UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Matchday 8: Preview and Predictions
The final matchday of the UEFA Champions League arrives this midweek with all games to be played simultaneously on the same day. With some teams looking to secure a top-eight finish, some might be looking to qualify for the knockout rounds in order to keep their hopes alive. This matchday has another set of mouthwatering fixtures coming our way with the big fixtures being PSG vs Newcastle United, Napoli vs Chelsea, Dortmund vs Inter and Benfica vs Real Madrid.
Let’s take a look at all the preview and predictions from Matchday 8 of the UCL League phase –
Athletic Club vs Sporting CP
Spanish outfit Athletic Club will face Sporting CP in Matchday 8 in their quest for knockout qualification at home this midweek.
Athletic Club has struggled in this UCL league phase campaign, currently sitting in 23rd place while Sporting is currently in 10th spot with a reasonable chance to make automatic qualification.
Athletic Club’s previous result was a great one as they upset Atalanta away at Bergamo in a 3-2 thriller. Sporting also bagged a massive result in their Matchday 7 game, defeating defending champions PSG at home. While Sporting continued their midweek momentum into the weekend with another win, Athletic Club suffered an away defeat to Sevilla.
The hosts have a fair few on the sidelines with injuries to Unai Eguiluz, Benat Prados, Inaki Williams and Maroan Sannadi with Yeray Alvarez and Mikel Jauregizar suspended. Sporting also has availability issues for Geovany Quenda, Fotis Loannidis, Eduardo Quaresma and Salvadore Blopa for this game.
Sporting would definitely travel to Basque country desperate to win this game in order to at least make a case for Top 8 qualification and avoid the knockout rounds. In contrast, Athletic would like to strengthen their chances of qualifying for the knockout rounds and a win is a must for that to happen. Therefore, this could be an end-to-end entertaining affair from both sides. However, Sporting do possess the confidence and quality to bag all three points from this tough away fixture.
Score Prediction: Athletic Club 1-3 Sporting CP
Liverpool vs Qaraba? FK
Liverpool’s form in the Champions League has been a complete contrast to their league form which has been absolutely abysmal in recent times. The Reds are without a win in January and lost in stoppage-time to Bournemouth at the weekend, which also ended their 13-game unbeaten run in all competitions. Qaraba? also fell down the pecking order, losing their game to Kapaz and currently sit in second place in the Azerbaijan Premier League.
Champions League though has felt like a different tournament for the six-time champions as they have gotten the better of both Madrid teams, Inter and most recently an in-form Marseille. The Reds will be looking to ascertain their place in the Top 8 with a win against a fairly weaker opponent in Qaraba? in their last game of the league phase.
Already in fourth place in the Champions League table, a draw or a win would ensure automatic qualification for the Merseyside Reds, Qaraba? is currently in 18th place on 10 points and even if they upset Liverpool and get to 13 points, Top 8 is definitely not on the cards as that would require too many results going their way. However, qualification to the knockout round would definitely be confirmed – a huge achievement for a fairly new side in the competition.
Liverpool’s troubles with injuries keeps on getting worse as Joe Gomez is the recent player joining the injured list with a few long-term absentees. Geovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley are out for the season with Alexander Isak also out with a broken foot. Stefan Bajcetic, Federico Chiesa and Ibrahima Konaté (personal reasons) could also be unavailable for this game. Qaraba? will only miss Kady Malinowski for this game due to a leg injury.
Liverpool’s defensive issues will definitely be a concern for head coach Arne Slot in this game. With both Gomez and Konaté unavailable, one of the midfielders would have to partner Virgil van Dijk in defence. Also, Qaraba? are no pushovers as they have proven this season with important results both home and away. Liverpool still has the home advantage with a much superior attack and should end this league phase campaign with a win.
Score Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Qaraba? FK
Barcelona vs Copenhagen
After bagging three vital points away to Slavia Praha in their previous Champions League fixture, it’s crucial for Barcelona to secure the three points at home against Copenhagen to have a realistic chance for automatic qualification.
As for their Danish opponents, they can’t be underestimated as they have already beaten Villarreal away and also held Napoli to a 1-1 draw in their last UCL encounter. Copenhagen has ambitions of its own as they are currently sitting in 26th place and a win could take them into the knockout rounds while a loss will mark the end of their 2025/26 Champions League campaign. Both Copenhagen and Barcelona will go into this match on the back of league wins at the weekend.
