UCL 2025/26: Round of 16 second leg previews and predictions

The second-leg games of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 round of 16 will be played this midweek.

While Chelsea, Spurs, Sporting, and Man City will need exceptional performances to get through to the next round after massive defeats away in the first leg, other teams remain in the mix in what are closely contested ties at the halfway stage.

Here, we present our previews and predictions for each second-leg encounter of the round of 16 of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League.

Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain

The first leg played at the Parc des Princes was an end-to-end entertaining affair, which PSG went on to win by drubbing Chelsea 5–2, despite the reigning Club World Cup champions having managed to stay in the game at 2–2 till the 74th minute.

Chelsea’s domestic form hasn’t been convincing either. They missed an opportunity to go ahead in the race for a top-five finish with a loss against Newcastle at home in the Premier League. Their defensive issues have continued to cause them problems, and the same happened against PSG. Another advantage for the Ligue 1 champions is that they didn’t play at the weekend and will have a well-rested squad.

From an injury viewpoint, Chelsea will be without Levi Colwill and Estêvão, while PSG will miss Fabián Ruiz and Quentin Ndjantou for this fixture.

Overcoming a three-goal deficit against the defending champions who like to dominate games is going to be a challenging task for the struggling Blues. With the PSG front line in dangerous form, this could likely be another game Chelsea fail to win. Although the hosts might score a goal or two, they are sufficiently vulnerable at the back to concede more. Hence, we believe Les Parisiens will eliminate Chelsea and go through to the quarter-finals.

Prediction: Chelsea 2–2 PSG at full-time; PSG to go through 7–4 on aggregate

Manchester City vs Real Madrid

The Cityzens were thrashed 3–0 by Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, with Fede Valverde grabbing a fantastic first-half hat-trick and making it difficult for City to come back in the second leg. At the weekend as well, City failed to close the gap against Premier League leaders Arsenal with a 1–1 draw against relegation strugglers West Ham.

City are now nine points behind Arsenal with a game in hand. They have looked far below their usual exceptional standards, having won only two games in their last five encounters. Real Madrid, on the other hand, even with a long list of injuries, have fought well in the last few games. After the disappointing loss to Getafe at home in LaLiga, Los Blancos have won three straight games in all competitions. 

From an injury perspective, Man City will miss Josko Gvardiol and Rico Lewis, with Erling Haaland a serious doubt for this fixture, while Real Madrid have many key players on the sidelines in Kylian Mbappé, Éder Militão, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, David Alaba, Dani Ceballos, and Ferland Mendy. 

Having played each other several times in the Champions League over the last few seasons, these two sides know each other really well. Most expected City to do better, given they had beaten Real Madrid away in the league phase earlier in the season and had most of their players fit for the first leg, but they were a massive disappointment in what turned out to be a one-sided encounter. 

That said, at home City are a dominant side and have only lost one game at the Etihad in the league this season, having managed 11 wins and three draws. However, overcoming a three-goal deficit and defeating the 15-time European champions is going to be a tall order, and without their star striker Haaland, it looks even more unlikely. 

With City looking in poor form, and Real Madrid returning to form and looking confident, the Merengues are the overwhelming favourites for us to cruise through to the quarter-finals. 

Prediction: Man City 1–2 Real Madrid at full-time; Real Madrid to go through 5–1 on aggregate

Bayern Munich vs Atalanta

Bayern Munich were easily the best-performing team last midweek. Going away to Bergamo isn’t an easy task, but the Bavarians comprehensively blew away Atalanta in the first leg with a 6–1 thrashing.

Though Bayern drew with Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga over the weekend, they are comfortably sitting at the top of the league table with a nine-point gap to second-placed Borussia Dortmund. While they are unbeaten in their last five games, Atalanta are without a win in their last five, with three draws and two defeats.

Bayern have a fair few out with injuries, though not many of them are regular starters under Vincent Kompany. Hiroki Ito, Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Cassiano Kiala, Jonas Urbig, David Santos Daiber, and Wisdom Mike are out injured for Bayern, while Atalanta will only be without Giacomo Raspadori due to a muscle injury, with Yunus Musah suspended.

