Champions League Team of the Playoff Round XI

The first leg of the Champions League playoff round is in the books. Who puts themselves in the best position ahead for the second leg – and who will make it through to the knockout rounds?

We saw some massive wins for Newcastle United, Real Madrid and PSG – but who made it into our team of the round?

GK: Thibault Courtois

Real Madrid shot-stopper Thibault Courtois was between the sticks for a turbulent clash with Benfica. In a game mired in controversy, the Belgian international managed to keep his head and his clean sheet.

Courtois only had three saves to make and one high claim, but he was one of just three ‘keepers who maintained a clean sheet during this set of fixtures.

RB: Julian Ryerson

Borussia Dortmund have had a middling Champions League campaign, but they were well up for it when they took on Atalanta.

In particular, Julian Ryerson looked very spritely on the right side of defence. He notched up an assist early on, then put in some solid defensive work to secure a clean sheet.

CB: Malick Thiaw

Malick Thiaw may not have managed to keep Qarabag out, but he made up for it with his attacking contributions.

Newcastle completely annihilated the Azerbaijani outfit – Thiaw scored the Toon’s second goal of the game in a 6-1 win.

CB: Ramy Bensebaini

Ramy Bensebaini had a tough task ahead of him, as he was trusted to contain the dangerous Mario Pasalic, but he did so with relative ease.

Dortmund put themselves in a good position ahead of the second leg away from home, picking up a 2-0 win over Atalanta.

LB: Alejandro Grimaldo

Bayer Leverkusen arguably had one of the easier draws in the playoffs, as they were drawn against Olympiacos, but they needed to remain focused to avoid an upset.

Alejandro Grimaldo put forth a textbook wing-back performance, doing his diligent defensive work and racking up an assist.

RM: Desire Doue

Desire Doue did not start in PSG’s playoff tie against Monaco, but he still managed to make a substantial contribution.

Brought on as a substitute for the injured Ousmane Dembele, Doue scored just two minutes after being introduced – he then scored again in the second half to complete PSG’s comeback.

CM: Raphael Onyedika

Club Brugge have largely flown under the radar in the Champions League this season – as has star player Raphael Onyedika.

Against Atletico Madrid, he showed plenty of midfield generalship and experience, scoring a goal and notching up an assist along the way.

CM: Gabriel Sara

Galatasaray sprung a bit of a surprise when they demolished Juventus by a score of 5-2 – Gabriel Sara was one of the main stars of the show.

Sara dominated the midfield after Juve were reduced to ten men, scoring a goal and registering an assist against the Old Lady.

LM: Noa Lang

Noa Lang was also fantastic for the Turkish giants, giving Pierre Kalulu and Lloyd Kelly no end of problems.

He netted a brace against Juventus, scoring both of his goals in the second half to give Galatasaray a dominant position going into the second leg.

ST: Anthony Gordon

Anthony Gordon has had a generally lacklustre season for Newcastle, but there could be no complaints with his display against Qarabag.

The former Everton man scored a whopping four goals against the Azerbaijani team, netting two penalties and two goals from open play.

ST: Kasper Hogh

Bodo/Glimt are at it again – they picked up another scalp as they defeated Inter Milan by a score of 3-1 at the Aspmyra Stadium.

Hogh was Bodo’s star man on the night, registering a pair of assists and capping off his display with a goal in the second half.