Liverpool now know they will face Atletico Madrid or one of Galatasaray or Juventus in the Champions League round of 16
A familiar foe potentially lies in wait for Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16. Atletico Madrid's 4-1 home win over Club Brugge on Tuesday (February 24) means they will face the Reds or their Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur next month.
Atletico ran out convincing winners at the Wanda Metropolitano, where Liverpool famously lifted their sixth European Cup in 2019 after beating Tottenham 2-0 in the final, after being held to a 3-3 draw by Brugge in Belgium last week.
The Spanish outfit took the lead in the 23rd minute when Alexander Sorloth's shot squirmed through the hands of former Reds goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
But Brugge restored parity 13 minutes later when Joel Ordonez, who was linked with a move to Liverpool in the January transfer window, headed home from a corner.
Atletico restored their advaqntage three minutes after the restart through Johnny Cardoso and put the tie beyond doubt in the final 14 minutes thanks to ex-Crystal Palace striker Alexander Sorloth, who completed his first Champions League hat-trick with two further goals to seal a 7-4 aggregate success.
Should Atleti be paired with Liverpool, it would be the fifth time they and their long-serving manager Diego Simeone have faced the defending Premier League champions in European football's premier club competition since 2020.
Simeone's side knocked the Reds out of the Champions League in March 2020, winning 3-2 at Anfield to secure a 4-2 aggregate victory, in what was the final major football match in England before the sport was shut down out due to the spread of coronavirus.
The clubs have met three times in the group stages since then, with Liverpool winning on each occasion, including back in September when an injury-time Virgil van Dijk header earned a 3-2 home victory.
The Reds' second potential round-of-16 opponents will be confirmed on Wednesday (February 25). It will either be Juventus or Galatasaray.
The Turkish champions are strong favourites to progress from the knockout phase play-offs after beating Juventus 5-2 in the first leg in Istanbul last week.
Liverpool lost 1-0 at Galatasaray earlier this season before recovering to win five of their remaining six group games to finish third behind Bayern Munich and Arsenal in the league phase standings.
The draw for the round of 16 takes place on Friday (February 27). And here is everything you need to know.
When is the Champions League draw?
The draw is on Friday (February 27) at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. Proceedings will get underway at 11am UK time.
As well as revealing the round of 16, the draw will also determine the teams that sides could potentially face if they progress to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Champions League knockout phase play-offs round results and fixtures
Tuesday (February 24)
Newcastle United 3-2 Qarabag (9-3 on aggregate)
Atletico Madrid 4-1 Club Brugge (7-4 on aggregate)
Inter Milan 1-2 Bodo/Glimt (2-5 on aggregate)
Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Olympiacos (2-0 on aggregate)
Wednesday (February 25)
PSG vs Monaco (3-2)
Juventus vs Galatasaray (2-5)
Real Madrid vs Benfica (1-0)
Atalanta vs Borussia Dortmund (0-2)
Champions League round of 16 draw as it stands
Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting and Manchester City finished in the top eight of the league phase to progress to the round of 16 stage, where they have been joined by Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid, Bodo/Glimt and Bayer Leverkusen.
Here is the round of 16 draws as it stands before Wednesday's (February 25) final knockout phase play-offs round second legs.
Monaco/Paris Saint-Germain vs Chelsea/Barcelona
Newcastle United vs Chelsea/Barcelona
Galatasaray/Juventus vs Liverpool/Tottenham Hotspur
Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool/Tottenham Hotspur
Benfica/Real Madrid vs Sporting/Manchester City
Bodo Glimt vs Sporting/Manchester City
Borussia Dortmund/Atalanta vs Arsenal/Bayern Munich
Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal/Bayern Munich
When are the round of 16 ties played?
The first legs will take place on March 10-11, with the second legs played a week later on March 17-18.
Liverpool will have home advantage in the second leg.
Full Champions League knockout round dates
Last 16: March 10-11 and March 17-18
Quarter-finals: April 7-8 and April 14-15
Semi-finals: April 28-29 and May 5-6
Final: May 30