For some of the best Champions League odds and predictions, follow the action alongside the Marathonbet blog.
We’ll describe how the format of this season’s Champions League has changed, highlight the leading fancies and suggest teams who could cause a potential upset.
This season will be the 70th edition of a top-tier European club competition, and the 33rd season since it was rebranded as the Champions League.
23 different teams have won the European Cup/Champions League since the first final in 1956. Real Madrid won the first five tournaments, and five of the last nine tournaments. Overall, Los Blancos have won the trophy fifteen times, more than twice the amount of the next most successful side, Milan, who have seven titles to their name.
Champions League: round of 16 second-leg matches
Tuesday, 11th March
🇪🇸 Barcelona 🆚 Benfica 🇵🇹
🇩🇪 Bayer Leverkusen 🆚 Bayern Munich 🇩🇪
🇮🇹 Inter 🆚 Feyenoord 🇳🇱
🏴 Liverpool 🆚 Paris-Saint Germain 🇫🇷
Wednesday, 12th March
🇫🇷 Lille 🆚 Borussia Dortmund 🇩🇪
🏴 Arsenal 🆚 PSV Eindhoven 🇳🇱
🏴 Aston Villa 🆚 Club Brugge 🇧🇪
🇪🇸 Atlético Madrid 🆚 Real Madrid 🇪🇸
The brackets for the quarter-finals are as follows:
In the top half of the draw, the quarter-final line-up will be:
- PSV Eindhoven/Arsenal 🆚 Real Madrid/Atlético Madrid
- Paris-Saint Germain/Liverpool 🆚 Club Brugge/Aston Villa
The quarter-final line-up in the bottom half of the draw will be:
- Benfica/Barcelona 🆚 Borussia Dortmund/Lille
- Bayern Munich/Bayer Leverkusen 🆚 Feyenoord/Inter
Champions League: round of 16 second-leg predictions and tips
Just eight teams will remain in the Champions League after this week’s second-leg matches from the round of 16.
Here are our predictions on who will be celebrating and who will be licking their wounds…
Tuesday, 11th March
Barcelona vs Benfica (First leg: Benfica 0:1 Barcelona)
Despite being a man down from the 22nd minute of the first leg, after defender Pau Cubarsí was shown a straight red card for a professional foul, the Catalan side kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory. Brazilian Raphinha was on the scoresheet again, netting his ninth Champions League goal of the current campaign.
Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 16 matches (W13, D3) in all competitions, whereas Benfica had won seven of their last eight matches going into the first-leg tie. Benfica have also won five of their previous six away matches in the UCL, with a 1-0 reverse against Bayern Munich being the only outlier in that sequence.
These sides have met twice in the Champions League at Camp Nou since 2012. Both matches finished goalless.
Best bet: Barcelona to Score in Both Halves @1.71
Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich (First leg: Bayern Munich 3:0 Bayer Leverkusen)
Bayern seem to have gained a decisive advantage from the first leg of this all-German tie following a 3-0 victory at the Allianz Arena. Harry Kane was on the scoresheet twice, although Leverkusen’s cause was not helped by a 62nd-minute red card for Nordi Mukiele.
Bayern will be without Manuel Neuer for this return match after the veteran shot-stopper was injured celebrating a goal in the first leg. He will now be sidelined for several weeks.
The 3-0 victory for Vincent Kompany’s side halted a six-match unbeaten run for Leverkusen against their rivals. However, Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak of 18 home matches in all competitions came to an end with a 2-0 loss against Werder Bremen at the weekend, although Bayern also surprisingly lost 3-2 at home to Bochum.
Best bet: Match to be Drawn @3.64
Inter vs Feyenoord (First leg: Feyenoord 0:2 Inter)
Inter are strong favourites to claim a quarter-final berth after a comfortable 2-0 away victory against Feyenoord. Indeed, it could have been worse for the Dutch side, as Inter had a second-half penalty saved when the score was already 2-0.
