The first set of matches for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 are tomorrow, so it is time to take a look and predict the winners. My predictions for the Knockout Phase Play-offs were probably as far from perfect as it gets. I am looking for redemption in this round.
PSV Eindhoven vs. Arsenal
PSV are one of two Dutch teams to make the Round of 16, proving their squad’s strength after putting together a spectacular second leg against Juventus. They were going to either be drawn against Arsenal or Inter, and this seems to be the less favorable outcome. This side of the bracket is significantly more difficult to get out of, featuring the likes of both Madrid teams, Aston Villa, PSG, and league phase winners Liverpool. PSV is a very talented team with a mix of old (Luuk de Jong and Ivan Perišić) and young (Ismael Saibari and Noa Lang), all of which are contributors, but I don’t think it will be enough to take care of Arsenal over two legs
Arsenal are very injured. We have seen how injuries to the attack have taken Mikel Arteta to the drawing board. Mikel Merino as a striker was interesting, to say the least. Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli are going to be missing in this tie. With that being said, I still think they have enough to get by. They possess one of the strongest defenses in Europe, conceding just 3 goals in the League Phase. That defensive line is also shielded by Declan Rice – good luck getting past him.
Prediction: PSV 1 – 4 Arsenal. It doesn’t matter who plays in the front line for Arsenal when they are getting service from Captain Martin Ødegaard. This tie will also be a great way for youngsters Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri to get more European experience under their belt. PSV had a great season in the Champions League, but it ends here.
Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid
Football heritage. We have seen so many great ties between these two teams in the Champions League. The 2014 and 2016 finals, to name a couple. Atléti were one of the standout teams in the League Phase, finishing 5th and have also been playing very well in La Liga, contributing to the 3-team title race. They have showed that they can play through adversity too, coming back from 2 goals down with 6 minutes remaining in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Barcelona. The strike force of Antoine Griezmann and Julián Alvarez has been a joy to watch and having a player in form like Alexander Sørloth to come off the bench to finish matches is a huge positive.
Real Madrid’s season “starts in February.” While this seems to be the theme of the last few seasons under Carlo Ancelotti, Madrid are in poor form at the moment. They let their lead in La Liga slip due to draws with Osasuna and Atléti and a recent loss to Betis. I expect them to separate their domestic struggles from the European competition, though. Madrid owns this tournament, and I doubt they let their in-town rivals knock them out early. Kylian Mbappé is coming off of a hat trick against Manchester City in the Knockout Phase Play-offs and doesn’t show signs of slowing down.
Prediction: Atletico 2-3 Madrid – Madrid make another deep run in this tournament thanks to the stellar performances of Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappé. Creation from Antoine Griezmann keeps it close. Real always age like fine wine – especially in the Champions League. This has potential to be the best match-up of this round.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Liverpool
This matchup is what many think will take the prize for most entertaining tie. PSG were undefeated in Ligue Un the last time I made predictions – they still are. They are the team to beat right now and have one of the most in-form players in the world right now. Ousmane Dembélé is on a tear right now. He is finally reaching the level that we thought he would reach at Barcelona. He has already tallied 18 goals in 2025 (6 in the CL). He will be paired with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the wing which will be more than a handful for Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold – who have regressed defensively despite Liverpool’s historic season. This PSG squad is stacked and looking to make a deep run in the tournament. So stacked that Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué are substitute options. Expect lots of chances coming from out wide. PSG won their last tie with an aggregate score of 10-0…
Liverpool possesses the other most in-form player in the world, Mohamed Salah. Dembélé has been amazing in 2025 alone, but Salah has been consistent over the whole season and is likely to finish the season with Ballon d’Or honors. Salah is one of the best players to ever grace the Premier League, and he is proving it this season. 28 goals and 21 assists in all competitions, and it is only March… Scary hours for this PSG defense. Ryan Gravenberch has also been one of the standouts in European football this season. The pairing of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis McAllister beside Gravenberch has been one of the very best in the world. Manager Arne Slot’s style of play has been mesmerizing and they look to continue their run of form in the Champions League.
Prediction: PSG 4-3 Liverpool – This is a very hopeful prediction. Seeing Ousmane Dembélé finally reach his potential is something that all football fans should be loving. I want to see him be an important player for this team and make it far. Liverpool could easily spin this tie on its head, though. Salah WILL put his stamp on this fixture and I expect this to be absolute cinema.
Aston Villa vs. Club Brugge
I would first like to apologize to Club Brugge. I had predicted that they would be picked apart by Atalanta, but they ended up being the team that tore things up. Atalanta were so disappointing in their tie, and their manager publicly criticized Ademola Lookman – their best player. Not a good combination. Club Brugge face a similar opponent in Aston Villa, and my hate will continue. I just don’t see how they can keep up with this new-look Aston Villa side. They will be outcoached and outplayed.
Villa should be licking their lips at this draw. They had perhaps the best January window of any club remaining in the Champions League, bringing in talented, experienced players like Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, and Donyell Malen to bolster their already talented attack. Unai Emery is known to take his teams (Not Arsenal) deep in European competitions. It is crazy to think that when Emery took over at Aston Villa, they were in a relegation battle. Now I am predicting them to make it to the Champions League Quarter Finals.