Though the Blaugrana have a slight concern from a personnel point of view as they will miss vital players in Frenkie de Jong (suspension) and Pedri (hamstring). Gavi, Ferran Torres and Andreas Christensen are the other absentees. As for the Danes, they will miss Thomas Delaney (suspension) along with the injured Magnus Mattsson and Rodrigo Huescas.
With the talented Lamine Yamal coming back though, the Catalan giants have enough firepower up front to create chances and score goals. In the absence of De Jong and Pedri, players like Marc Bernal and Fermin Lopez would be expected to step up. Their defensive vulnerabilities could be exposed by the Copenhagen forwards but the hosts are too good a side to lose this, Barcelona to win yet another entertaining encounter.
Score Prediction: Barcelona 4-2 Copenhagen
AS Monaco vs Juventus
A struggling Monaco side will face-off with Juventus at home in the last league phase encounter of the Champions League.
Both teams have a chance to continue further in the Champions League. While the Old Lady is in 15th place, the Monegasque club is lying in 21st place and can only qualify for the knockout rounds. Juve have managed three consecutive Champions league wins in their last five UCL encounters with their latest win coming against Benfica. Monaco on the other hand, suffered a crushing 6-1 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in their previous UCL fixture.
Monaco’s recent league form hasn’t been convincing either with four defeats in their last five games. Their game at the weekend was another poor result with a goalless draw against Le Havre. In comparison, Juventus thrashed Napoli at home this weekend, gaining momentum and confidence with every game.
Monaco’s poor performances could also be attributed to a host of injuries to key players. Eric Dier, Wout Faes, Lucas Hradecky, Christian Mawissa, Paul Pogba are all injured with Takumi Minamino and Mohammed Salisu unfortunately out for the season. Juventus has Daniele Rugani, Arkadiusz Milik and Dušan Vlahovi? on the sidelines for this game.
Looking at their recent form, injuries and squad quality, Juve has the upper hand in this game. With the likes of Weston McKennie, Lois Openda, Kenan Yildiz and Jonathan David upfront, Juventus have enough attacking threat to trouble the vulnerable Monaco defence. Hence, we believe Juventus will go through Matchday 8 with three massive points.
Score Prediction: AS Monaco 1-3 Juventus
Ajax vs Olympiacos
Dutch club Ajax has endured a dismal Champions League campaign so far as they are currently sitting in 32nd place with six points. Their Greek opponents are eight places higher in 24th place and have a realistic chance of qualifying for the knockout rounds.
Olympiacos has all to play for while Ajax can only play for pride as even with the three points, there is a very high chance, they don’t qualify for the knockout rounds. The Dutch giants would still want to go out on a high and spoil the party for their opponents.
Both teams won their last Champions League fixtures with Olympiacos defeating Bayer Leverkusen and Ajax getting the better of Villarreal away from home. Ajax continued their winning momentum into the weekend beating Volendam in the Dutch Eredivisie. Olympiacos also won their league game at the weekend against Volos, staying in close proximity to league leaders AEK Athens.
Ajax will miss Steven Berghuis (Groin injury) for this game while Olympiacos will be without Alexandro Paschalakis, Francisco Ortega and Lorenzo Pirola due to injury issues.
Playing at home, Ajax should have the edge but Olympiacos can’t be taken lightly as this season they have even gone toe-to-toe with Real Madrid before losing a close 3-2 encounter. With everything on stake, both teams will play attacking football to find the winning goal. However, this could more likely end in a high scoring draw.
Score Prediction: Ajax 2-2 Olympiacos
Paris Saint-Germain vs Newcastle United
Both PSG and Newcastle United will be desperate to win this all-important fixture as a win would confirm automatic qualification for either team.
The defending champions haven’t been their usual dominant self this season as they were defeated by Sporting in the previous matchday. Unexpectedly, the Magpies have performed well in the Champions League, currently sitting in seventh place in the league phase table, only a place behind their opponents. Newcastle also thrashed PSV Eindhoven at home but ended up suffering a home defeat to Aston Villa in the league this weekend. PSG are back at the top of the table in the French Ligue 1 after the win against Auxerre at the weekend.
Newcastle have been at the end of unfortunate injuries this season with several key players out. Currently, they have about seven players unavailable with Joelinton, Bruno Guimarães, Tino Livramento, Fabian Schär, Jamal Lascelles, Emil Krafth and Jacob Murphy all on the sidelines. PSG’s injury list consists of Fabián Ruiz, Matvey Safonov, João Neves, Kang-In Lee and Quentin Ndjantou.
