(Image credit: Getty Images)
Your Champions League preview is here, with Europe’s greatest competition about to restart.
This week, Manchester City take on Copenhagen, RB Leipzig host Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain are at home to Real Sociedad and Lazio play Bayern Munich. The action continues next week, with PSV facing Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan playing Atletico Madrid, Arsenal taking on Porto and Napoli against Barcelona.
Before you watch it all though, here’s Ed McCambridge and Chris Flanagan with everything to watch out for…
Champions League preview: 1. Arsenal’s last-16 curse
Bukayo Saka of Arsenal celebrates scoring against Sevilla (Image credit: Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)
The Gunners are back in the knockout phase of the Champions League for the first time in ages (2016/17 to be precise), which usually means one thing: humiliation over two legs.
In their most recent showing seven years ago, Arsene Wenger’s men were blitzed 10-2 on aggregate by Bayern Munich – the latest in a run of seven straight last 16 eliminations to Bayern, Barcelona, Milan and even Monaco in 2014-15, with the Bavarians responsible for three separate strudelings. Grim stat: Arsenal lost those seven ties at a combined scoreline of 32-16.
But there’s hope: unlike five of those seven campaigns, Mikel Arteta’s side won their group this season to set up a meeting with (the slightly less scary) Porto. Moreover, unlike the late-era Wenger outfits, this crop doesn’t wilt like a biscuit in hot tea at the slightest sign of danger. They’re the bookmakers’ fourth favourites to lift the trophy for the very first time – breaking their last 16 hoodoo could be the catalyst for glory at Wembley.
2. Bellingham and Kane’s quests to conquer Europe
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are targeting European success (Image credit: Elsa/Getty Images)
Brits abroad haven’t historically done the national reputation many favours, so it’s just as well that Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane – arguably England’s two standout players – are doing their best to reverse old prejudices. For Real Madrid and Bayern respectively, the duo have been the driving forces behind their teams’ trophy ambitions, injecting goals and leadership into squads already jam-packed with international superstars.
This season represents Bellingham’s first real chance of winning the competition – RB Leipzig are Los Blancos’ opponents in the last 16 – while Kane has been in a final once before at Spurs. Facing Lazio in the opening knockout round, he’ll be hoping that gaffer Thomas Tuchel, who masterminded Chelsea’s second triumph in 2021 and could become the first coach to reach the final with three clubs, can help him to go one step further on June 1. Send a couple more talents across the continent and we might be let off for desecrating Magaluf…
3. Manchester City’s title defence
Erling Haaland is looking to retain the Champions League (Image credit: Getty Images)
If there’s one thing Manchester City fans love more than hoarding trophies, it’s rubbing salt into their neighbours’ wounds. This round provides the motivation to do exactly that, with opponents Copenhagen responsible for putting the final nail in the coffin of United’s group-stage embarrassment.
The Blues’ annual hammering of a last 16 minnow – Erling Haaland smashed five past RB Leipzig in a 7-0 walloping 12 months ago – would be all the sweeter this time around given the Red Devils’ shock 4-3 defeat to the Danes in November.
Kevin De Bruyne & Co are favourites to go on and defend their crown this term – doing so would not only equal United’s tally of two successes during the Champions League era, but potentially usher in a period of European dominance at the Etihad Stadium.
4. Barcelona’s return
Barcelona are back in the UCL knockouts (Image credit: Getty Images)
Yes, everybody’s beloved basketcases have rejoined the last 16 elite, after financial chaos and two successive group flops.
The relentless genius of Barça’s glory days already seemed a distant memory when they lost 4-1 at home to Paris Saint-Germain at this stage three years prior, having been systematically destroyed 8-2 by Bayern in the 2020 quarter-finals.
Now they take on Napoli, still recovering off the field with a hodgepodge squad, an overreliance on 35-year-old talisman Robert Lewandowski and matches being played at the 1992 Olympic Stadium while the Camp Nou is redeveloped. They’re not expected to claim a sixth title but, honestly, who knows what they’re capable of any more…
Germany are set to get the extra spot, as it stands (Image credit: S. Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty Images)
The Champions League’s new 36-side group extravaganza kicks off next season, and this term’s results may determine whether there are four or five Premier League teams in it.