The clean sheet continued the Italian side’s superb defensive record in this season’s Champions League. The Black and Blues have conceded just one goal in their nine matches so far. A daunting statistic for Feyenoord, who need to score at least two goals in this second-leg match just to force extra-time. However, Inter did concede the first two goals in their match at home to Monza in Serie A on Saturday, before recovering to win 3-2.
Feyenoord have won just one of their previous eight away matches in all competitions, with a 6-1 loss in Lille included in that sequence.
Best bet: Under 2.5 Match Goals @2.20
Liverpool vs Paris Saint-Germain (First leg: Paris Saint-Germain 0:1 Liverpool)
After dominating the first leg at the Parc des Princes, PSG must still be wondering how they have a goal deficit to make up in this second-leg match. Despite having 27 shots during the match, the French side conceded in the 87th minute, when Liverpool scored with only their second shot of the match.
The Reds are now clear favourites to progress from this tie, but PSG will take some belief from their first-leg performance and will hope Alisson doesn’t have such an astounding game.
Liverpool have now won eight of their previous nine UCL matches this campaign, with their only loss coming in their final league match when they rested a few key players. Although PSG have won their three previous away Champions League matches, they were all against weaker sides. In their two matches on their travels before that run, against Arsenal and Bayern Munich, they lost both matches without scoring.
Best bet: Both Teams to Score in the Second Half @2.58
Wednesday, 12th March
Lille vs Borussia Dortmund (First leg: Borussia Dortmund 1:1 Lille)
Lille secured a deserved draw in the first leg of this tie, with the French side seeking to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time. It was last year’s defeated finalists, Dortmund, who had the better of the first half, only for Lille to come on strong after the break. That was the third match between these sides this century, and all three matches have been drawn.
Lille have won five and drawn one of their six Champions League home matches this season, with their most recent such match being a 6-1 victory over Feyenoord. Meanwhile, Dortmund have won four of their last six away UCL matches, including a 1-0 win over PSG. They didn’t concede in any of those four away victories.
The German side continue to disappoint in the Bundesliga, with a 1-0 home defeat against Augsburg at the weekend leaving them in 10th place.
Best bet: Lille to Qualify for the Quarter-Finals @1.92
Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven (First leg: PSV Eindhoven 1:7 Arsenal)
This tie is all over bar the shouting after Arsenal’s emphatic 7-1 victory in Eindhoven in the first leg. Despite having most of their senior strikers on the injury list, the Gunners had no difficulty finding the net.
Arsenal did welcome back Gabriel Martinelli to the side in their weekend draw with Manchester United, but it may be best to check the team news on this match, as the London side may rest some players given the size of their advantage.
These sides have met in the group stages in European competitions in each of the previous two years. Last year, it was in the Champions League, where Arsenal won the home fixture 4-0 at home. Meanwhile, in 2022/23, they clashed in the Europa League, with the Gunners winning 1-0 at the Emirates.
Best bet: Under 2.5 Match Goals @2.12
Aston Villa vs Club Brugge (First leg: Club Brugge 1:3 Aston Villa)
Two late goals in the first leg leaves Aston Villa with a commanding advantage as these sides head to Villa Park for the second leg.
Villa will be confident of progressing, as they have not lost a home tie in the Champions League this season (W3, D1), with that run including a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich and a goalless draw against Juventus. The Villans are also unbeaten in their last 15 home matches in all competitions (W9, D6).
Club Brugge can draw some hope from a 3-1 away victory in a tempestuous local derby against bitter rivals Cercle Brugge on Sunday, and they also won by the same score away to Atalanta in the second leg of their Champions League knockout-round match.
Best bet: Aston Villa to Win to Nil @2.875
Atlético Madrid vs Real Madrid (First leg: Real Madrid 2:1 Atlético Madrid)
Real hold a slender 2-1 advantage going into the second leg of the Madrid derby. They will welcome back Jude Bellingham, who was suspended for the first leg of this tie. Meanwhile, Argentine Julián Álvarez scored his seventh goal for Atlético Madrid in this season’s Champions League in that match.
