Champions League Round of 16 Potentially Lacking Big Matches

MADRID, THURSDAY – The entire series of playoff matches for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 concluded on Thursday (20/2/2025). Out of the eight matches in the Round of 16, only one has been confirmed to be a major clash. However, the match that captures public attention could be more than one, but only if the Round of 16 draw pairs Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

Real secured a spot in the round of 16 after eliminating Manchester City, 3-1, in the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, Spain. This victory gave Real a 6-3 aggregate lead, as they had previously won 3-2 in the first leg at City's home ground.

In addition to Real, Borussia Dortmund, PSV Eindhoven, and Paris Saint-Germain have also secured their places in the last 16. The last 16 play-off round was marred by a number of surprises, with favorites such as AC Milan, Juventus, and Atalanta unexpectedly losing to their opponents.

Atalanta failed to pass the test against the Belgian representative, Club Brugge. Meanwhile, Milan was defeated by Feyenoord. As for Juventus, they ultimately succumbed to PSV Eindhoven in a match that had to be extended into extra time.

The defeat of these favorite teams makes the round of 16 potentially a bit "quiet". This is because there is only one interesting match that is certain to happen without waiting for the draw results. PSG, who in the play-off round won easily with an aggregate of 10-0 over Brest, will no longer get easy opponents. They are certain to face a steep road because they have to face Barcelona or Liverpool.

Without waiting for the draw results, the match has already become the only one guaranteed to draw attention. Facing two giant teams like Liverpool or Barca is certainly not something desired by PSG President, Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Khelaifi is highly ambitious in leading PSG to win the Champions League for the first time in history. Facing Liverpool or Barca in the round of 16 is certainly a stumbling block that could potentially end that ambition prematurely.

Even so, PSG is always prepared for any potential opponents they may face, even if it means facing Liverpool or Barca, who are currently leading their respective domestic league standings.

"We showed that everything is possible. Our goal is to win the Champions League. So we play every game and try to win it. We will do everything in our power to do it," said PSG forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

If the draw does not affect PSG's tough test, it is not the case for Real. The 15-time European champions could potentially avoid a tough opponent if the draw goes their way.

If they are lucky, Real will meet German representative, Bayer Leverkusen. On the other hand, Real's steps will be harder if the draw results bring them together with city rivals, Atletico Madrid. Meeting Leverkusen on paper will at least be easier for Real. However, Real's meeting with Atletico will certainly add many big matches to the last 16, besides PSG facing Barca or Liverpool.

This season, Real has met Atletico twice in the Spanish League. As a result, from the two matches Real was only able to force a draw. Real has also not been able to win against Atletico in the last three matches. Real coach Carlo Ancelotti is reluctant to choose which opponent his team will face.

In contrast, Real's star of the win over City, Kylian Mbappe, has no doubts about choosing Atletico as the opponent he wants to face in the last 16. His reasons are very simple.

"Atletico and Bayer Leverkusen are two great teams that are very difficult to beat. For me, it is better for us to face Atletico because we don't have to travel far," Mbappe said.

An ironic fate befell Juventus and Milan. The two Italian representatives were eliminated after losing to representatives from the Dutch League. PSV dashed Juventus' hopes after winning 4-3 on aggregate while Feyenoord defeated Milan 2-1.

PSV and Feyenoord's qualification was previously unexpected because they faced Italian teams with better domestic league quality than the Dutch League. Even more impressively, PSV and Feyenoord secured their tickets to the last 16 after qualifying from the playoff round, rather than directly through the top eight teams.

The Netherlands' success in sending two representatives after defeating the Italian representative received great attention from their domestic media. Dutch media, De Volkskrant, in its report, even called the success an unprecedented luxury.

"The key word tonight was patience. The Italians are very difficult, especially in defence. So we knew that if we let them run, at some point there would be space and some moments for us," PSV defender Olivier Boscagli said. (AFP/REUTERS)