Bayern Munich face Bayer Leverkusen, Dortmund meet Lille in UEFA Champions League last 16
Get set for the spectacular: the winners of the last two Bundesliga titles, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich will face off in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 after Friday's draw - which also saw Borussia Dortmund paired with Lille - produced an epic, all-German tie.
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The first Champions League league phase came to a close in January. Leverkusen managed to finish in the top eight and progressed straight to the round of 16.
Bayern and Dortmund fell just short, meaning they faced a two-legged play-off to be among Europe's elite 16. RB Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart were among the teams that didn't make the cut and bowed out of continental competition.
Watch: Every goal scored this season in matches between Bayern and Leverkusen
Following the round of 16 play-off draw in Nyon, the meeting many Bundesliga fans were hoping for came to pass, with Bayern and Leverkusen pitted together in what looks set to be a tie for the ages.
Watch: Bayern and Leverkusen set for Champions League reunion
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Dortmund's challenge
Borussia Dortmund overcame Sporting CP in the play-offs to reach this stage and the Black-and-Yellows' reward for their passage through was a Last 16 match-up against French team Lille.
Niko Kovač's side will play the first leg of their meeting with Les Dogues at home, with all of the Round of 16 matches set to be played on Round of 16: 4/5 & 11/12 March 2025.
Quarter-finals and beyond
As well as the latest round of fixtures, the draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals of European club football's elite competition were also made at UEFA headquarters on Friday. The outcome of that saw a possible meeting of Bayern or Bayer 04 and Inter/Feyenoord in the last eight. Should Dortmund get through their tie with Lille, meanwhile, Die Schwarzgelben would face Benfica or Barcelona in April.
Bayern's Allianz Arena will host this season's Champions League final, having also staged the 2011/12 edition. - IMAGO/Eibner
But looking ahead to any possible quarter-final matchup feels far too soon, especially with the mouthwatering fixtures that lie ahead. Bayern booked their place in the last 16 - but only just. They won the first leg of their play-off against Celtic in Glasgow 2-1 but were trailing 1-0 in the return fixture in Munich until Alphonso Davies struck a stoppage-time equaliser with the last kick of the game to send the Bundesliga leaders through.
Leverkusen got some relief from their busy fixture list - that still includes the defence of their Bundesliga and DFB Cup titles - by finishing in the top eight of the league phase and avoiding the play-offs.
BVB joined Bayern in the knockout rounds after an assured display in a 0-0 draw in the second leg against Sporting at Signal Iduna Park earned a 3-0 aggregate victory.
Full last-16 pairings:
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Liverpool Club Brugge vs. Aston Villa Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid PSV Eindhoven vs. Arsenal Feyenoord vs. Inter Milan Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen Borussia Dortmund vs. Lille Benfica vs. Barcelona
UEFA Europa League
Eintracht Frankfurt, meanwhile, finished fifth in the league phase of the Europa League to ensure direct passage to the last 16. The Eagles were subsequently drawnn to meet Dutch giants Ajax, with the second leg of that tie set for Deutsche Bank Park on March 13. Should Dino Toppmöller's side advance, they would play either Tottenham Hotspur or AZ Alkmaar in the quarter-finals.
Last-16 UEL pairings in full:
Viktoria Plzeň vs. Lazio Bodø/Glimt vs. Olympiacos Ajax vs. Eintracht Frankfurt AZ Alkmaar vs. Tottenham Hotspur Roma vs. Athletic Club Fenerbahçe vs. Olympiacos/Rangers FCSB vs. Lyon Real Sociedad vs. Manchester United
The last 16 draws as they happened ...
Eintracht learn fate
Over in the UEFA Europa League draw, Bundesliga high-flyers Eintracht Frankfurt have discovered who they will face in the Round of 16: Dutch giants Ajax! Dino Toppmöller's men will play the Amsterdam-based outfit at their Johan Cruyff Arena in the first leg on 6 March, with the return at Deutsche Bank Park scheduled for 13 March.