Atlético will need to overcome the disappointment of losing away to Getafe in LaLiga at the weekend, where they were leading the match and heading towards the top of the table with two minutes left. However, Ángel Correa was dismissed in the 88th minute, which was followed by a Getafe goal from the resulting set piece, as well as a 92nd-minute winner.
In their 19 home matches in all competitions this season, Atlético have lost just once. Real defeated Rayo Vallecano 2-1 at the weekend, with regular scorers Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior both on the scoresheet.
Prior to the first-leg match, the previous five meetings between these sides have all ended in draws, with each side claiming one win each in the two cup matches that went to extra time during that sequence. However, Real have won just one of their previous seven encounters at the Estadio Metropolitano.
Best bet: Julián Álvarez to Score a Goal @3.15
Note: With the exception of the ‘to Qualify’ bets, all selections are based on the match result at the end of normal time and do not include extra-time or penalty shootouts.
Who will qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals?
Based on the odds for the teams to qualify from their round-of-16 matches, these are the probabilities of each team reaching the quarter-final stage:
6% Club Brugge – Aston Villa 94%
72% Real Madrid – Atlético Madrid 28%
— PSV Eindhoven – Arsenal —
52% Borussia Dortmund – Lille 48%
3% Feyenoord – Inter 97%
98% Bayern Munich – Bayer Leverkusen 2%
9% Benfica – Barcelona 91%
22% Paris-Saint Germain – Liverpool 78%
Champions League: knockout round
The first knockout round has now concluded. The eight teams who have progressed to the round of 16, and who join the top-eight finishers from the league stage, are:
• Feyenoord
• Club Brugge
• Bayern Munich
• Benfica
• Borussia Dortmund
• PSV Eindhoven
• Paris Saint-Germain
• Real Madrid
The teams who exited the Champions League at this stage included Manchester City, Juventus and Milan.
Champions League: league stage
The league stage has now concluded. Although the teams progressing were generally as expected, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart, Bologna and Girona will all be disappointed at making an early exit.
The top eight sides were able to sit back and enjoy the first knockout round, safe in the knowledge their place in the round of 16 was assured. These teams, in the order they finished, are:
• Liverpool
• Barcelona
• Arsenal
• Inter
• Atlético Madrid
• Bayer Leverkusen
• Lille
• Aston Villa
Who are the favourites to win the Champions League?
Barcelona have taken over favouritism to win the Champions League after the first-leg matches in the round of 16. The Catalan side defeated Benfica 1-0 in Portugal, despite having defender Pau Cubarsí sent off in the 22nd minute. If Barça qualify for the next round, they will fancy their chances against either Borussia Dortmund or Lille, who drew their opening match.
Fellow Spanish side Real Madrid are now the second favourites. They take a narrow 2-1 lead into their second-leg against city rivals Atlético.
Liverpool were helped by an outstanding performance from their goalkeeper, Alisson, as they kept a dominant Paris Saint-Germain at bay in their first-leg match in the Parc des Princes. A late goal sealed a 1-0 victory for the Reds,
Bayern Munich are next in the betting after defeating fellow Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 on Wednesday night, whilst London side Arsenal are a similar price in the outright betting after thrashing PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in the Netherlands. However, the draw could see the Gunners playing Real Madrid and Liverpool just to reach the final!
Inter took a big step towards the quarter-finals with a 2-0 away victory against Feyenoord. They are likely to face Bayern Munich in the last eight. Meanwhile, the third German side remaining in the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund, played out a 1-1 draw at home to Lille in the first leg of their round-of-16 match.
Aston Villa are the third English side remaining in the competition and look likely to progress after defeating Club Brugge 3-1 in Belgium in their first-leg match in the round of 16. All three English sides are in the top half of the draw, with Villa facing Liverpool or PSG if they do go through.
