The first leg of this season's Champions League round-of-16 tie is complete. Some teams are in pole position to advance to the quarter-finals, while others have all to do in the reverse leg.
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The Champions League is, without a doubt, the most popular club competition in the world right now. The tournament, which features the top clubs from Europe’s domestic leagues, ranks as one of the most difficult trophies for any team to win. Several clubs have spent a lot of money on their squad in order to win this trophy, but only a few have succeeded. With Europe’s giants competing in this vastly popular competition, fans all over the continent would love to see their team play in these matches under the floodlights.
| Last-16 First Leg Matches | Results | Stadium |
| PSG lose to Bayern Munich | 0-1 | Parc des Princes |
| Milan beat Tottenham Hotspur | 1-0 | San Siro |
| Club Brugge lose to Benfica | 0-2 | Jan Breydel Stadium |
| Dortmund beat Chelsea | 1-0 | Signal Iduna Park |
| Liverpool lose to Real Madrid | 2-5 | Anfield |
| Frankfurt lose to Napoli | 0-2 | Deutsche Bank Park |
| Leipzig draw Man City | 1-1 | Red Bull Arena |
| Inter Milan beat Porto | 1-0 | San Siro |
Countless fans and players dream of Champions League nights, but only a select few are get the opportunity to be a part of that elite group. This year’s tournament still has 16 teams competing for glory, but the real question is who will be lucky enough to lift the coveted trophy. The first leg of this season’s Champions League round-of-16 tie is complete. Some teams are in pole position to advance to the quarter-finals, while others have all to do in the reverse leg. Let us take a closer look at the potential candidates who could go all the way in the competition:
The German giants were one of the pre-tournament favourites to win this coveted trophy. So far, they have lived up to the expectation brilliantly. Bayern Munich have won all the seven matches they have played till now in this year’s competition despite their run-in till now not being easy. After being placed in a group besides European heavyweights such as Barcelona and Inter Milan, one would feel that qualification from that group in itself is a difficult task. However, Bayern went on to defeat them both home and away, and in the process topped the Group C by winning all six matches.
| Name | League Position | Last year’s UCL finish | First-leg Last-16 result |
| Bayern Munich | 1 (46 pts; 22 M) | Quarter-final | 1-0 win vs PSG |
The six-time winners did not just stop there. They were handed one of the most difficult round-of-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain. However, Bayern were unfazed by the challenge, as they defeated the French giants 1-0 in Paris in the first leg. Despite their inconsistent performances in the domestic league, the German champions are expected to prevail in the second leg and go all the way in the competition. They will be eager to produce a good showing in this season’s Champions League after suffering a shocking quarter-final exit to Villarreal in last year’s tournament.
Expected finish: Final
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Champions League is the one trophy that has eluded the big-spending Paris Saint-Germain so far. The French giants have signed some of the best in the business and were the favourites for the title for quite some time now. However, they have not been able to deliver the one trophy which their management and supporters have been desperate for. Unless a miracle happens, it seems unlikely that PSG will end the wait this year following their disappointing first-leg 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.
| Name | League Position | Last year’s UCL finish | First-leg Last-16 result |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 1 (60 pts; 25 M) | Round-of-16 | 1-0 loss vs Bayern |
Paris Saint-Germain now have the difficult task of going to Germany, looking for a win against another top contender for this trophy. It is to be noted that PSG have experience of beating Bayern Munich in recent past. In the 2020-21 season, the French side defeated Bayern 3-2 at Allianz Arena in the first leg of the quarterfinals. They have to come up with another such performance in the second leg this season if they are to go through. PSG have the squad with Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar among others. However, it will take a monumental effort to pull it off. PSG will be eager to avoid going out in the last-16, as they did last year when they were defeated by Real Madrid.
