2025 Champions League Knockout Phase Playoffs Preview

As the 2024/2025 Champions League tournament moves into the knockout phase, 24 teams are dreaming of lifting the trophy at the Allianz Arena in Munich at the end of a gruelling campaign.

For some the path there will be more difficult than others, with the new format resulting in a 24-team knockout phase starting with the playoffs over the next two weeks.

The draw has thrown up some fascinating ties, but none are bigger than the Manchester City-Real Madrid matchup that is sure to produce plenty of drama.

Eight teams are waiting in the Round of 16, find out who we are backing to join them in the coming days.

Second Leg

FIRST LEG: Feyenoord Won 1-0

It’s all to do for AC Milan in the second leg, needing to win to have any hope of advancing to the Round of 16.

The first leg was a cagey affair as the Dutch side, under interim manager and former A-League defender Pascal Bosschaart, scored early and then stifled the life out of the match to hold on for a narrow victory.

Replicating that at the San Siro will be a big ask however with the Italian giants unbeaten in their last 12 matches at the stadium, seven of which were wins.

All signs are pointing towards a low scoring, tightly contested match and the price on the under seems incredibly low, especially considering that has hit in five of Milan’s last seven home matches.

Under 2.5 Goals @ $2.20

FIRST LEG: Brugge Won 2-1

Another Italian side hoping to overturn a first leg deficit at home is Atalanta whose scoring form has dried up during a busy start to the month of February.

Their one victory was a 5-0 thumping of lowly Verona in Serie A, but outside of that they have scored just two goals in their other four matches, and the scoreless draw with Cagliari on the weekend would not have helped their confidence.

However Brugge’s defence has been far from resolute with just two clean sheets in their last ten matches.

Atalanta has just the three clean sheets from their last ten and we could be in for a few goals in that match as both sides chase a spot in the Round of 16.

Both Teams to Score @ $1.73

FIRST LEG: Bayern Won 2-1

It’s fair to say that this tie is a lot closer than most expected after the first leg however all signs are pointing towards the Germans advancing out of this pairing.

Celtic were gallant in the first leg but this time they won’t have the Glasgow faithful there to spur them on and their recent away form is not exactly encouraging.

They have won just two of their last seven away matches and are yet to record a win outside of Glasgow in the Champions League.

In an October trip to Dortmund, they were belted 7-1 and Bayern are absolutely capable of inflicting a similar scoreline on them here.

Bayern to Win the Match -2 Goals @ $2.00

FIRST LEG: Benfica Won 1-0

The first leg could not have gone any worse for Monaco, falling behind before losing Al Musrati to a second yellow card minutes later.

He will miss the match, as will his teammate, Brazilian defender Vanderson who picked up a yellow card late on.

They did bounce back on the weekend with a 7-1 win over Nantes in Ligue 1 but even that came after falling behind after four minutes and Nantes saw a player sent off after eight.

Eventually they found their scoring boots but there is a lot to be concerned about with Monaco’s form.

Which makes Benfica to win the match and comfortably advance to the next stage the best bet here.

Benfica to Win @ $1.82

FIRST LEG: Dortmund Won 3-0

There is not a lot of drama surrounding the first game on Thursday morning as Dortmund holds a massive advantage over the youthful Sporting Lisbon side.

With the Portuguese league leaders fielding a strong side at the weekend, you can’t help but wonder how many players will back up for a tie that all but lost.

However Dortmund also rolled out a similar lineup for their domestic duties on the weekend but they have a slightly deeper squad to call on.

Take the Germans to put on a show in front of their home fans.

Dortmund to Win @ $1.94

FIRST LEG: PSG Won 3-0

There really is not much we can do to sell this as a competitive fixture as these domestic rivals look set to play out the 90 minutes to confirm PSG’s progression to the Round of 16.

Having already completed the league double over Brest, plus last week’s resounding victory, you have to think PSG will be eager to go for the quadruple.

And with Brest likely turning their focus to Ligue 1, this could be another ugly affair.

PSG to Win -2 Goals @ $2.25

FIRST LEG: Juventus Won 2-1

While Thursday does feature a couple of potential duds, it does mean that more focus can be put towards the two ties that remain in the balance.

PSV will feel like they are every chance of overturning this deficit at home and advancing through to the knockout phase.

To do that they will at least need to win the 90-minute portion of this match, which won’t be a straightforward task against a Juventus side that has won its last four matches in all competitions.

This will be their first trip to PSV having won in the league phase as well as last week, but they have plenty of talent on their side.

That should at least offset the home ground advantage PSV will have in this match and the rest of the factors should cancel each other out.

Which then means Juve are going to find themselves in position to settle for a draw and the value on that outcome looks like the best value in this market.

Draw @ $3.70

FIRST LEG: Real Madrid Won 3-2

The glamour tie is all set up for a phenomenal second leg after the late drama in Manchester last week.

Vinicius set up a pair of goals in the 86^th and 92^nd minute to give Real the edge heading back to the Bernabeu.

Since Manchester City entered their new money era, Real have the edge in the head to head meetings, winning three of the first four and playing out draws in the last two meetings.

If that trend can continue, it will be enough for the kings of the Champions League to advance to the next stage.

And with City going through whatever is ailing them this season, they should be able to win the match and take care of business.

Real Madrid to Win @ $1.85

First Leg

An all-French tie kicks off the first legs of the Champions League knockout playoffs and it is no surprise to see PSG as heavy favourites for this match.

22 points separate these clubs on the Ligue 1 table and PSG will be eager to repeat their 5-2 victory over Brest from 10 days ago.

Having sauntered through the league phase of this competition now is the time for PSG to really hit the accelerator and don’t be surprised if they try to put the tie away inside the opening 90 minutes.

PSG has won the last three head to head meetings as well as their last four matches in all competitions by two or more goals.

This one won’t be close at all.

PSG to Win -1 Goal @ $1.83

In the midst of an uneven season, Juventus will look to return to the Champions Leage Round of 16 after a two year absence.

Standing in their way will be Dutch side PSV, who outperformed the Italian giants during the league phase of this competition.

We have a clash of contrasting styles here with the Dutch side totalling 16 goals scored and 12 conceded while Juve’s league phase matches tallied 16 goals total.

This looks like a fixture where the defensive approach might win out, with PSV likely to press a bit more in the second leg at home and avoid damage limitation here.

Which the Italians will be happy to play into and a stalemate is very much in play.

Under 2.5 Goals @ $1.80

There is no doubt that this is a different Manchester City side to previous years, and an early Champions League exit is very much on the cards.

City’s lead in form is not great coming off the back of a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Arsenal before just scraping by 2-1 away to Leyton Orient in the FA Cup on the weekend.

It’s not exactly encouraging when they have to face the La Liga leaders over 180 minutes and it seems incredibly optimistic to think that this match is going to go to penalties like last year’s tie.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of City’s follies at the moment is that they are not showing up for the big game, which spells trouble here.

Real Madrid to Win @ $3.15

If there is one tie that is seemingly destined to feature plenty of goals it is this one.

Dortmund were the second highest scoring team in the league phase with 22 goals in six matches, trailing only Barcelona who scored 28.

Sporting’s record was not quite as impressive with just 13 goals scored, however they are averaging over two goals per game domestically.

This tie is very much capable of going either way but the winner is going to have score a fair few goals.

Over 2.5 Goals @ $1.67

Atalanta were one point away from booking a spot in the Round of 16 but they will have to do it the hard way over two legs.

Meanwhile, Brugge will be buoyed by their progression as the 24^th ranked side despite a loss to Manchester City on the final matchday.

The Belgian side still made it through on goal difference ahead of Dinamo Zagreb and they will be eager to take full advantage of their second life.

While it is hard to see them advancing over two legs, they do have the ability to hold on at home and they might give themselves something to defend ahead of next week’s trip to Italy.

Draw @ $3.40

Celtic Park will be rocking ahead of the German giants coming to town for this match, but it feels like they will be silenced at some point in the first half.

Despite winning their last two domestic matches by a combined score of 11-0, Bayern presents a vastly different challenge to Dundee and Raith.

If Harry Kane and company are in a ruthless mood, this match could get out of hand very quickly.

Bayern to Win and Over 2.5 Goals @ $1.75

It has been 40 years since Feynoord have made it this far in Europe’s elite club competition and they earned their place in the knockout phase with a 3-0 home win over Bayern on Matchday 7.

Admittedly their 6-1 loss to Lille on Matchday 8 was not the most encouraging lead in, their home form in all competitions has been hard to fault.

They have won four of their last five home games across the Eredivisie and Champions League, with one of those wins coming by a 4-2 scoreline and the other three by a three goal margin.

Backing them to progress at this stage might be a bit optimistic but they are a much better chance of winning this match than their $3.10 price would suggest.

Feynoord to Win @ $3.10

For the second time this season, Monaco and Benfica will face off and the Portuguese side will be very happy to have received this draw.

Back in November, Benfica won a heated contest over a Monaco side that was reduced to ten men following a second yellow card shown to Wilfried Singo just before the hour mark.

Angel Di Maria set up goals in the 84^th and 88^th minute allowed Benfica to complete the comeback on the road.

However there is not a lot between these sides when they are at full strength, and with this much on the line, we could see the sides happy to share the spoils from the first leg.

Draw @ $3.60