Nothing’s ever impossible, but a comeback here is very improbable for La Dea given the five-goal deficit. With this being a home game for Bayern, and given the form they are in, this second-leg fixture feels like a mere formality. Bayern could rotate players here and still win the game easily.

Prediction: Bayern 3–1 Atalanta at full-time; Bayern to go through 9–2 on aggregate

Liverpool vs Galatasaray

The reigning Premier League champions have had an abysmal season by their standards. Their struggled continued in Istanbul last week, where they suffered a 1–0 defeat to Galatasaray in the first leg. Back in the English top flight, their last two games have been very underwhelming. They lost to relegation-bound Wolves before drawing with an injury-laden and struggling Spurs side, dropping more points in what were easy fixtures on paper.

The Reds are definitely going through a transitional season, though they still possess a group of high-quality players. 

As for their Turkish opponents, Galatasaray have been unbeaten in their last five games across all competitions and are finding consistency at the right time. However, in the Champions League they have been abysmal away from home, and that is something they will be wary of. 

Liverpool do have some key players out with long-term injury in Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, and Giovanni Leoni. They also have Alexander Isak and Stefan Bajcetic on the sidelines. Gala, meanwhile, will miss Enes Büyük with a shoulder injury, while Metehan Baltaci is suspended. 

Liverpool have done particularly well at home in the Champions League this season, having lost only to PSV and defeated the likes of Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, with their most recent European home game having resulted in a 6–1 thrashing of Qarabag. If they get an early goal here, Galatasaray will be forced to play an open game, which could lead to an entertaining second leg. With home advantage on their side, we’re backing Arne Slot and Co to come back strong and push through to the quarters. 

Prediction: Liverpool 3–1 Galatasaray at full-time; Liverpool to go through 3–2 on aggregate

Sporting vs Bodø/Glimt

Facing an uphill task of keeping their Champions League campaign alive, Sporting were swept aside when they faced Bodø/Glimt in the first leg in Norway last Wednesday, suffering a 3–0 defeat in what was the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.

That said, despite the size of the task in front of them, Sporting will not rule themselves out of mounting a comeback given their formidable record at the José Alvalade, having won 17 of their last 18 matches at their home ground, including all four in the league phase of the Champions League this season. Ten of those victories have come with margins of three goals or more.

However, after eliminating Inter Milan over two legs in the play-off round, it would hardly be surprising if Kjetil Knutsen’s men pressed home their advantage from the first leg to become the first Norwegian side to reach the tournament’s quarter-finals since Rosenborg in 1996/97. Besides, Glimt have already demonstrated that they can compete with elite opponents even away from home, as demonstrated by victories over Atleti and Inter, so it would not be surprising if they trouble Sporting again on Tuesday. 

In terms of team news and injuries, Fotis Ioannidis and Ricardo Mangas remain sidelined for Sporting as they continue recovering from knee problems, while Chelsea-bound winger Geovany Quenda is still working his way back from foot surgery. As for Bodø, they have a fully fit squad to choose from. 

Looking ahead to this fixture, it’ll be very difficult for Sporting to turn over a three-goal deficit against this Bodø/Glimt side. While the Leões do boast a very strong record at home and are capable of claiming big wins, they might still fall short of securing progression to the quarters here. 

Prediction: Sporting 2–1 Bodø/Glimt at full-time; Bodø go through 4–2 on aggregate

Tottenham Hotspur vs Atlético Madrid

Spurs suffered a 5–2 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the first leg last week and therefore have it all to do in order to make it into the quarter-finals.

There were strong calls for Igor Tudor to lose his job following the loss to Atleti, but Spurs refused to make a change, and there’s no question that the North London outfit put in a much-improved performance against Liverpool last time out, ending their six-game losing streak across all competitions with a last-gasp leveller at Anfield. 

Atleti, for that matter, have not been perfect either. In fact, they’ve been far from it this season, and there are certainly weaknesses in this team, who are going through a transitional period. That said, the Rojiblancos are coming into this match after beating Getafe 1–0 over the weekend and sit comfortably inside the top four in LaLiga, albeit 14 points off the top. 

In terms of team news and injuries, Spurs will once again be without the services of a whole host of important players, while Conor Gallagher (illness), Destiny Udogie (thigh), Cristian Romero (head), and João Palhinha (head) will all need to be assessed before final decisions are made. 

As for Atleti, Jan Oblak has been ruled out with a muscular issue, so Juan Musso will feature between the sticks. Rodrigo Mendoza remains out, while Pablo Barrios needs to be assessed. Apart from these players, Simeone has a fully fit squad to choose from. 

Looking ahead to this fixture, the Lilywhites were much improved against Liverpool in the Premier League and will therefore come into this match with a degree of confidence, but given the herculean task in front of them and unrest inside the club, we fancy Atleti to even nick a win away from home and seal their quarter-final spot in style. 

Prediction: Spurs 1–2 Atleti at full-time; Atleti go through 7–3 on aggregate

Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen

Served a painful dose of their own set-piece medicine in Germany, Arsenal were perilously close to succumbing to Robert Andrich’s header from a corner in last week’s first leg against Bayer Leverkusen, before a penalty in the 89th minute, converted by former Bayer boy Kai Havertz, levelled the scores heading into the second leg at the Emirates. 

Getting the better of Mikel Arteta’s men at their home will in itself be a challenging task, given the Gunners have lost just one of their last 22 European home games, which was during last year’s semi-final tie against eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain. 

Both teams are coming into this contest on the back of positive results over the weekend. Leverkusen drew 1–1 with nine-man Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, while Arsenal sealed a late victory against Everton in the Premier League to open up a nine-point gap over a waning Manchester City.

In terms of team news and injuries, Jurriën Timber, who suffered a first-half injury against Everton, remains uncertain, as are Martin Ødegaard and Leandro Trossard, while Mikel Merino is definitely absent as he battles back from a foot problem.

On Leverkusen’s end, Kasper Hjulmand was dealt two fresh concerns of his own against Bayern, as goal-scorer Aleix García (head) and Martin Terrier (ankle) were forced off. Mark Flekken (knee), Loïc Badé (hamstring), Arthur (ligament), Lucas Vázquez (calf), and Eliesse Ben Seghir (ankle) are still sidelined, though marauding fullback Alejandro Grimaldo will return from a domestic ban.

Looking ahead to this fixture, since Manchester United’s shock win in January, Arsenal have been cautious, especially at home, and have kept four clean sheets in their run of six successive wins since then. Hence, Tuesday’s second leg is unlikely to be a gripping watch for the neutrals, with Arteta’s men having our backing to set up a likely quarter-final tie with surprise package Bodø/Glimt.

Score Prediction: Arsenal 1–0 Leverkusen at full-time; Arsenal go through 2–1 on aggregate

Barcelona vs Newcastle United

Lamine Yamal rescued a draw for Barcelona with a 96th-minute penalty to deny Newcastle United a famous win in their first-leg fixture at St James’ Park last week. 

Newcastle looked to have taken control of the first leg of their last-16 tie when Harvey Barnes fired them in front with a first-time finish late on. However, Barça were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time after substitute Dani Olmo was brought down by Malick Thiaw inside the box, with Yamal slotting it home to restore parity for the Catalan outfit. 

On the domestic front, both teams have registered confidence-boosting wins over the weekend. Barcelona thrashed Sevilla 5–2 at home to maintain their four-point lead at the top of the standings in LaLiga, while Newcastle secured a crucial 1–0 win away at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea to climb up to ninth in the Premier League table. 

In terms of team news and injuries, the hosts are guaranteed to be missing Alejandro Balde (hamstring), Gavi (knee), Frenkie de Jong (hamstring), Jules Koundé (hamstring), and Andreas Christensen (ACL) for this week’s showdown. As for the visitors, Emil Krafth (knee), Lewis Miley (thigh), Fabian Schär (ankle), and the indispensable Bruno Guimarães (thigh) will all miss the trip to Camp Nou. 

Looking ahead to this fixture, the first leg at St James’ Park was an end-to-end affair, with both sides creating enough chances to win the game outright. At Camp Nou, Hansi Flick’s side should eventually take the game, though we expect no shortage of goals and drama. 

Prediction: Barça 3–2 Newcastle at full-time; Barça go through 4–3 on aggregate