When is the UEFA Conference League Round of 16 draw? And who can Chelsea play?
From the official Chelsea FC website:
Chelsea’s possible path to glory in the UEFA Conference League will become clearer on Friday when the draw is made for the remaining knockout rounds, and here we explain how it works and detail who the Blues can meet.
Enzo Maresca’s side sealed our progression to the latter stages of the competition with six wins out of six in the league phase. As one of the top eight clubs to progress, we bypassed the knockout round play-offs, which have been taking place this month, and will instead meet one of the winners of those ties in the last 16.
When and where is the Conference League Round of 16 draw?
The Conference League knockout rounds draw will take place on Friday 21 February at 1pm UK time. The venue is UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
How can you watch the Conference League Round of 16 draw?
The draw will be streamed live on uefa.com.
How does the round of 16 draw work?
The top eight clubs have been paired based on their positions at the end of the league phase to form four seeded pairs (clubs in positions 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and 7 and 8). So, we were paired with second-placed Vitoria.
The clubs in each seeded pair are then drawn into one of two positions in the Round of 16 against the relevant winner of the knockout phase play-offs.
The draw allocates the side of the bracket for all the seeded teams, starting with the teams ranked 7/8 and finishing with the teams 1/2 (Chelsea and Vitoria).
One ball will be taken from the bowl containing us and Vitoria, and then opened to display the team. If we are drawn first, we will be placed on the silver, left-hand side of the bracket. The other team is then drawn and placed on the green, right-hand side of the bracket. See the graphic below.
Who can Chelsea play in the Conference League round of 16?
We will play either Gent, Real Betis, Copenhagen or Heidenheim in the Round of 16. Gent play Real Betis while Copenhagen meet Heidenheim in the two-legged ties, which conclude on Thursday evening.
Real Betis won the first leg in Belgium 3-0, while Heidenheim beat Copenhagen 2-1 in Denmark.
How does the Conference League quarter-final and semi-final draw work?
As all potential opponents are known until the final, the draw on Friday 21 February also determines the order of the matches – which team will host the first leg of each tie, and which team the return leg.
When is the UEFA Conference League Round of 16?
As a seeded team, we will contest the away leg of our Round of 16 tie on 6 March, with the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge scheduled for 13 March.
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