Champions League betting odds
These are the latest odds for the remaining teams after the round of 16 first-leg matches:
| Team | To win the Champions League |
|---|---|
| Barcelona | 4.60 |
| Real Madrid | 5.05 |
| Liverpool | 5.10 |
| Bayern Munich | 6.75 |
| Arsenal | 6.95 |
| Inter | 11.25 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 16.75 |
| Atlético Madrid | 29.00 |
| Aston Villa | 30.00 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 67.00 |
| Lille | 96.00 |
| Benfica | 140.00 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 151.00 |
| Club Brugge | 501.00 |
| Feyenoord | 701.00 |
| PSV Eindhoven | 2001.00 |
What is the new format for the Champions League?
The format for this season’s Champions League is changing, with a 36-team league stage replacing the group stage. Under this new format, there will be four more teams competing than before. Previously, it was 32 teams competing in eight groups of four.
Each team will play matches against eight different teams, four at home and four away. The eight opponents will be drawn from among the competing teams, after they are sorted into four seeding pots, with each team playing two opponents from each of these pots.
The idea is that clubs will play a wider range of opponents, and that this format will provide fewer dead rubbers.
How do teams qualify from the league phase of the Champions League?
- The top eight sides in the league phase will qualify for the knockout phase and move directly into the round of 16.
- The sides finishing in 9th to 24th place will compete in a two-legged playoff round to determine the other eight teams to reach the round of 16.
- Those sides finishing in 25th or lower will be eliminated. There is no access to a place in the Europa League for teams that do not progress from the league phase.
Champions League schedule (2024/25)
Playoff round
First leg: 20th–21st August, Second leg: 27th–28th August ✅
League phase
Draw date: 29th August ✅
Matchday 1: 17th–19th September ✅
Matchday 2: 1st–2nd October ✅
Matchday 3: 22nd–23rd October ✅
Matchday 4: 5th–6th November ✅
Matchday 5: 26th–27th November ✅
Matchday 6: 10th–11th December ✅
Matchday 7: 21st–22nd January ✅
Matchday 8: 29th January ✅
Knockout phase
Draw date: 31st January ✅
Knockout rounds playoffs: First leg: 11th–12th February ✅, Second Leg 18th–19th February ✅
Draw date for round of 16 onwards: 21st February ✅
Round of 16: First leg: 4th–5th March ✅, Second Leg 11th–12th March
Quarter-finals: First leg: 8th–9th April, Second Leg 15th–16th April
Semi-finals: First leg: 29th–30th April, Second Leg 6th–7th May
Final: 31st May.
Where is the Champions League final 2024/25 being held?
The final will be held on the 31st of May 2025 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
The stadium was constructed between 2002 and 2005. The first competitive match at the new stadium was on 30th May 2005 between 1860 Munich and FC Nürnberg. The following day, Bayern Munich played a match against the German national team.
The Allianz Arena also hosted the 2011/12 Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea. Despite it being the first time that one of the finalists was playing at their home ground for 28 years, Bayern could not capitalise on this advantage and lost 4-3 on penalties after the match ended in a 1-1 draw. It was a tale of late goals, with Thomas Müller opening the scoring for the German side in the 83rd-minute, before Didier Drogba equalised for Chelsea five minutes later.
Which teams competed in the league phase of the Champions League?
