Champions League playoff draw pairs Benfica with Real Madrid; Qarabag face Newcastle

The Champions League playoff draw in Nyon produced eight two-legged ties to be played over the midweeks of 17-18 and 24-25 February, including Benfica v Real Madrid and Qarabag v Newcastle, the Guardian live blog reported.

The full pairings listed by the live blog were: Borussia Dortmund v Atalanta; Olympiakos v Bayer Leverkusen; Galatasaray v Juventus; Club Brugge v Atletico Madrid; Monaco v PSG; Qarabag v Newcastle; Benfica v Real Madrid; and Bodo/Glimt v Inter.

The draw uses two pathways, described as silver and blue, and seeded teams were split into four pairs based on league rank while unseeded teams were clustered in the same way, the live blog said. It gave examples of possible matchups, such as Real Madrid (9) or Inter (10) v Bodo/Glimt (23) or Benfica (24).

The live blog noted wider context around the ties: "Jose Mourinho could line himself up for a prodigal return to the Bernabeu. As coach, if Benfica manage to pull off a two-leg tie win," and Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said he would welcome a short trip, adding "Monaco possibly makes sense." Guest of honour Robert Pires was quoted as saying: "I like the new format."

What is known: the eight playoff pairings and the dates for the two legs. What remains to be decided on the pitch are the winners of those ties, and the draw that will determine the last 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final is scheduled to take place on 27 February, the live blog reported.

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