Prediction: Club Brugge 1 – Aston Villa 3 – I expect only one of the legs to be close. I can see a world in which Brugge put everyone behind the ball and let Aston Villa attack them for 90 minutes and score a goal on a counter. I expect the second leg to be dominated by Villa. Manchester City academy graduate Morgan Rogers will be a household name one day, and it starts with this tie against Club Brugge.
Benfica vs. FC Barcelona
This side of the draw is definitely weaker, but these two teams already gave us one of the games of the season, with their prior meeting ending 5-4 courtesy of a Raphinha 96′ winner. That game also saw a hat trick from Vangelis Pavlidis – what a game. I don’t expect Benfica to be able to replicate this performance over two legs against one of the best teams in the world. If Benfica are to have any chance, Pavlidis will need another moster performance. Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez/Ronald Araújo won’t let that happen.
This Barcelona side has very few weaknesses. The only one that I can identify is that when they have conceded, they have conceded in bunches – see their recent game against Atlético and the first meeting with Benfica. These performances are scarce, and I don’t expect them to happen again against Benfica. Luckily Barcelona are in a position that they can still win/draw in games where they concede many goals. The attack of Raphinha, Lewandowski, and Yamal has been amongst Europe’s best.
Prediction: Benfica 0-4 Barcelona – Barcelona have a real chance at a run to the final, and it would be an embarrassing display not to advance – something Barcelona fans have known all too well recently. I think they will be motivated by previous years’ premature exits and take care of business. Raphinha’s Ballon d’Or campaign continues.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Lille
Dortmund took care of business against Sporting like I said they would. Last year’s runners-up did so without conceding a single goal. The question for them entering this match is if they can contain Jonathan David, and I am convinced they can do so after keeping Viktor Gyökeres quiet over two legs. Serhou Guirassy hasn’t slowed down for Dortmund yet and is still the competition’s top scorer with 10 goals (One per game). Having one of the best defenses in the competition coupled with the top scorer seems like a recipe for success.
Lille have been very impressive thus far. They are helping rewrite the narrative about the French League. They have had a great season but I think it ends here. They currently sit 5th in Ligue Un, meaning we are close to seeing them in next year’s competition – something I think we would all like to see. I just don’t think they have enough to compete with Dortmund.
Prediction: Dortmund 5 – 2 Lille – Guirassy will score at least once in this tie and I can see Lille walking away with a couple of consolation goals. Ligue Un isn’t a farmer’s league anymore and people need to realize that.
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen
I expected Bayern to dismantle Celtic in the Knockout Phase Play-offs, and they left it to Alphonso Davies in the 90+4′ to win it. Realistically, they should be winning that tie by 5 without conceding. I’m less than convinced by Vincent Kompany’s setup at Bayern. They also have a poor record against Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen, failing to win in the last 6 games against them. I don’t want to jump the gun and say that they don’t have a chance but it is hard to bet against Alonso’s record. Luckily, they have a pretty hefty lead in the Bundesliga to rely on to get ready for this one.
Leverkusen should feel confident going into this matchup. They were able to retain Victor Boniface in the January window and have a great record in recent years against the Bavarians. If they are able to pull of the win against Bayern Munich, they will likely face Inter, someone that they have beaten this season in the League Phase. The possibility of a run to the semi-final and the chance to beat their rivals should be enough to motivate them. It is up to Florian Wirtz and co. to make it happen.
Prediction: Bayern 3 – 2 Leverkusen – I am going to go against my better judgment and say that Bayern progress. I am not sure why to be quite frank. I have a feeling Harry Kane will have a big part to play in this one, especially after a quiet series against Celtic. It is never a wise decision to pick against Bayern in Europe. They seem to have this extra gear in this competition and Leverkusen’s squad lacks Champions League experience.
Feyenoord vs Inter Milan
Feyenoord did very well to go through against AC Milan without Santiago Giménez. They got the last laugh against their former star player after he took the lead just a minute into the second leg. They showed a lot of promise, being able to defend so well against Milan’s star-studded attack. I think they will fall victim to the better Milan side and share a similar fate to Club Brugge.
Inter have been so good this season. They are looking to make their second UCL Final appearance in 3 years and win their third Scudetto in five years. They have been especially impressive in the Champions League this season, finishing fourth in the League Phase. Inter’s five-at-the-back system will likely cause any team in the competition problems, let alone Feyenoord. Federico Dimarco has been one of the world’s best fullbacks for some time now, providing creation from out wide. Inter’s midfield and attack are just as strong as their back line with players like Lautaro Martínez and Hakan Çalhanoğlu among the competitions best in their positions.
Prediction: Feyenoord 0 – 3 Inter – Feyenoord’s magical run is no match for Inter. I think the strike partnership of Lautaro and Marcus Thuram will cause more problems than Milan’s did. Inter are my dark horse for this year’s competition and that means they don’t go out early.
Round Up from Last Round
I went 50% in the last round… but I will be 100% in this one (Hopefully)
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Zander Collins