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Three key matches, storylines in Champions League playoffs
The UEFA Champions League will return this week with a two-legged elimination round that will determine the tournament's Round of 16.
Eight teams — Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, LOSC Lille and Aston Villa — have already qualified with stellar performances in the opening round of the tournament. Eight more teams will join them after these two-legged playoffs conclude. (See complete schedule, h/t ESPN.)
Here are three key fixtures, all scheduled Tuesday:
Manchester City (England) versus Real Madrid (Spain)
City and Madrid are no strangers to Champions League knockout duels — they've played in the latter stages of the tournament in each of the past three seasons. Those matches wound up being crucial for the Champions League as a whole. In each case, the team that won went on to win the tournament. Madrid took it in 2022, City won in 2023 and Madrid won the title back in 2024 after knocking City out on penalties in the quarterfinals.
Both teams have endured injuries.
City lost defensive midfielder Rodri, central defender Nathan Aké and winger Jeremy Doku in quick succession. They are not expected back for the playoffs.
Madrid, meanwhile, lost its entire defensive line one by one during the fall. Eder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, David Alaba, Lucas Vázquez and Dani Carvajal suffered serious injuries and are expected to remain unavailable for this round.
Madrid finished higher than City in the league phase and has the edge heading into this playoff, but City has the fitter squad. With the all-time record between the two standing at 4-4-4, this one isn't just a battle for the Champions League. It's a battle for supremacy.
Juventus (Italy) versus PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
There are many reasons to love this matchup, from Juventus's exacting playing style to PSV's wild attacking abandon, but we relish it for one simple reason: It's a showcase for some of the U. S. Men's National Team's brightest stars.
Midfielder Weston McKennie and right winger Timothy Weah will line up for Juventus, while defender Sergiño Dest is expected to (finally) be available for PSV after a long injury absence. (PSV's other American players, midfielder Malik Tillman and striker Ricardo Pepi, are hurt and won't play in this match)
Of all eight matchups in this playoff, no opponents are more different in style than Juventus and PSV. This should be a fascinating encounter pitching possession control against individual brilliance.
PSV could pull off an upset, as Juventus has struggled to bring games home this season, racking up an absurd 13 draws in Serie A.
Brest (France) versus Paris Saint Germain (France)
The opening phase of the Champions League is country-blocked, meaning that two teams from the same nation can't face off against one another. That's why we haven't seen any Premier League clashes such as Liverpool versus Manchester City. The game-selection algorithm was designed to forbid it.
There are no such rules in the knockout rounds, though, and that means two wildly different French teams — Brest, a small outfit from the remote Western region of Brittany, and PSG, a Qatari-run juggernaut from the capital — will battle in the playoffs.
This is the ultimate underdog story for Brest, which enters the fixture with a stronger Champions League record than its big-shot compatriot. If it wins and eliminates PSG over two games, the scenes in France will be unreal.
The Champions League playoffs will begin Tuesday and conclude Feb. 19.
More must-reads:
- Could Real Madrid’s Ballon d’Or snub play into Manchester City’s hands?
- Manchester City are determined to do something special starting against Real Madrid
- The 'NFL all-time touchdown receptions leaders' quiz
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