The 36 teams who contested the league stage were:
- Real Madrid (Spain)
- Barcelona (Spain)
- Girona (Spain) ❌
- Atlético Madrid (Spain)
- Manchester City (England) ❌
- Arsenal (England)
- Liverpool (England)
- Aston Villa (England)
- Atalanta (Italy) ❌
- Inter (Italy)
- Milan (Italy) ❌
- Juventus (Italy) ❌
- Bologna (Italy) ❌
- Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
- VfB Stuttgart (Germany) ❌
- Bayern Munich (Germany)
- RB Leipzig (Germany) ❌
- Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
- Paris Saint-Germain (France)
- Monaco (France) ❌
- Brest (France) ❌
- Lille (France)
- PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
- Feyenoord (Netherlands)
- Sporting Lisboa (Portugal) ❌
- Benfica (Portugal)
- Club Brugge (Belgium)
- Celtic (Scotland) ❌
- Sturm Graz (Austria) ❌
- Red Bull Salzburg (Austria) ❌
- Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) ❌
- Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) ❌
- Crvena zvezda (Serbia) ❌
- Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) ❌
- Young Boys (Switzerland) ❌
- Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) ❌
❌ = eliminated
Previous Champions League/European Cup records of the teams contesting the league phase
Real Madrid (Spain)
The most dominant side in the history of the top-tier European competition. Real have reached the final 18 times, with a stupendous strike-rate of 15 titles and three finishes as runners-up. They have won five of the last nine competitions, including the 2023/24 Champions League, when they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final at Wembley. They have reached the semi-finals in each season bar two since 2010/11.
Barcelona (Spain)
Real’s main Spanish rivals have had far less success in this competition. Barcelona have five titles to their name, with the last trophy coming in 2015, when they beat Juventus 3-1 in the final. Since then, the Catalan side have reached the semi-final stage just once and experienced a run which included successive group stage exits in 2021/22 and 2022/23. If they manage to reach the final, Barcelona will be lifted by their last four final appearances, in which they were victors on each occasion.
Girona (Spain)
This is the first time Girona will play in the Champions League. It’s a remarkable achievement, given that it was only Girona’s fourth ever season in LaLiga, with the side from Catalonia finishing in third place. Their previous best LaLiga finish was 10th. However, with heightened expectations on them after that third-placed finish, Girona may find this season much tougher going.
Atlético Madrid (Spain)
Atlético Madrid have been regular participants in the Champions League and have reached the final three times previously, but are yet to claim the trophy. Their two most recent finals were in 2014 and 2016, and on both occasions they were beaten by Real Madrid, once after extra-time and once on penalties.
Manchester City (England)
Manchester City have reached the Champions League twice in the previous four seasons, losing to Chelsea in 2021 and defeating Inter in 2023. In the other two seasons during that time, City were eliminated by Real Madrid on both occasions. Despite their dominance in the EPL in recent seasons, they have struggled to transfer that form into the Champions League. Since returning to the Champions League in 2011 (the first time since 1968), City had reached the semi-final just once before losing to Chelsea in that 2021 final.
Arsenal (England)
Arsenal qualified for the Champions League for every season between 2001 and 2017, but just managed one appearance in the final during that period. That was in 2006, when they lost 2-1 to Barcelona. After spending the next five seasons contesting the Europa League, they qualified for the Champions League last season, where they were eliminated by Bayern Munich at the quarter-final stage. They are yet to win Europe’s elite club competition. Their only major European trophy was the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994.
Liverpool (England)
With six titles, Liverpool currently have the fourth best record in this competition. Four of those successes came between 1977 and 1984, with their most recent title coming in 2019, when they overcame Tottenham 2-0 in an all-English final. Last season Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions league, whilst they came unstuck against Real Madrid in the round of 16 in the previous season, losing the home-leg 5-2, despite taking a 2-0 lead after just 14 minutes, and being defeated 1-0 in the away leg.
Aston Villa (England)
Aston Villa have qualified for the main European club competition for the first time since 1983. They were European Cup champions in 1982, having beaten Bayern Munich in the final, but then had to wait until last season to make the semi-finals in any of the main European competitions, this time in the Europa Conference League.
Atalanta (Italy)
Fresh from winning last season’s Europa League, Atalanta will hope to make an impact in the latter stages of the Champions League. They have qualified three times before, in successive seasons from 2019/20 onwards, but are yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals. In 2021/22, Atalanta exited at the group stage after winning just one match.
Inter (Italy)
Although Inter have won this competition three times, two of those were over 59 years ago. Their most recent success came in 2010, beating Bayern Munich 2-0. Inter reached the final again in 2023, only to lose by a single goal to Manchester City. However, after winning Serie A by a massive 19 points last season, the Nerazzurri will expect to be contesting the latter stages of this season’s Champions League.
Milan (Italy)
Milan hold the upper hand over city rivals Inter in this competition, with their seven wins making them the second most successful team of all time. Their most recent win was in 2007, when they beat Liverpool 2-0. Prior to that, they beat Juventus on penalties in an all-Italian final in 2003. Last season they exited the tournament at the group stage and moved into the Europa League, where they reached the quarter-final before losing out to Roma.
Juventus (Italy)
Despite their historic dominance in Serie A with 36 league titles, Juventus have failed to match that level in the main European competition. They have two Champions League titles to their name, with the last one coming in 1996, and have finished runners-up on seven occasions. However, in their four most recent appearances, they have exited at the round of 16 three times and failed to even qualify for the knockout round in 2022/23.
Bologna (Italy)
Bologna qualified for the league phase this season courtesy of the new European Performance Slots, which gave entry to the fifth-place teams in Serie A and the Bundesliga. This means that Bologna qualify for the main European competition for only the second time, with the previous occasion back in 1964, when they were eliminated in the preliminary round by Anderlecht. The last time they played in any of the main European competitions was in the UEFA Cup in the 1999/2000 season.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany)
Bayer Leverkusen won their first Bundesliga title after a record-breaking 2023/24 season. They were the first team to win the Bundesliga without losing a match, and also won the DFB-Pokal. They competed in the Europa League last season, winning every group game and reaching the final without losing a match, before a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the final saw the German side succumb to their only defeat of the season in any competition. They reached the Champions League final in 2002, before losing 2-1 to Real Madrid. In three of their last four Champions League campaigns, they have exited at the group stage.
VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
Having finished above Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, surprise package Stuttgart claimed a Champions League place for the first time since 2010. In that season, they progressed to the knockout stage before losing 5-1 on aggregate to Barcelona in the round of 16, which matched their previous best performance in this competition.
Bayern Munich (Germany)
Bayern have six titles to their name in the top European competition, with the latest coming in 2020 when they defeated PSG 1-0. However, the shock of losing their Bundesliga title for the first time in 11 seasons, coupled with their semi-final loss to Real Madrid in this competition last season, in which they conceded twice in the 88th and 91st minutes to be eliminated, will ensure there is plenty of pressure on new manager Vincent Kompany to succeed.
RB Leipzig (Germany)
Formed as recently as 2009, RB Leipzig qualified for their first Champions League just eight years later for the 2017/18 season. Their best placing was when they reached the semi-final before losing 3-0 to PSG in 2020. They have been eliminated in the round of 16 in the last two seasons, after having the misfortune of coming up against Manchester City and Real Madrid respectively.
Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Dortmund had their worst season in the Bundesliga since 2015 when finishing fifth last year, although they still reached the Champions League final. They lost 2-0 to Real Madrid in that final, and also lost in the 2013 final. They have one Champions League trophy to their name, which they won by beating Juventus 3-1 in 1997. Like Bologna, Dortmund qualified for the league phase this season courtesy of the new European Performance Slots, which gave entry to the fifth-place teams in Serie A and the Bundesliga.
Paris Saint-Germain (France)
Despite their recent dominance in Ligue 1, PSG have failed to make an impact in European football. They have only reached the final of the Champions League once, which they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in 2020. PSG have qualified for the last 12 Champions League tournaments, but only made it as far as the semi-finals three times. Last season, they lost both semi-final legs by a scoreline of 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund.
Monaco (France)
Monaco reached the 2004 Champions League final, only to lose 3-0 to Porto. However, since then their record has generally been poor. They failed to qualify for Europe at all last season, and in the previous two seasons were eliminated from the Champions League before reaching the group stage. Prior to that, in 2017/18 and 2018/19, Monaco did play in the group stage, but they finished bottom both times and didn’t win a single match in either tournament.
