Cup and are desperate to end their drought. They’ve assembled one of the most dangerous attacks in Europe, as Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar have scored 44 goals between them this season. It’s only November.

PSG have not lost a game this season, winning 16 of their 20 fixtures in all competitions. They boast a five-point gap at the top of Ligue 1 and picked up 14 points in their Champions League group - more than group winners Porto, Tottenham, Chelsea and Real.

Liverpool are in a similar situation when it comes to Europe. They achieved 15 points from their Champions League group, with only Bayern amassing more. The Reds are struggling in the Premier League, though, winning just four of their first 12 fixtures.

Although Liverpool will not face Messi and PSG in the last 16, they could be drawn against bogey team Real. The Spanish giants defeated Jurgen Klopp’s side in the 2018 and 2022 finals - and they knocked them out in the quarter-finals two seasons ago.

The last-16 first legs are scheduled for February 14/15/21/22, while the second legs will take place on March 7/8/14/15.

Meanwhile, AC Milan reached the Champions League knock-out stage for the first time in nine years on Wednesday night with a 4-0 victory over Salzburg, while RB Leipzig also qualified by thrashing Shakhtar Donetsk.

Paris Saint-Germain will be the team group winners want to avoid in Monday’s last-16 draw after missing out on top spot in Group H despite a 2-1 win at Juventus, as Benfica hammered Maccabi Haifa 6-1 to snatch first place on total away goals.

Seven-time European champions Milan knew a point would be enough to send them into the last 16 for the first time since the 2013-14 season after a group-stage exit last term.

“These kinds of nights is what we wish for,” Milan coach Stefano Pioli told Sky Sport. “We wanted to show we improved compared to last season in the Champions League. We’re ambitious now, so let’s see what happens next.”

Pioli’s side eased any nerves at the San Siro inside 14 minutes as Olivier Giroud headed home.

Milan’s return to the knockouts was all but confirmed less than a minute after halftime when Giroud headed the ball across goal for Rade Krunic to nod past Philipp Kohn in the Salzburg goal.

Giroud added his second before the hour mark, allowing the home fans the opportunity to celebrate for the remainder of the match and Junior Messias added further gloss to the scoreline in added time.