New Delhi: The UEFA Champions League knockout for the playoffs will get underway with the highlight of the clashes being Manchester City hosting Real Madrid for the first leg of the clash. On the other hand, it is an all-French affair when Brest take on Paris Saint-Germain at Stade de Roudourou.
These fixtures and playing with 36 instead of 32 teams have taken the total number of games in the tournament from 125 to 189 games, which doesn’t include the qualifying rounds. Earlier the teams were divided into groups which would be followed by a knockout stage. This season sees the top eight teams qualify for the knockout stage, while teams between the ninth to 24th play a two-legged round to qualify for the next round.
Brest vs Paris Saint-Germain (11:15 PM IST)
Brest at the first half of the group stage had looked more certain of a final-eight finish winning thrice and drawing against Bayer Leverkusen. However, as the tournament progressed, Brest lost their way with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk all prevailing. However, winning matchday six against PSV Eindhoven was enough for Les Pirates to make their appearance in the knockout stage.
Paris-Saint Germain are unquestionably the giants of Ligue 1 but the Champions League trophy is still eluding them. For PSG it was a late resurgent that ensured them a place in the knockout stage. In their first five games this season, they won once and drew once. Their last three games saw three wins with RB Salzburg, Manchester City and VFB Stuttgart.
Predicted XI
Brest: Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Coulibaly, Haidara; Camara, Lees-Melou, Magnetti; Faivre, Ajorque, Balde
Paris Saint-Germain: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Lee; Barcola, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
Brest 1-2 PSG
Manchester City vs Real Madrid (1:30 AM IST)
Manchester City are a much paler shadow of the side that won the title in 2023 and was on a streak of staying unbeaten in 22 games between September 2022 to April 2024. City have won just thrice in the competition, with their campaign starting with a goalless draw against Inter Milan. In fact, City were facing a chance of elimination from the competition and just managed to squeeze a spot in the top 24.
Real Madrid entering the campaign as the defending champion, after lifting their 15th trophy last season, looked out of touch. In their first five games, they lost thrice and for Los Blancos, a spot in the knockout stage was in jeopardy. After clinching a crucial 3-0 win over Brest on the final matchday, across competitions, Real Madrid have played one draw, lost once and won once.
Predicted XI
Manchester City: Ederson; Nunes, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Silva, Kovacic; Foden, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland
Real Madrid: Courtois; Valverde, Tchouameni, Asencio, Mendy; Camavinga, Modric; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; Mbappe
Manchester City 1-2 Real Madrid
Sporting Lisbon vs Dortmund (1:30 AM IST)
Sporting Lisbon took three wins from their first four Champions League fixtures and that had made many believe that the side was finishing at the top of the table especially after they beat Man City 4-1. However, Sporting then failed to win any of their remaining four games, playing just one draw on the final day which ensures them a chance at the final 16 round. Currently, they are on the longest winless streak, among the top 24.
Borussia Dortmund in the last season were runners up and this season from the group stage took five wins and three losses. They had the second-best attack in the tournament, scoring 22 times, behind Barcelona’s 28. Ahead of their clash against Sporting, they would be hopeful of not repeating the mistakes they made during their 3-1 loss against the side in 2021.
Predicted XI
Sporting Lisbon: Israel; Fresneda, Diomande, Inacio, Araujo; Braganca, Debast, Morita; Trincao, Gyokeres, Quenda
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Svensson; Sabitzer, Gross; Adeyemi, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy
Sporting 2-0 Borussia Dortmund
Juventus vs PSV (1:30 AM IST)
Juventus come to the draw having conceded just seven times, making their defence the second-best in the tournament but scoring just nine times, didn’t help their cause. While their loss to Benfica on the final day didn’t make much of a difference to the side. However, a loss to Stuttgart means their record at home this season hasn’t been the top-notch.
PSV Eindhoven mathematically had a shot at finishing in the top eight even on the last, but the challenge was facing Liverpool, the table leaders in both the Champions League and Premier League. However, PSV ensured that the Reds didn’t go into the knockout stage with a win. Despite the win, they ultimately finished 14th. They have a positive, as they come to the game unbeaten in their last six games across competitions.
Predicted XI
Juventus: Di Gregorio; Weah, Gatti, Veiga, Savona; McKennie, Locatelli; Gonzalez, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Kolo Muani
PSV Eindhoven: Benitez; Karsdorp, Flamingo, Obispo, Junior; Veerman, Schouten; Bakayoko, Til, Lang; De Jong
Juventus 1-1 PSV
Where to watch the UEFA Champions League?
Fans of the game in India can tune into the Sony Sports Network to catch up on all the action. The matches can be seen on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 1 HD, Sony Sports Ten 2, Sony Sports Ten 2 HD, Sony Sports Ten 3, Sony Sports Ten 3 HD, Sony Sports Ten 5 and Sony Sports Ten 5 HD. For fans that are interested in streaming the game online can tune into the Sony Liv app or website.
The UEFA Champions League’s knockout stage for the playoffs gets underway with the Europe’s giants clashing for a place in the revamped competition’s final-16 round. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
