- Champions League playoff round begins tonight, with winners advancing to the Round of 16.
- Brest makes its Champions League debut against PSG in an all-French clash
- Manchester City faces Real Madrid in the knockout stage for the fourth straight season
- Borussia Dortmund visits Sporting Lisbon amid struggles in the Bundesliga
- Juventus takes on PSV Eindhoven in a matchup of former European champions
Key Takeaways:
Tonight marks the start of the Champions League playoff round, with the winners advancing to the Round of 16 alongside the top eight teams from the group stage.
The first-leg matches in four of the pairings will take place today, while the remaining four will be played tomorrow, with the return legs scheduled for next week. Champions League debutant Brest will face fellow French side Paris Saint-Germain in the early game of the day.
Haaland: 47 goals, 47 games
Mbappé: 51 goals, 81 games #UCL pic.twitter.com/O1SmHiHbGR— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 10, 2025
Undoubtedly, the most anticipated clash is between Manchester City and the reigning champions Real Madrid, meeting in the knockout stage for the fourth consecutive season. It comes at a time when both teams are far from their best form. The English champions are having a poor season and barely edged past third-division Leyton Orient (2-1) in the FA Cup over the weekend. City only just managed to qualify for the Champions League playoffs, finishing 22nd in the main phase. Real Madrid, for their part, have also been unconvincing in the competition, suffering three defeats already. Their performances have been noticeably below last year’s level, although their top position in La Liga remains an advantage for Carlo Ancelotti. Heavy losses to Barcelona have shaken the “royals” and revealed their struggles in high-stakes matches.
At the same time, Borussia Dortmund, who lost to Real in last season’s final, have little to boast about recently. The “Black and Yellows” sit as low as 11th in the Bundesliga and now visit the Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon, who lead their domestic league. BVB have a new coach, Niko Kovač, who will need to find a way to contain the attacking threat of the “Lions” who have been performing well despite Ruben Amorim’s departure to Old Trafford.
Expectations are also not high for Juventus. The Italian side hosts Eredivisie champion, PSV Eindhoven. In past years, the Turin club would have been seen as favourites in this matchup, but the current reality is different. Juventus recently won against modest sides Como and Empoli, yet losses to Benfica and Napoli before that have made fans cautious in their predictions. PSV, on the other hand, surprised many by drawing with lower-ranked teams Willem II (1-1) and NEC Nijmegen (3-3), but in between, they managed to defeat giants such as Feyenoord (2-0) and Liverpool (3-2). The Dutch side has lost only once in their last 11 matches and is also at the top of their domestic league. Interestingly, Juventus and PSV have already met in the Champions League this season—back in the first round of the main phase, where the Italians won 3-1.