Champions League Team of the Week XI

The first leg of the Champions League last 16 is in the books. As teams prepare for their respective returns to domestic football, who made it into our Champions League team of the week?

We saw some massive wins for Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG – conversely, it was a rough period for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Liverpool. That aside, who were the best individual performers in midweek?

GK: Ugurcan Çakir

Galatasaray are swiftly becoming one of Liverpool’s biggest ‘bogey teams’ – they overcame the Reds for the second time this season when they picked up a 1-0 win over Arne Slot’s men on Tuesday night.

Ugurcan Cakir was the star of the show, making seven saves against Liverpool to ensure that his team walked away with a clean sheet.

RB: Fredrik Sjøvold

Bodo/Glimt’s rise to prominence in the Champions League looks unquellable at this stage. They took Sporting CP apart – Fredrik Sjovold was on hand to defend his flank with ferocity.

With a tackle success ratio of 100%, combined with a number of dangerous long balls down the right-hand side, Sjovold was a key cog in the Bodo machine on Wednesday evening.

CB: Antonio Rudiger

Antonio Rudiger is entering the twilight of his playing years, but he certainly rolled back the years when Manchester City came to the Bernabeu Stadium.

Rudiger was dominant in the air, preventing City from gaining a foothold in the box – his defensive efforts were crucial in securing Real Madrid’s clean sheet.

CB: Robin Le Normand

Atletico Madrid compounded Tottenham’s misery with a resounding 5-2 win on Tuesday evening – Robin Le Normand couldn’t keep a clean sheet, but he made up for it at the other end of the pitch.

The Spanish international scored Atleti’s fourth goal of the outing, scrambling the ball into the back of the net following an opportunistic header.

LB: Lewis Hall

Lewis Hall had an almighty task on his hands when it came to containing Lamine Yamal, but he managed to restrict the Barcelona star to a mere cameo role (last-minute penalty notwithstanding).

Hall prevented Yamal from doing much of anything throughout the game – he certainly couldn’t have prevented him from scoring the penalty, as the foul in question was committed on the other side of the pitch.

CM: Federico Valverde

Real Madrid’s game against Manchester City was an historic one for Federico Valverde – he scored the first Champions League hattrick of his career against the Citizens in a 3-0 win.

With each of the three goals coming within a space of 22 minutes, the Uruguayan stunned City into silence at the Bernabeu Stadium.

CM: Sondre Fet

Sondre Fet put forth an industrious display against Sporting CP, working hard to keep the Portuguese giants quiet throughout the contest.

He was rewarded for his efforts with a well-taken penalty in the first-half – how far can Bodo go in the Champions League this year?

RW: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia only featured for 30 minutes of PSG’s 5-2 win over Chelsea, but he managed to generate a greater impact than almost anyone else on the pitch.

The Georgian international scored scored two goals and notched up an assist after he was introduced – the very definition of a super-sub.

AM: Michael Olise

Michael Olise’s switch to Bayern Munich has seen him realise the extents of his potential. The former Crystal Palace man was outstanding against Atalanta, being the driving force behind their destructive 6-1 win away from home.

With two goals and an assist to his name at the New Balance Arena, Olise’s inclusion in this XI was a real no-brainer. As things stand, he tops the Champions League assist charts in 2025/26.

LW: Harvey Barnes

Harvey Barnes realised a dream when he scored in the last few minutes of Newcastle’s game against Barcelona – only to have it ripped away from him just a few moments later.

Of course, this wasn’t Barnes’ fault. He had been a constant threat throughout, always looking to rattlle off shots and finding himself in dangerous areas.

ST: Julian Alvarez

Julian Alvarez’s first goal against Tottenham will probably be the easiest he has ever scored. Nevertheless, he deserves credit for chasing such improbable chances.

The former Manchester City man was excellent against the Lilywhites, scoring twice and racking up an assist to boot.