Expected finish: Round of 16
Champions League is a competition that would feel like home for Real Madrid. Not many teams have the luxury to say that but then again not many teams are Real Madrid. The Spanish giants own this trophy. They are the 14-time winners in this competition – the best in this tournament’s history. Even in recent past, no one has come close to stopping Madrid’s domination in this competition. Over the last nine years, Real Madrid have won five Champions League crowns, underlying their unparallel domination in this competition.
| Name | League Position | Last year’s UCL finish | First-leg Last-16 result |
| Real Madrid | 2 (52 pts; 23 M) | Champions | 5-2 win vs Liverpool |
They are also the defending champions in this competition after narrowly edging past an unstoppable Liverpool in the final last year. They are once again labelled among the favourites to lift the illustrious trophy. However, they had received a tough round-of-16 draw against Liverpool. In the repeat of last-year’s final, Real Madrid bounced back brilliantly from a 2-0 deficit to beat Liverpool 5-2 in the first leg at Anfield. With the second leg set to happen at Santiago Bernabeu, it seems unlikely that the Reds will be able to stage a comeback in Madrid. No matter against who they play, Real Madrid will undoubtedly be labelled as the favourites to defend the highly sought after trophy once again.
Expected finish: Final
The runaway Italian leaders are one of the favourites to lift the coveted Champions League crown. If they manage it, this will be Napoli’s first ever Champions League trophy. Italian football has often been dominated by the Milan clubs or Juventus. Napoli had their moments in the past, however, in recent past they have struggled to break the established order. But this season, things are happening differently. The Luciano Spalletti’s side are unstoppable in Serie A.
| Name | League Position | Last year’s UCL finish | First-leg Last-16 result |
| Napoli | 1 (65 pts; 24 M) | Did not qualify | 2-0 win vs Frankfurt |
Napoli have 65 points from 24 games to be sitting atop the table, which is 18 points more than second-placed Inter Milan. They have lost only once in the league all season and once in the Champions League. Placed in Group A, Spalletti’s side finished above Liverpool to top the table. They carried that brilliant form into the round-of-16 first leg and got past Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 away from home. If Napoli complete the formality in the second leg to qualify for the quarterfinals then they will undoubtedly be one of the teams to watch out for in the rest of the knockout stage.
Expected finish: Semi-final
After couple of near misses, Manchester City will be eager to go all the way in the Champions League this season. Pep Guardiola’s side have been supremely dominant in their domestic league over the last few years. They have won every domestic title that is possible but the one that has escaped their reach is the coveted Champions League trophy. Man City reached the final in the 2020-21 season but were beaten by fellow-Premier League side Chelsea 1-0. They again suffered a heartbreak last season – this time in the semifinal to the eventual champions Real Madrid.
| Name | League Position | Last year’s UCL finish | First-leg Last-16 result |
| Manchester City | 2 (55 pts; 25 M) | Semi-final | 1-1 draw vs Leipzig |
It is one trophy City supporters have been eager to clinch and one which Guardiola has also been keen to win it with this club. However, they have fallen short in heart-breaking fashion over the last two seasons. A rejuvenated Man City side will go again, this time they have arguably the world’s best striker – Erling Haaland – up front. He has been scoring goals for fun this season and has been impossible to stop. If Haaland can continue this streak then it will be difficult to bet against them this year. However, for that they must first overcome RB Leipzig challenge after managing only a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Germany.
Expected finish: Semi-final
The Italian giants are getting their job done quietly this season. While this has not been a particularly spectacular one for them till now, Inter Milan still seem to be doing a lot of things right. They are sitting second in the Serie A table to runaway leaders Napoli and are doing a good job in the Champions League as well. Despite being placed in the so-called ‘Group of Death’ which also had Bayern Munich and Barcelona, Inter prevailed from that group finishing second to the German heavyweights. Bayern and Barca were the favourites to progress from the group, but Inter defied the odds to reach the knockout round at the expense of the Spanish giants.
| Name | League Position | Last year’s UCL finish | First-leg Last-16 result |
| Inter Milan | 2 (47 pts; 24 M) | Round of 16 | 1-0 win vs Porto |
In the first leg of the round of 16, Inter have done well to edge past Portuguese side FC Porto 1-0. The Italians are favourites to get the job done in Portugal in the reverse leg. Inter also have experience of lifting this coveted trophy, something not many clubs could say. They won successive European Cups in 1964 and 1965 before clinching their latest trophy in 2010 when Jose Mourinho was their manager. If Inter Milan manage to get past Porto in the last-16 then they are capable of being the dark horses in this tournament. While Inter may not be the favourites but they do have all the necessary ingredients to cause a major upset on a given day.
Expected finish: Quarter-final
