With a late Thursday game between Atalanta and Villarreal, which was postponed for one day due to heavy snow in Bergamo, all matches for the Champions League group stage are now finished and all is set for the knockout stage. As always we have seen some interesting and thrilling matches during the last few months, and witnessed some surprises, along with exits of some favorites. So, what happens next?Goal fest at Maradona Stadium – Napoli and Leicester fired from all cylinders but the Italians push throughAfter the group stage finished, there will be a draw for the knockout stage. The draw will take place on Monday 13 December, at 14h Nairobi time. There are 16 teams in contention and the clubs which finished top in their group will be seeded, and cannot be drawn against each other. Also, clubs from the same country cannot play against each other, which means that, for example, Real Madrid, which is seeded, cannot be drawn with Atletico Madrid, which is unseeded. Also, clubs cannot face opponents they met during the group stage. Ties take place over two legs, with seeded teams at home in the second legs. The first legs are scheduled for 15-16 and 22-23 February, with the second legs on 8-9 and 15-16 March. The draw for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be on Friday 18 March.Villareal continue their journey with the European eliteAs far as surprises are concerned, it was certainly not real to expect that RB Leipzig could be first or second in a group with PSG and Manchester City, but Barcelona should have qualified in their group with Bayern, Benfica and Dynamo Kyiv. Borussia Dortmund was also knocked out in a group in which they could have been at least second, and even maybe wrestling with Ajax for the first spot, and yet, Portugal champions Sporting is going to the last 16 and the Germans will join Barcelona, Porto, Leipzig, Atalanta, Sevilla, and Zenit to the Europa League. The so-called away goals rule has been removed, so it’s worth noting that in the knockout stage, if the teams are level after 180 minutes, they will go to extra time irrespective of the number of goals each team has scored at home and away. If the teams still cannot be separated after the additional 30 minutes, the tie goes to a penalty shoot-out.Group winners (seeded)Ajax (NED)Bayern (GER)Juventus (ITA)Liverpool (ENG)LOSC Lille (FRA)Manchester City (ENG)Manchester United (ENG)Real Madrid (ESP)Group runners-up (unseeded)Atlético (ESP)Benfica (POR)Chelsea (ENG)Inter (ITA)Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)Salzburg (AUT)Sporting CP (POR)Villarreal (ESP)
