The first-ever edition of the UEFA Champions League's knockout phase playoffs begins this week when several European heavyweights will compete for a spot in the round of 16. The headlining act of the two-legged series is Manchester City's clash with Real Madrid,

The UEFA Champions League has reached the knockout rounds following an fascinating inaugural league phase. Eight matchdays of seemingly never-ending action leaves us with 24 sides left, 16 of which will be involved in the competition’s first-ever knockout round playoffs.

The new official adidas UEFA Champions League knockout phase match ball has been revealed. Final host city Munich is the inspiration behind the design of the new adidas Pro Ball Munich which will be used in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase.

As the road to Munich continues, UEFA have unveiled the new-look ball for the Champions League knockout stage. The Final Pro match ball, under the moniker 'Made for Munich', will now be exclusively used for the remainder of the competition.

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Friday morning, UEFA conducted the draw for the Champion League's new playoff phase, which essentially adds one more round to the previous format's knockout stage. 16 teams were sorted, with pairings influenced (but not entirely determined) by order of finish in the group stage.

The UEFA Champions League league phase concludes on Wednesday, Jan. 29 with all 36 clubs playing at the same time.