PSG playing at home will undoubtedly be the favourites for this one. Another noteworthy factor would be the players missing for the Geordies, making the job even tougher. The visitors would most likely play a defensive and more physical game but the PSG attack could still prove to be a huge threat for the relatively weaker Newcastle lineup. Hence, we believe the hosts will secure the three points and the automatic qualification with a win.
Score Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Newcastle United
Borussia Dortmund vs Internazionale Milano
Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan will clash in another massive Champions League fixture to have a chance at a top eight finish.
Inter’s Champions League form is a complete contrast to their league form as they have lost three consecutive UCL fixtures while they sit comfortably atop the Serie A table. In their previous league phase encounter, they were completely outplayed and suffered a home defeat to Arsenal. They seemed to have recovered from that defeat in style as the Nerazzurri annihilated Pisa at the weekend. Dortmund is also performing consistently in the Bundesliga as they got the better of Union Berlin at the weekend but had a nightmare against Tottenham Hotspur in the previous UCL matchday.
From an injury viewpoint, Dortmund will miss Niklas Süle and Marcel Sabitzer with Daniel Svensson suspended while Inter will be without Denzel Dumfries, Tomas Palacios and Hakan Çalhano?lu.
Dortmund has been unbeaten at home in the Champions League so far and we do not see them losing to an Inter side that blows hot and cold often and hasn’t been able to replicate its domestic form in Europe. It could be an entertaining end-to-end affair with Dortmund clinching the three points.
Score Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Inter Milan
SSC Napoli vs Chelsea
This match-up holds more importance for Napoli as a win could ensure a place in the knockout rounds while a draw or a loss would most certainly be the curtains for Antonio Conte’s team. For their opponents though, it could be the difference between automatic qualification or having to play two extra ties in the knockout rounds.
Napoli has only won two games in the Champions League this season which is quite dismal by their high standards. They also suffered a defeat at the weekend away to Juventus. Chelsea on the other hand won both their games last week, first defeating Pafos in the Champions League and then outplaying Crystal Palace away from home this weekend.
Napoli’s poor form could also be a result of important players being injured. Billy Gilmour, David Neres, Amir Rahmani, Andre-Frank Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne and Matteo Politano will all be unavailable for this game. Chelsea has injury issues of its own with Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer, Dario Essugo, Tosin Adarabioyo and Romeo Lavia all out for this big game.
With their inability to compete against top European sides this season, even playing at home Napoli don’t have the edge over the Blues who are the more dangerous side with the likes of Estêvão, João Pedro and Alejandro Garnacho. Chelsea will most likely grab the three points in a hard-fought battle as Napoli’s defensive structure isn’t easy to break.
Score Prediction: Napoli 1-2 Chelsea
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs will travel to Frankfurt in the hope of securing a top eight finish in the Champions League while their league form has left a lot to be desired.
Spurs is another team that has shown contrasting form in the Champions League as opposed to the domestic league. Coming on the back of three consecutive defeats in all competitions, Spurs comfortably defeated Dortmund at home in the previous matchday but soon after drew with Burnley at the weekend.
As for the hosts, Eintracht Frankfurt have been abysmal in both the league and Europe. Competing in the Champions League has proven difficult for them as they lie in the bottom four of the league phase table. In their last Champions league game, they suffered defeat to newcomers Qarabag and Hoffenheim piled on more misery, beating them at home in the Bundesliga at the weekend.
Frankfurt’s injury problems have grown over the course of the season with several key players on the sidelines currently. Arnaud Kalimuendo-Muinga, Elias Baum, Jonathan Burkardt, Michy Batshuayi, Younes Ebnoutalib and Timothy Chandler all out injured. Spurs have been decimated by injuries as well with about six-seven key players out. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison will not be available for this fixture.
Its all to play for Spurs in this encounter while Frankfurt will be playing for pride and looking to end their UCL Campaign with a home win and spoiling the party for Spurs.
Both of these like to play attacking football and this game could be no different. Additionally, they both have attacking players in their ranks who can trouble the opposition defence. However, Spurs have a superior defensive line which could prove to be the difference in this match-up. Our prediction for this game would be a win for the Lilywhites as Frankfurt has massive issues in defence, having conceded the joint most goals in this UCL campaign so far.
Score Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur
