Real Madrid to play Benfica, PSG face Monaco in Champions League play-offs

Paris, Jan. 31: Real Madrid were handed a quick rematch with Jose Mourinho's Benfica in the draw for the Champions League play-off round on Friday, while reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain will face domestic rivals Monaco.

Benfica beat Real 4-2 in their final game of the league phase on Wednesday, with a 98th-minute goal by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin proving decisive in allowing the Portuguese side to snatch the last play-off spot ahead of Marseille, who were eliminated altogether.

The defeat also nudged Madrid out of the top eight places in the league standings, which give direct access to the last 16, forcing them into this extra round.

Benfica staged a remarkable recovery to take a play-off place -- they finished 24th in the 36-team league phase, the last qualifying spot -- by winning three of their last four matches after losing their opening four games.

Mourinho, 63, returned to the Lisbon giants for a second spell as coach in September. He was in charge of Real from 2010 to 2013 and won one La Liga title and one Copa del Rey while also taking them to the Champions League semi-finals in each of his three campaigns.

The clubs played each other in the 1962 European Cup final, with Benfica winning 5-3 to claim the last of their two titles to date.

PSG slipped out of the top eight after winning only one of their last five outings in the league phase and finishing in 11th place.

They will go to Monaco for the first leg and will be wary of the principality side who beat them there in Ligue 1 in November.

However, 2004 Champions League finalists Monaco have been in poor form, with just one win in six games since the turn of the year.

They are 10th in Ligue 1, 21 points behind leaders PSG. However, a 0-0 draw with Juventus on Wednesday allowed them to secure a play-off place in Europe.

Newcastle go to Azerbaijan

PSG also beat French opposition in the play-off round last season, hammering Brest 10-0 on aggregate before going on to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.

Elsewhere, Newcastle United will be strong favourites against surprise packages Qarabag of Azerbaijan, with the first leg to come in Baku.

PSG and Newcastle know that if they win, they will play either Barcelona or Chelsea in the last 16. Real's possible last-16 opponents are Manchester City or Sporting, which would mean yet another trip to Lisbon in the latter case.

Bodo/Glimt, Norwegian champions in four of the last six years, were also surprise qualifiers for this stage and have been rewarded with a tie against last season's runners-up Inter Milan.

Juventus will take on Galatasaray, while Atletico Madrid face Club Brugge. Borussia Dortmund play Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen were drawn against Olympiacos.

The two-legged play-off ties will take place in February, with the winners advancing to the last 16 in March.

Already through to that stage are the top eight teams from the league phase, including five English Premier League sides in Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and City, as well as Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Sporting.

This season's Champions League final will be played in Budapest on May 30.

Europa League play-offs

Nottingham Forest face a daunting trip to Istanbul after being drawn Friday to play Fenerbahce in the knockout phase play-offs of the Europa League, while Celtic must take on German giants VfB Stuttgart.

Forest, who sit just above the relegation zone in the Premier League, finished 13th out of 36 teams in the Europa League and so were seeded for the play-off draw.

However, Fenerbahce promise to be a tough test as they are unbeaten in the Turkish Super Lig this season, even if they sit three points behind leaders Galatasaray in the table.

Their squad includes former Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson, Spain star Marco Asensio and France midfielder Matteo Guendouzi.

Forest, who will be hoping to return to the Turkish city for the final in May, will nevertheless draw encouragement from the fact Aston Villa beat Fenerbahce 1-0 at their Sukru Saracoglu stadium just last week.

The winner of that tie will play either Real Betis or Midtjylland in the last 16 -- Forest lost at home to the Danes in the league phase in October.

Celtic secured qualification for the play-offs after beating Dutch side Utrecht 4-2 on Thursday to finish 21st. They will host Stuttgart, currently fifth in the Bundesliga, in the first leg on February 19 before the return in Germany on February 26.

The winners will play Portuguese opposition in the last 16, with either Porto or Braga waiting for them.

Other ties in the play-offs include Bologna of Serie A playing Brann Bergen of Norway and Lille taking on Red Star Belgrade.

Aston Villa are among the eight teams straight through to the last 16, and will play one of Lille, Red Star Belgrade, PAOK or Celta Vigo in that round. (AFP)