Well, well, well. An incredible scenario as the last two Bundesliga champions will face off in what is set to be an epic Round of 16 meeting. The sides will go head to head on either 4/5 of March in the first leg, with the return encounter set for 11/12 March.
Lest we forget, Bayern's magnificent stadium will host this season's UEFA Champions League final. The date for this year's European showpiece is pencilled in for 31 May.
Today's draw will begin at 12.00 CET. The full list of teams for today's draw are: Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Leverkusen, Lille, Liverpool, Benfica, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, Paris Saint-Germain, PSV, Real Madrid.
The 1997 Champions League winners and two-time runners-up, BVB, cruised through a play-off against Sporting CP to reach this stage of the competition and Niko Kovač's men will be eager to find out which of Aston Villa or Lille they will come up against in the Round of 16 in today's draw.
It could very well happen! We've already been blessed with three encounters between Bayern and Leverkusen this season and the chances of the teams meeting again in the Champions League is essentially down to a coin flip! The six-time European Cup/Champions League winners Bayern are guaranteed to face either Atlético Madrid and Bayer 04, while Xabi Alonso's men will meet Real Madrid, if they avoid their Bundesliga rivals.
Hello and welcome to our coverage of the draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16! Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, defending Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund will all learn their fate for the last 16 in what promises to be an exciting draw. Stay with us for all the latest.
Transfer deadline day: More youth departures from Munich
The record champions have also confirmed that Japanese midfielder Taichi Fukui has made his loan at Portuguese club Arouca a permanent transfer. Fellow midfielder Noel Aseko has also left on loan for Hannover on an 18-month deal, having signed a contract extension to 2028.
After much speculation, there was confirmation late last night that Bayern's Mathys Tel had completed a loan move to Tottenham Hotspur for the rest of the season. The English club have also secured an option to buy the Frenchman.
Jordan departs
Union Berlin have confirmed that USMNT striker Jordan has left on a permanent deal to rejoin boyhood club Reims in France. "I'll never forget my time at Union. What we achieved here was incredible," the forward said on the back of 64 appearances for the Irons, while he also had a loan spell at Gladbach last season.
Two players left Germany for Real Valladolid in Spain. Bayern's teenage full-back Adam Aznou has been sent on loan to gain some senior playing time and will be joined there for the rest of the season by Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitsch.
Officially, the transfer window closed at 8pm CET on 3 February, but there could still be deals in the works. We will keep you posted as and when they happen.
Done deal
Hoffenheim have confirmed the loan signing of Leo Østigård from Rennes. The Norwegian centre-back, who previously played for St. Pauli on loan, will join until the end of the season.
Frankfurt have added Michy Batshuayi to their attacking ranks, with the former Borussia Dortmund loanee joining on a contract until 2027 from Galatasaray. He is the second striking reinforcement of the window for the Eagles alongside Elye Wahi following the departure of Omar Marmoush.
Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the loan signing of attacking midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka from Chelsea. The England U21 international, who has scored two goals in 32 appearances for the Blues, could join Dortmund permanently in the summer should the Black-Yellows exercise the purchase option they have.
Augsburg's Tim Breithaupt will spend the rest of 2024/25 on loan at Bundesliga 2 club Kaiserslautern. The midfielder, 22, has featured just twice for his parent club in this season's Bundesliga.
Yorbe Vertessen has left Union Berlin and joined Austrian side RB Salzburg on a permanent basis after just over six months at the club. The 24-year-old Belgian forward made 19 competitive appearances for the Irons this season, scoring two goals.
Borussia Dortmund have got their second move of Deadline Day over the line with the permanent signing of goalkeeper Diant Ramaj from Ajax on a four-and-a-half year deal. However, Ramaj will be immediately loaned out to Danish League leaders FC Copenhagen for the remainder of the season. BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl had this to say: “Diant is a young German goalkeeper with lots of potential. Match practice is the most important thing for him at the moment – and he will get that in Copenhagen."
RB Leipzig attacking-midfielder Nuha Jatta has joined Italian side Torino on loan for the remainder of the season. "We wish Nuha all the best for his first overseas venture at Torino. This loan move will present him with a great opportunity to gain further experience in the professional game," board member for sport Marcel Schäfer said of the 18-year-old.
