As Real Madrid get ready to face Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League Round of 16, it's time to take a step back and look at the field as a whole. Here are predictions for each of the matches, selecting which teams will make it through to the quarterfinals this 2024/25 Champions League season.
Club Bruges vs. Aston Villa
Club Bruges are the biggest underdogs left in the Champions League, and while they did well to upset a very good Atalanta side that is within Serie A title contention, there's just about no way they are able to compete with a squad like Aston Villa's.
Prediction: Aston Villa
Dortmund vs. Lille
Borussia Dortmund have been massively disappointing in the Bundesliga this season and are at serious risk of missing out on European football entirely next year. That said, Dortmund have shown signs of life lately, outscoring their last two opponents 8-0, and they are always strong in the Champions League, including last season when they reached the Final despite struggling (albeit less so) domestically.
Lille have a solid backbone and a few impact attackers like Jonathan David and Edon Zhegrova, but they just don't have the Champions League pedigree that Dortmund does, nor do they have the same overall quality as the Bundesliga giants.
Prediction: Dortmund
Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid
Out of all the Champions League Round of 16 battles this year, I think Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid is the most difficult one to predict and the most compelling, even if these two are familiar foes who face each other at least twice per season.
Atleti's strengths match up concerningly well with Real's weaknesses. They are a stingy defensive team that are well-organized, athletic on the wings, and intelligent in attack with efficent scorers and creators who thrive in a counterattacking environment. Real Madrid, meanwhile, are sloppy, overly attacking, shoddy defensively, and have potentially three serious absences in midfield for the first leg with Jude Bellingham suspended.
Historically, Real Madrid have fared well against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, but each time, they were pushed to their very limits. Expect nothing less from Real and Atleti this season, with a returning Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes playing the role of clutch heroes, yet again.
Prediction: Real Madrid
PSV vs. Arsenal
With all due respect to PSV, if Arsenal can't dispose of the Dutch side with relative ease in the Round of 16, then they really do need to have a sincere reevaluation of their sporting project.
Prediction: Arsenal
Feyenoord vs. Inter
Feyenoord are fourth in their own league, while Inter Milan are favorites to repeat as champions in Italy, which would make them the first back-to-back winners since Juventus lost their hegemony of the title. Basically, if Inter lose this one, it would be an even bigger upset than Arsenal falling to PSV.
Prediction: Inter Milan
PSG vs. Liverpool
Actually, PSG are even more dangerous than they were last season even without Kylian Mbappe, who bowed out to Dortmund in the semifinals. That's because the club has added more quality to the midfield with Joao Neves and has somehow unearthed the best of Ousmane Dembele next to Bradley Barcola and new winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
But Liverpool are the best team in European football, bar none. They are dominating the Premier League and have been just as good in the Champions League, including humbling Real Madrid in the league phase. Mohamed Salah is playing at a higher level than anyone else in the world right now, scoring and assisting in every game.
Prediction: Liverpool
Benfica vs. Barcelona
Benfica are a legitimate darkhorse team, to the point where Barcelona should be on upset watch despite their elite attacking trident and impressive group of center backs. After squeaking by Monaco, who were one of the hot teams in the league phase, Benfica showed a level of attacking firepower that should question a Barca defense that can be vulnerable.
That said, as impressive as Benfica's individual players are, such as long-time Champions League star Angel Di Maria, there's no question that Barcelona have a much talented squad - one of the best in this year's tournament. Barca will take this.
Prediction: Barcelona
Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen
It's so tempting to pick Bayer Leverkusen, because even though they are well behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, they have been playing very well lately, including thoroughly outplaying Die Roten in a 0-0 draw that would have been a win if Patrik Schick had started the game.
Leverkusen vs. Bayern is a little bit like Atleti vs. Real. It's two league title rivals where the bigger club knows the "smaller" club can push them to their limit, but, as with Real, Bayern simply have too much talent and too much pedigree to be picked against. After all, they were millimeters away from reaching the Final last season.
Prediction: Bayern Munich