After a very exciting league phase and knockout round, we have now reached the Round of 16 in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. There are only 16 squads remaining and we have reached bracket play.
This year’s Round of 16 round has some juicy encounters in store for us with Real Madrid facing city rivals Atlético, German clubs Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen drawn against each other and a tricky match-up for league toppers Liverpool against a talented Paris Saint-Germain side.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the preview and predictions for all the Round of 16 match-ups.
Fixtures
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen
Despite their dominance in the domestic front, Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich have been average at best in this year’s UEFA Champions League. They finished 12th in the league phase with five wins and three defeats and needed a last-minute goal in their Knockout tie against Celtic to make the last 16.
Moreover, to make things worse, Bayern Munich are still looking for their first win against Leverkusen since September 30th, 2022. Leverkusen and Munich played on February 15th, resulting in a nil-nil draw. In early December in the German Cup, Leverkusen pulled off a 1-0 win, and their first matchup of the season in September was a 1-1 draw.
Looking at this tie in isolation, both teams are unbeaten since losing their league phase encounters in Gameweek 7. Xabi Alonso, having already made it to the final of the Europa League last season, will be going up against an inexperienced manager in Vincent Kompany. Besides, there are also injury concerns in the Bayern camp. Thus, making Leverkusen the likelier of the two German clubs to go through. But only just.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
SL Benfica vs Barcelona
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona without a doubt have been one of the most entertaining sides in the competition this season. They’ve scored more goals than any other side during the league phase, with key players like Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha taking the competition by storm, but their defensive fragility is also out there for all to see.
Benfica, on the other hand, have been largely inconsistent in the competition. They’ve produced impressive wins against teams like Atlético Madrid (4-0) and Juventus (2-0) but lost points where they shouldn’t have against Feyenoord (1-3) and Bologna (0-0).
Moreover, both Benfica and Barcelona played a 5-4 thriller in the league phase. But if not for some contentious decision making from the on-field referee, the Portuguese club might have come out on top in that encounter. That being said, Barcelona still are a better side than Benfica, and with a Champions League winning head coach in Hansi Flick, they should comfortably see out this tie.
Prediction: SL Benfica 2-4 Barcelona
Borussia Dortmund vs LOSC Lille
Borussia Dortmund, last year’s Runner Ups, take on Lille after beating Sporting CP in the knockout round. Dortmund has had a “character building” season in the Bundesliga, and will be looking for something positive in the UCL bracket. Niko Kova? has had a subdued start to his reign at the Signal Iduna Park and a tie against surprise package Lille will be key given the club are languishing in 10th in the Bundesliga.
Lille is well rested having advanced straight to the Round of 16 after finishing 7th in the league phase. Currently 5th in the Ligue 1 standings, they’ll also be playing for pride like Dortmund. However, unlike the opponents, Bruno Genesio’s Lille have been more consistent and have looked more solid defensively. Thus, despite Dortmund’s history in this competition, it’s the French club who’ll be walking into this tie as the favourites.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2-3 LOSC Lille
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa
A bizarre mistake from Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings saw Unai Emery’s side lose 1-0 away to Club Brugge earlier this season during the league phase. That being said, the Belgian club have punched well above their weight this season. They beat Atalanta over two legs in the Knockout Round and could be set up for a sneaky run to the quarterfinals.
Villa have struggled with their European commitments as evident from their domestic league standings, however, with Unai Emery’s European prowess, Villa have fared well in Europe’s premium competition. Moreover, with additions like Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford over the January transfer window, there is more potency in the Villa attack compared to when these two clubs last met in November. Despite Brugge’s spirited performances, I feel Villa will have too much in store for them.
Prediction: Club Brugge 1-3 Aston Villa
Feyenoord vs Inter Milan
The lone Italian team, Inter Milan, will face Feyenoord after they took down the other team from Milan in the knockout round. Feyenoord, having barely snuck out of the league phase, have certainly made the most of their time in the UCL. Despite their domestic struggles, Feyenoord produced quality performances in patches which ultimately aided in their qualification to the Round of 16.
However, facing the Italian champions is a step-up from their Knockout Round tie against AC Milan. Inter are a far superior side currently with their astute defense and an attack capable of scoring against any opposition. Simone Inzaghi’s side have conceded just one goal in the UCL this season, thus it’ll be a huge ask in itself for Feyenoord to breach that defense let alone come out on top.
Prediction: Feyenoord 0-3 Inter Milan
Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool
Liverpool cruised through the league stage and finished top of 36-team format with a record of seven wins and one defeat from eight games, while their opponents Paris Saint-Germain had arguably the hardest run of fixtures and had to secure dramatic wins against Manchester City and VfB Stuttgart to guarantee knockout stage progression.
PSG, though, have clicked into gear at the right time under Luis Enrique’s guidance. Having struggled for balance and consistency early into the season, this young PSG side has a lot of things going for them at the moment. The trio of Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will be key for the Parisians in this tie.
Liverpool, on the other hand, despite their inevitability of lifting the Premier League title this season, have started to look tired with a sense of vulnerability creeping into their game which wasn’t there during the first half of the season. Their defence keeps shipping goals almost every game with inconsistency amongst their forwards resulting in just three wins in their last six games across all competitions.
Liverpool will have to be at their best to beat this in-form PSG side. It’s going to be a tight affair but I think Arne Slot’s men might just get this over the line, however, a PSG win is definitely not out of the realm of possibility.
Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain 3-4 Liverpool
PSV Eindhoven vs Arsenal
Both PSV and Arsenal are coming into this game with their own misfortunes. The Dutch club have only won two of their last seven games in all competitions while an injury-ravaged Arsenal have now failed to both score and win their last two games as they stare at the prospect of another trophyless season.
The trio of Luuk de Jong, Nao Lang and Ivan Periši? has been very effective in Europe for Peter Bosz’s side and will look to trouble the Arsenal defence with their pace and directness. Arsenal, on the other hand, without a striker have now failed to score in their last two games, effectively dropping out of the title race as well. While the Round of 16 will be too early for Bukayo Saka, there is a possibility that Gabriel Martinelli might just be ready for at least one leg if not both.
Despite their memorable win against Juventus, Arsenal are still a cut above the Dutch side. With one of the best defences in Europe and their set pieces goalscoring capabilities, Arsenal should just about get it done against PSV in this Round of 16 encounter.
Prediction: PSV Eindhoven 1-2 Arsenal
Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid
Arguably the match of this year’s Round of 16, the two Madrid clubs have already played out two 1-1 draws this season in La Liga, and have finished 1-1 the past three times the teams have seen each other. However, prior to that, Atletico took down Real 4-2 in the Copa del Rey ten days after losing to them 5-3 in the Spanish Supercopa. Thus, it’s safe to say that both clubs are closely matched when it comes to the Madrid derby.
Despite their league phase struggles, Real Madrid are a different beast when it comes to the knockout rounds. The defending champions outplayed the 2023 champions Manchester City across both legs with their marquee summer signing Kylian Mbappé finally delivering a performance worthy of a place in the UCL archives.
Diego Simeone and his team will feel hard done by that their consistency in the league phase is rewarded with a Madrid derby, however, given their form throughout the season and their ability to go toe-to-toe against their city rivals, it promises to be a feisty encounter. Given Real Madrid’s heritage in the competition, I’ll side with them but only just.
Prediction: Real Madrid 3-2 Atlético Madrid
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