After months of league play and two weeks of quick knockout playoffs, we are finally entering the period of the year when the Champions League tournament takes control of most soccer fans’ attention. With the League finally boiled down to the most competitive and fiery teams, it’s time to buckle up for another year of the most exciting tournament in soccer. But first, let’s give an update on how these past weeks went and what there is to look forward to in the coming weeks!

The Knockout Round Playoffs

This past knockout round phase was exciting, to say the least. Soccer fans were treated to great games and moments that will go down in Champions League history as nothing short of iconic (yes, we are talking about Kylian Mbappé’s performance against Manchester City). 

Close games and upsets seemed to be the theme of this phase. Dutch club Feyenoord upset Italian royalty AC Milan with only a one-goal difference. Although AC Milan hasn’t had a great season, their squad was studded with stars who had the potential to challenge the best of the best. That being said, having stars didn’t really seem as important as having chemistry. Another good example of this was Atalanta BC’s matchup versus Club Brugge KV. Atalanta is not only full of young stars, but is currently third in one of the most competitive leagues in Europe: the Italian Serie A. However, stars doesn’t necessarily equate to a win, and Club Brugge proved this by beating Atalanta 5–2 on aggregate. Celtic almost proved the importance of chemistry by upsetting one of Europe’s best teams in Bayern Munich, but unfortunately fell short during extra time in the final leg. 

Now, as per usual, there were a good amount of blowouts. In a French domestic league matchup, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) blew out Stade Brestois 29 (Brest) in a manner that seemed almost disrespectful. In the second leg, PSG bagged seven goals, which came from seven different players. In the case of PSG, everybody got to eat, while sadly Brest was left to starve. The most highly anticipated game of the knockout phase was, by far, Real Madrid v. Manchester City. Like we mentioned in the last Champions League Update, this matchup should have been one for the ages, and at first it seemed like it was going to be.

The first leg took place in Manchester, and it was one of the better games of the whole knockout phase. After Phil Foden was able to get a penalty in the box in the 80th minute, the Norwegian giant Erling Haaland was able to score the free kick to put City up 2–1. Then, with the game seemingly over, Manchester City took its foot off the gas and showed possibly the worst defense we have seen by a big club all year. Honestly, it looked like not a single player wanted to be out there, and the result of this was a stellar attack that led to a Brahim Díaz rebound goal only six minutes later.

If a team is able to get a draw in the first leg on the road, this is considered a win, but this wasn’t enough for Carlo Ancelotti’s squad. With an assist from winger Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham was able to get an easy tap-in to put Los Blancos in the lead. At this point, fans and pundits alike knew what the result of this matchup would be; nobody is traveling to Spain and winning in the Bernabeu, and definitely not by two goals. So when Manchester City did take their trip, the results were anything but a surprise. A terrific performance by Kylian Mbappé, who bagged himself a hat trick, pushed Real Madrid to the next round with ease and also established them as one of the biggest threats in this year’s tournament.

Looking Ahead

Two absolutely tantalizing rivalry matches are to come this week: Real Madrid faces off against Atlético Madrid in the Madrid derby, while Bayern Munich will play host to Bayer Leverkusen in a match that sees the two strongest Bundesliga (German top-flight) teams in recent years clash.

The Madrid derby could hardly come at a better time. With both teams in high contention for the title in domestic league play, tempers are sure to flare, as both still have the opportunity to win a treble and neither will take a Champions League round-of-sixteen exit lightly. The two faced off early last month in a tight-knit competition that finished 1–1. Diego Simeone, the coach of Atlético Madrid, carries a fiery mentality, and it is clear that his players are on board with his defensive-minded, counter-attacking style, always leaving everything they have out on the field. Especially considering the fact that it is the Madrid derby, the atmosphere should be a viewing pleasure.

Keep an eye out for Antoine Griezmann, Frenchman and captain of Atlético, who has aged like fine wine and shows no sign of losing his illustrious touch, despite being toward that latter end of his career. Julián Alvarez, the Atlético striker whom the Spanish side acquired from Manchester City over that summer, has only gotten better with experience, racking up 16 goals and three assists this season thus far. He has been especially prolific in the Champions League, with six of those 16 goals coming in the competition. South Americans Rodrigo DePaul and José María Giménez will try to fortify the defensive effort, using their sleek but scrappy-if-needed styles to disrupt the attacking firepower of Real Madrid.

Real Madrid’s star-studded roster is never one you want to bet against, especially with newly signed Kylian Mbappé firing on all cylinders. Mbappé acquired 27 goals on the season and will come into the match having bagged a hat trick on the last Champions League occasion against Manchester City. Federico Valverde, who is returning to the match from an injury, will be sure to dominate the midfield, along with star boy Jude Bellingham. With all of this, plus Antonio Rudiger backing them up in the center of defense, it will take some real creativity from Atlético to break down this Real Madrid side.

Bayer Leverkusen will travel to the Allianz arena to face off against Bayern Munich in the most romantic of German footballing affairs. The two best German attacking midfield talents, Florian Wirtz of Leverkusen and Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich, will be a joy to watch; their creative sparks, respectively, have the power to flip any match on its head. Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich is a battle commander who is sure to stay deep and protect the backline, while Granit Xhaka can be expected to command and lead Leverkusen with his composure and experience. Keep a watchful eye on Leverkusen’s overlapping wingbacks, who play a pivotal role in their end-to-end style, whipping crosses and creating overloads with the potential to unbalance any defense in the world. Make sure to bring a beer and a wiener schnitzel to wherever you watch this match, as it is sure to be a classic German thriller. 

Harry Freeland can be reached at hfreeland@wesleyan.edu.

Leo Ferry can be reached at lferry@wesleyan.edu.