Bochum midfielder Lukas Daschner has completed a loan move to Swiss Super League side St. Gallen for the remainder of the 2024/25 season with immediate effect. The 26-year-old recorded one goal and one assist in 14 appearances at the Ruhr club this season.
Huge developments at the Allianz Arena as Bayern Munich confirm that goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has signed a one-year contract extension that will keep him at the record champions until the summer of 2026! The custodian and captain has been with the club since joining from Schalke in 2011, winning countless trophies and accolades along the way with his previous deal set to expire at the end of the 2025 season. “Manuel Neuer is the best goalkeeper of his generation and a Bayern icon. We’re delighted that this unique and successful relationship will continue," said board member for sport Max Eberl.
Leipzig have made their second acquisition of deadline day, signing talented young winger Tidiam Gomis from French Ligue 2 side Caen. The 18-year-old joins on a permanent deal until 2029 and will wear the No.27 shirt. "Our fans can look forward to a quick and skilful winger who can feature in a variety of positions in attack," said board member for sport Marcel Schäfer.
The revolving door at the MHPArena spins again as they confirm another new signing in defence with Finn Jeltsch arriving from Nuremberg. The 18-year-old is a world and European champion at U17 level with Germany and joins on a deal through to summer 2030. He will wear the No.29 shirt.
Borussia Dortmund have made their first move of Deadline Day with the loan signing of Swedish defender Daniel Svensson from Nordsjaelland. The 22-year-old left-back will wear the number 24, while BVB have the option to make the move a permanent transfer in the summer. "Daniel can gave us additional stability and greater options in defence. We see a lot of potential in him," said sporting director Sebastian Kehl.
Anthony Rouault has left VfB Stuttgart and returned to France with Ligue 1 side Rennes. The defender made 52 competitive appearances for the Bundesliga club since joining in summer 2023, originally on loan from Toulouse.
Stuttgart have bolstered their defensive ranks with the signing of Luca Jaquez from Luzern in Switzerland. The 21-year-old holds both Swiss and Dominican citizenship and joins on a deal through to 2029. "We're gaining another option in central defence with Luca. Despite his young age, he's already played a decent number of games at professional level. We back him to be able to help us immediately," said VfB director for sport Fabian Wohlgemuth.
Some Bundesliga 2 news as Nuremberg confirm that they have turned their loan deal for Stefanos Tzimas into a permanent transfer. However, they have now sold the 19-year-old Greek to Brighton and Hove Albion in the English Premier League, but he will remain at the Max-Morlock-Stadion on loan for the remainder of this season. The Greece U21 international has 10 goals and one assist in 17 Bundesliga 2 outings this term.
Leipzig have also sent a player out on loan as André Silva joins his third Bundesliga club in Werder Bremen. The Portuguese striker, who has 56 goals in 129 Bundesliga games for Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt, will spend the rest of this season. "We're fully convinced of his quality and hope he can quickly settle into our team," said Bremen head of first-team football Peter Niemeyer.
Done deal
RB Leipzig have confirmed the signing of Kosta Nedeljković on loan from Aston Villa for the rest of the season, with an option to buy. The 19-year-old full-back came through the academy at Red Star Belgrade and has six senior caps for Serbia. He will wear the No.21 shirt at the Red Bull Arena.
We start with a deal that has been much discussed in recent weeks. Bayern confirmed on Saturday that Mathys Tel wasn't in their squad to face Kiel as he thought about his future, with sporting director Christoph Freund stating that "lots of clubs are interested in Mathys." As things stand on Monday morning, no loan or transfer has been agreed.
Welcome to Deadline Day!
It's the final day of the winter transfer window across Europe. Clubs in Germany have until 8pm CET to complete any incoming deals, while some other leagues on the continent have a few extra hours, meaning outgoings could still happen from Bundesliga clubs beyond the end of the window here. You can follow all the deals in Germany as they're confirmed right here all day.