The two countries boasting the best record across all three European club competitions in 2023/24 will earn an additional Champions League place, which could be very handy for the club finishing fifth in the Premier League.
Currently, however, Italy and Germany are set to grab those bonus spots – all of Serie A’s representatives reached the knockout stages of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, while the Bundesliga has three sides in the Champions League last 16.
England and Spain sit third and fourth – the former haven’t been helped by Manchester United and Newcastle exiting the Champions League early, leaving two last 16 qualifiers for the first time since 2013. Blighty could boost its ranking if Manchester City and Arsenal go deep, emulated by Liverpool, West Ham and Brighton in the Europa League’s latter stages, plus Aston Villa in the Conference League.
The battle between Italy, Germany, England and Spain could stretch all the way to April, May or even June 1 – whoever comes fifth in the Premier League might face a nervy wait.
6. Bynoe-Gittens and Sancho at Dortmund
Sancho is back at BVB (Image credit: Getty Images)
Fresh off the naughty step, Jadon Sancho has returned to Borussia Dortmund on loan after a substandard spell at Manchester United – what better way to defy the doubters than by shining in the Champions League?
Frozen out at Old Trafford, he didn’t make a single appearance for the Red Devils in their group-stage exit this season. He did, though, figure in the last 16 on three occasions during his first BVB stint as the German giants lost to Spurs and PSG, then sunk Sevilla in 2021.
Dortmund haven’t progressed beyond the quarter-finals since 2013 – they’ll fancy their chances of sending PSV packing in the last 16 aided by Reading-born Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, the latest young Brit to get bums off seats at the Westfalenstadion.
The explosive teenage winger – like Sancho, a product of Manchester City’s talent factory – scored in Dortmund’s November victory at Milan as BVB topped a horrid group featuring PSG and Newcastle.
7. The race for the Club World Cup
The Club World Cup is expanding (Image credit: David Ramos – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Are we all excited for the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup in summer 2025?
Variously predicted to be the greatest club tournament in history or the event that finally pushes exhausted players over the edge – prompting them to escape to the mountains and await the apocalypse, Carlos Roa style – the 12 European participants will be finalised based on their achievements in this edition of the Champions League.
Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid are safely in having lifted the trophy since 2021, and June’s victors will also book their ticket. The remaining spots are reserved for sides posting the best average Champions League performance spanning a four-season period, capped at two teams per country.
Bayern, PSG, Inter, Porto and Benfica can’t be caught in the standings so are guaranteed places, while Barcelona need to significantly outperform Atletico Madrid this term to steal Spain’s second spot (Real Sociedad may also nick it should they win the final).
Likewise, RB Leipzig are bidding to overhaul BVB, with Napoli and Lazio attempting to oust Juventus. The other berth will go to Red Bull Salzburg unless Arsenal, PSV or Copenhagen win the Champions League. It could happen…
8. The new PSG
Kylian Mbappe’s quest for European glory continues (Image credit: Getty Images)
PSG never do things by halves. After signing Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos and Georginio Wijnaldum – ageing heroes with Champions League-winning nous – in 2021, they ditched the lot, plus stalwarts Neymar, Marco Verratti and Julian Draxler, at the end of last season. Maybe they studied City’s triumph in Istanbul and realised that, even for a mega-rich club, the secret to success isn’t simply hoovering up established stars after all.
The squad revamp considerably lowered the Parisians’ average age, with 17-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery and 22-year-old Manuel Ugarte bossing the midfield and Randal Kolo Muani, 25, supporting Kylian Mbappe up front.
This could well be the latter’s last chance to deliver the trophy to the French behemoths before he swans off, in trademark Mbappe swanning fashion, to Madrid. Failure to win it this spring could prompt coach Luis Enrique into another U-turn: perhaps a team made up entirely of left-footers, or Scandinavians, or gingers, or…
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Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He’s interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it’s a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.
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