The UEFA Champions League knockout rounds kick off this week, with 16 teams gearing up for the first leg of their play-off round ties in a quest to secure their spot in the coveted round of 16. With eight tantalising match-ups on the horizon, the stage is set for high-stakes drama, thrilling goals and unforgettable moments.
In this article, we break down what to watch out for during this electrifying UCL play-off week and highlighting who is playing who:
Brest vs PSG
In the first all-French tie in the Champions League since 2009/10, Brest will face PSG in their play-off round tie.
Brest, in their first-ever Champions League campaign, brilliantly qualified for this round but have been drawn against French champions PSG, who have already defeated their opponents 5-2 and 3-1 in Ligue 1 this term.
The question in this fixture will be: can Brest continue making history or will PSG halt their advances?
Sporting vs Borussia Dortmund
Sporting versus Borussia Dortmund appears to be an evenly-matched affair on paper, but extenuating circumstances could have a major impact on this matchup.
Sporting have failed to maintain their winning form since Ruben Amorim’s departure, while Dortmund will be managed by Niko Kovac for just the second time in the first leg of this tie, leaving both eager to make impressions as they aim to secure the advantage heading into the second leg.
Juventus vs PSV
Juventus and PSV will meet for the second time in the Champions League this season, having kicked off the league phase back in September, when Juve secured a comfortable 3-1 win at the Juventus Stadium.
Now aiming to replicate that result, Juventus will once again play host to PSV on Tuesday, where their opponents will be looking to enact revenge, with Peter Bosz describing their matchday defeat as one of their worst performances and saying they have improved massively since then.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
These two sides have matched up in each of the last four seasons in the Champions League, and the winner on each occasion has remarkably gone on to win the entire competition that season.
Both sides endured mixed league phase campaigns, meaning both must improve if they are to progress into the later rounds, leaving this as a blockbuster encounter as two of the most talented sides will be desperate to ignite their UCL campaigns with statement victories.
Club Brugge vs Atalanta
Atalanta have shown their class and proven to be a formidable opponent in the league phase, including two wins by five-goal margins and drawing 2-2 with Barcelona back on matchday two. The Italian side will be looking to extend their fruitful campaign with a win over Club Brugge in this matchup, but the Belgian side have shown they can hang with the European elite.
They pushed Man City right to the very end on matchday eight, eventually losing 3-1, but the performance will certainly give them huge belief and pride as they come into this one.
Monaco vs Benfica
Another previous match-up that will happen once again in the knockout rounds, Monaco will be out for revenge after they twice squandered leads to eventually lose 3-2 to Benfica back in November.
That result could have been the difference between Monaco finishing in the top eight, having secured phenomenal wins against Barcelona and Aston Villa, leaving the French side looking to make amends and secure their round of 16 status at the second time of asking.
Feyenoord vs Milan
Feyenoord had a mixed league phase campaign, defeating Bayern Munich 3-0 and coming from 3-0 behind to draw 3-3 with Man City, while also suffering a heavy 6-1 defeat to Lille on matchday eight.
Milan similarly disappointed at times in the league phase, particularly with a defeat on matchday eight to GNK Dinamo, which saw the Italian giants drop out of the top eight and into the knockout play-off rounds.
Celtic vs Bayern Munich
Celtic secured their place in the knockout rounds of the UCL for the first time since 2012/13 after an impressive league phase campaign, and while they will be buoyed by their phenomenal first-half of the 2024/25 season, Bayern will certainly be favourites to advance from this matchup.
Bayern made a poor start to the league phase, winning one and losing two, alongside a disappointing 3-0 loss to Feyenoord on matchday seven, results that stopped them from securing a top eight finish.
They will now aim to show their quality and secure a commanding win as Vincent Kompany’s men hope to advance and move towards a first Champions League trophy since 2019-20, but can Celtic disrupt the German powerhouses in this tie?
