After the very exciting league phase and playoff round, we have now reached the Round of 16 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. With only 16 teams remaining, we have also reached bracket play.
This year’s UCL Round of 16 has some juicy encounters in store for us, with Real Madrid facing city rivals Atlético Madrid, German clubs Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen drawn against each other, and a tricky match-up for current Premier League leaders Liverpool, who go up against a talented Paris Saint-Germain side.
With that in mind, we present to you our previews and predictions for all the 2024/25 UCL Round of 16 match-ups.
FC Bayern Munich vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Despite their dominance in the domestic front, Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich have been average at best in this year’s Champions League. They finished 12th in the league phase with five wins and three defeats and needed a last-minute goal in their playoff tie against Celtic to make the last 16.
Moreover, to make things worse, Bayern are still looking for their first win against Leverkusen since September 2022. Leverkusen and Munich recently played each other, on February 15, with the game ending in a 0-0 draw. In their DFB-Pokal meeting in December, Leverkusen pulled off a 1-0 win, while their first league match-up of the season in September ended in 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 Kompany. Besides, there are also injury concerns in the Bayern camp, making Leverkusen the likelier of the two German sides to go through—but only just.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
SL Benfica vs FC Barcelona
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona have been, without a doubt, one of the most entertaining sides in the competition this season. They scored more goals than any other side during the league phase, with key players like Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha taking the competition by storm, though their defensive fragility has also been out there for all to see.
Benfica, on the other hand, have been largely inconsistent in the competition. They’ve produced impressive wins against the likes of Atlético Madrid (4-0) and Juventus (2-0), but they have also dropped points where they shouldn’t have, against the likes of Feyenoord (1-3) and Bologna (0-0).
Moreover, both Benfica and Barça played a 5-4 thriller in the league phase. If not for some contentious decision-making from the on-field referee, the Portuguese outfit might have come out on top in that encounter. That said, Barcelona remain the better side, and with a UCL-winning head coach in Hansi Flick in their corner, they should comfortably see out this tie.
Prediction: Benfica 2-4 Barcelona
Borussia Dortmund vs LOSC Lille
Borussia Dortmund, last year’s runners-up, take on Lille after beating Sporting in the playoff round. They have had a “character building” season in the German Bundesliga and will be looking for something positive in the UCL bracket. Niko Kovac has had a subdued start to his reign at the Signal Iduna Park, and a tie against surprise package Lille will be key given BVB are languishing in tenth in the German topflight.
Lille are well-rested, having advanced straight to the Round of 16 after finishing seventh in the UCL league phase. Currently fifth in the Ligue 1 standings, they’ll also be playing for pride like Dortmund. However, unlike their opponents, Bruno Génésio’s men have been more consistent and looked more solid defensively. Thus, despite Dortmund’s history in this competition, it’s the French team who enter this tie as our favourites to make the quarters.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Lille
Club Brugge KV vs Aston Villa FC
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 said, the Belgian team have punched well above their weight this season. They beat Atalanta over two legs in the playoff tie and could be set up for a sneaky run to the quarter-finals.
Villa have struggled with their European commitments this season, as is evident from their Premier League position. However, thanks to Emery’s European prowess, Villa have fared well upon their return to the UCL. 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 sides last met in November.
Despite Club Brugge’s spirited performances throughout this season, over two legs, Villa should prove too much for them.
Prediction: Club Brugge 1-3 Aston Villa
Feyenoord Rotterdam vs FC Internazionale Milano
The only Italian team left in the competition will face Feyenoord, who took down the other Italian team from Milan in the playoffs.
Having barely made it out of the league phase, Feyenoord have certainly made the most of their time in the UCL. Despite their domestic struggles, they have produced quality performances in patches, which has ultimately aided in their qualification to the Round of 16.
However, facing the Serie A champions is a huge step-up from their playoff tie against Milan. Inter are a far superior side given their astute defence and an attack capable of scoring against any opposition. Simone Inzaghi’s men have conceded just one goal in the UCL this season, so it’s a huge ask for Feyenoord to breach this Nerazzurri defence, let alone come out on top over two legs.
Prediction: Feyenoord 0-3 Inter Milan
Paris Saint-Germain FC vs Liverpool FC
Liverpool cruised through the UCL first stage and finished top of 36-team table with a record of seven wins and one defeat from eight games, while their Round of 16 opponents Paris Saint-Germain had arguably the hardest run of fixtures and had to secure dramatic wins against Manchester City and Stuttgart to guarantee progression to the knockouts.
That said, PSG have clicked into gear at the right time under Luis Enrique’s guidance. Having struggled for balance and consistency early into the season, the young Parisians have a lot of things going for them at the moment. The trio of Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is going to be key for them both in this tie and going forward.
On the other hand, despite looking like it’s inevitable they lift the Premier League trophy this season, Liverpool have started to look somewhat tired, with a sense of vulnerability creeping into their game that wasn’t there during the first half of the season. Their defence keeps shipping goals almost every game, with inconsistency among their forwards resulting in just three wins in their last six games across all competitions.
The Reds will have to be at their best to beat this in-form PSG side. It’s going to be a tight affair, but Arne Slot’s men might just be able to get this over the line. However, a PSG win is definitely not out of the realm of possibility.
Prediction: PSG 3-4 Liverpool
PSV Eindhoven vs Arsenal FC
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 the injury-ravaged Arsenal have now failed to both score and win their last two games as they stare at the prospect of another trophy-less season.
The trio of Luuk de Jong, Nao Lang, and Ivan Perišic has been very effective in Europe for Peter Bosz. The three will look to trouble the Arsenal defence again with their pace and directness. The Gunners, on the other hand, without a striker, have now failed to score in their last two games, effectively dropping out of the Premier League title race in the process. 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 PSV’s memorable win against Juventus, Arsenal are still a cut above them. With one of the best defences in Europe, as well as given their set-piece goalscoring capabilities, Arsenal should just about get it done against PSV.
Prediction: PSV 1-2 Arsenal
Real Madrid CF vs Club Atlético de 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 LaLiga. It’s been 1-1 the last three times the two have faced each other. However, prior to that, Atleti took down Los Blancos 4-2 in the Copa del Rey ten days after losing to them 5-3 in the Spanish Supercup. Thus, it’s safe to say both sides are closely matched.
Despite their league phase struggles, Real Madrid are a different beast when it comes to the knockouts. The defending champions outplayed the 2022/23 champions, Man City, in their playoff tie, 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 due to the fact that their consistency in the league phase has been rewarded with a Madrid derby. However, given their form throughout the season and their ability to ably go toe-to-toe against their city rivals, this promises to be a feisty encounter.
Given Real Madrid’s heritage in the competition, we’re siding with them for a quarter-final berth, but only just.
Prediction: Real Madrid 3-2 Atlético Madrid
Leave a Reply