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Brest v PSG, Tuesday 5.45pm
Familiar foes face off in the first Champions League playoff game this week as Brest take on PSG at the Stade de Roudourou in Guingamp. Brest’s ground did not meet Uefa’s requirements, so they will continue to play at the home of their local rivals. The Bretons will hope to extend their fine debut run in the Champions League, and they have won their last two matches, beating Troyes in the Coupe de France and Nantes in Ligue 1.
The downside, though, is that they have lost back-to-back home games, the most recent of which was against PSG, who eased to a 5-2 win at the start of the month. Éric Roy is without the services of left-backs Bradley Locko and Jordan Amavi, so expect Massadio Haidara to start. Jonas Martin is also expected to miss out, while Romain Del Castillo has a knee issue, with Romain Faivre and Mama Balde battling to deputise on the right.
Warren Zaïre-Emery is missing for the Ligue 1 leaders but PSG have ample strength in depth to cover for his absence. Osumane Dembélé will be hoping to continue his rampant form. He scored twice in PSG’s 4-1 win against Monaco at the weekend, meaning he has scored 13 goals in 2025, already matching his tally for the entirety of 2024. Prediction: PSG to progress
Manchester City v Real Madrid, Tuesday 8pm
The powerhouse tie of the playoffs. One European giant will fall by the wayside before the month is out as Manchester City take on Real Madrid. City came from behind to book a spot in the next round of the FA Cup on Saturday at Leyton Orient’s expense, a vital victory to build momentum and confidence following their 5-1 mauling at Arsenal the week before.
Nico González, Ederson, Nathan Aké and Jeremy Doku have all trained this week, leaving Rodri as City’s only confirmed injury absentee. The Ballon d’Or winner has been named in the club’s Champions League squad for the second half of the season, prompting speculation that he could return sooner than expected.
The playoff draw, though, has not been kind to City. Real Madrid, the reigning European champions, boast a front three of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappé that has amassed 59 goals this season. As Pep Guardiola said in the buildup to the game, containing the Real attack for the whole tie will be “impossible”.
The issue for Carlo Ancelotti is at the back. Real are without defenders Antonio Rüdiger, Éder Militão, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vázquez, meaning midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni is likely to partner Raul Asencio at the heart of the defence with Fede Valverde at right-back. Real are vulnerable at the back but they are frightening going forward. Prediction: Real Madrid to progress
Juventus v PSV, Tuesday 8pm
The Old Lady has a spring in her step as Juve gear up to welcome PSV to Turin. After a three-game winless run, Juventus have claimed back-to-back victories, beating Empoli and Como to get their top-four pursuit back on track. January signing Randal Kolo Muani has been a breath of fresh air, scoring five league goals in just three outings for the Italian side; only Dusan Vlahovic (eight) has netted more for Thiago Motta’s side this season.
Kolo Muani, along with fellow January arrivals Lloyd Kelly and Renato Veiga, have been added to the club’s Champions League squad, and the trio may be needed from the outset. Left-back Andrea Cambiaso, who was linked with a move to Manchester City last month, is a doubt, while fellow defenders Bremer, Juan Cabal and Pierre Kalulu all miss the meeting with Eredivisie leaders PSV.
The Dutch side have their fair share of concerns. Defenders Oscar Boscagli and Richard Ledezma are missing due to injury, with the absence of the former a huge blow. Forward pair Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi are also sidelined, though Peter Bosz can at last call upon Ivan Perisic after he joined too late to be included in their Champions League squad for the league phase. Loan signing Tyrell Malacia may also feature at left-back following Matteo Dams’ move to Saudi side Al Ahli. Prediction: Juventus to progress
Sporting v Borussia Dortmund, Tuesday 8pm
Sporting have struggled since Ruben Amorim’s departure. They remain top of the Primeira Liga but their 1-1 draw with Porto at the weekend means their lead has been cut to just four points. They have been inconsistent under Rui Borges, winning just two of their last five matches.
Sporting have issues in midfield. Morten Hjulmand misses the first leg meeting with Borussia Dortmund due to a ban, and João Simões was forced off at the weekend, meaning Zeno Debast should partner Hidemasa Morita in the middle of the park. Nuno Santos, Pote and Geny Catamo are also injured, but star striker Viktor Gyökeres is back.
Borussia Dortmund were beaten by Stuttgart at the weekend, continuing a poor run of form. They are 11th in the Bundesliga, having lost as many matches as they have won this season. The good news is that centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck is back after a ban. New arrival Carney Chukwuemeka will have to wait a little longer to make his debut due to injury, and he is joined by Felix Nmecha and Niklas Sule on the sidelines.
Dortmund face an uphill task in Lisbon this weekend; they have lost nine of their last 13 away matches. That said, two of their five away wins this season have come in the Champions League. Prediction: Sporting to progress
Club Brugge v Atalanta, Wednesday 5.45pm
Club Brugge finished 24th in the group phase and snuck into the knockout round on goal difference. The good news is that they have no injury or suspension concerns; the bad news is that they sold Andreas Skov Olsen to Wolfsburg in January, further weakening an attack that only scored seven goals in their eight group games.
They are facing Atalanta at a difficult time. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side visit the Jan Breydel Stadium on the back of a resounding 5-0 win at Verona, a game in which their star striker Mateo Retegui scored four times. Atalanta have scored plenty of goals this season – 15 more than Serie A leaders Napoli – but they can be open at the back.
Gasperini travels to Belgium with a few injury concerns. He will be without star forward Ademola Lookman, first-choice goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, and defenders Sead Kolasinac and Odilon Kossounou. The former Wolves keeper Rui Patrício is set to deputise between the sticks, while January arrival Stefan Posch may be required in defence alongside Isak Hien and Berat Djimsiti. Daniel Maldini is also out, joining Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini in the physio room. Prediction: Atalanta to progress
Monaco v Benfica, Wednesday 8pm
It’s been a testing few months for Monaco. After a great start in the group stage – they won three of their first four games, including a memorable victory against Barcelona – they lost three of their last four and had to settle for a place in the knockout round. Their 4-1 defeat to PSG at the weekend means they have lost five of their nine matches in 2025. The only good news is that their three wins – against Aston Villa, Rennes and Auxerre – have come at home.
Adi Hütter will be without a few key players when Benfica visit the Stade Louis II on Wednesday. Folarin Balogun, Jordan Teze, Wilfried Singo and George Ilenikhena are injured, and are joined on the sidelines by the suspended Christian Mawissa.
Benfica, who have closed the gap at the top of the Portuguese league to four points, have already played in Monaco in the Champions League this season. Bruno Lage’s side came from behind to win that game in November 3-2, although their resurgence only arrived when Monaco were reduced to 10 men. If their form in the group stage is anything to go by, this should be a close tie. The teams finished 16th and 17th in the table and were only separated by goal difference. Prediction: Benfica to progress
Feyenoord v Milan, Wednesday 8pm
Feyenoord sacked their manager Brian Priske on Monday, just two days before facing Milan in the Champions League. The Danish manager signed a three-year contract last summer when he replaced Arne Slot, but he has been under pressure in recent weeks after a string of poor results. Feyenoord did beat Sparta Rotterdam 3-0 at the weekend but it was their first win in five league games and they are fifth in the Eredivisie, 12 points behind leaders Ajax.
The Feyenoord players will at least see one familiar face on Wednesday night. Santiago Giménez returns to Rotterdam just nine days after leaving the Dutch side for Milan, and the Mexican is expected to lead the charge against his former employers. Giménez has made an immediate impact for the Rossoneri, providing an assist for his fellow new arrival João Félix on his debut, before following that up with a goal against Empoli at the weekend.
Kyle Walker is set to start but Ruben Loftus-Cheek is a doubt for Milan, who are also without the suspended Yunus Musah and injured right-back pair Emerson Royal and Alessandro Florenzi. Prediction: Milan to progress
Celtic v Bayern Munich, Wednesday 8pm
A 1-0 win over Young Boys in their penultimate group game guaranteed Celtic’s spot in the playoff stage of the Champions League. However, they could not have been given a tougher test in the knockout round. Bayern Munich are unbeaten in their last 13 matches against Scottish sides in Europe; the last Scottish team to beat them were Hearts in the Uefa Cup in 1989.
In truth, Bayern should have qualified automatically for the last 16. They scored 20 goals in the group stage (only Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund scored more) and they had more shots (185) and shots on target (69) than any other team. Bayern were let down by their away form in the group stage, winning just one of their four matches on the road.
Celtic Park will be rocking well before kickoff on Wednesday night and the team will need their fans. Daizen Maeda will be missing as he serves the second of a two-match ban for his red card in the aforementioned win over Young Boys, with the returning Jota set to start on the left flank. His return is a boost for Celtic in the wake of Kyogo Furuhashi’s move to Rennes. Prediction: Bayern Munich to progress