Brest (France)
After exceeding all expectations by finishing third in Ligue 1 last season, Brest will be making their debut in European football. That was the first season in which they finished above eighth in the top tier of French football. However, they will be hampered by the fact their stadium does not meet the standards for UEFA European competitions, so they are likely to play their home matches at Guingamp’s Stade de Roudourou , which is located around 70 miles from Brest.
Lille (France)
Lille are relative newcomers to the European stage, having competed for the first time in the 2001/02 Champions League. They are yet to progress beyond the round of 16 in this competition; however, they did top their group in 2021/22, only to lose to Chelsea in the next round. In last season’s Conference League, Lille also topped their group before ultimately losing to Aston Villa 4-3 in a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals. They reached the league stage of this Champions League with two hard-fought 3-2 aggregate victories over both Fenerbahçe and Slavia Prague.
PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
PSV won this coveted trophy back in 1988 after defeating Benfica 6-5 on penalties following a goalless draw. However, it took another 17 years for the Dutch champions to progress as far as the semi-finals, and they have not done so again since 2005. In their last six Champions League competitions, two round-of-16 finishes have been their best results.
Feyenoord (Netherlands)
Like compatriots PSV, Feyenoord also have one Champions League title to their name, although that was even further back. In 1970 Feyenoord beat Celtic 2-1 to become the first Dutch club ever to win the top European trophy, although their great rivals, Ajax, then subsequently won the next three tournaments. From the 2000/01 Champions League onwards, Feyenoord have qualified for the tournament seven times, but never progressed beyond the group stage.
Sporting Lisboa (Portugal)
Over the last 10 seasons, Sporting have had a mediocre record in European competitions. They have only qualified for the knockout stage once in the Champions League during that period, before a 5-0 home defeat to Manchester City ended any chance of further progression. Their sole European success was 60 years ago, when they won the Cup Winners’ Cup, and they have never reached the final of the Champions League.
Benfica (Portugal)
Benfica are the most successful Portuguese side in the Champions League, having won it twice and finishing runners-up five times. All of those results came during the period in which it was known as the European Cup—with the victories coming in 1961 and 1962, over Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. However, since then, they have reached eight European finals (five European Cup and three UEFA Cup/Europa League finals) and have lost on each occasion.
Club Brugge (Belgium)
Club Brugge achieved their best Champions League finish with a round of 16 exit in 2022/23, after losing just once in a group that included Porto, Bayer Leverkusen and Atlético Madrid. They followed that by reaching the semi-final in the Europa Conference League last season. Back in the 1970’s Brugge reached the final in both the European Cup and UEFA Cup but were beaten by Liverpool on both occasions.
Celtic (Scotland)
Celtic have featured in 22 of the previous 23 Champions League tournaments, but have not progressed beyond the round of 16 during that period. It is now over 10 years since they even made it that far, and the Scottish champions finished bottom of their group in each of the last two seasons. Their one success came in the days of the European Cup, when they defeated Inter 2-1 in the 1967 final.
Sturm Graz (Austria)
The Austrian side have qualified for the group stage in three previous Champions League tournaments, the last time being in 2001. In five attempts since then, Sturm Graz have failed to reach the group stage, and they suffered a heavy 7-2 aggregate defeat to PSV in last season’s third qualifying round. The last time they reached the quarter-finals in any European competition was in the 1983/84 UEFA Cup, 40 years ago!
Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)
The Austrian side eliminated FC Twente and Dynamo Kyiv to reach the league stage. They have competed in every Champions League since 2012/13, but have only qualified from the group stages once. That was in 2021/22, when they won all of their three home group matches to finish in second place. However, despite a 1-1 draw in the home leg to Bayern Munich in the round of 16, Salzburg were no match for their opponents in Germany, where they lost the second leg 7-1
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Shakhtar have qualified for every Champions League since 2000/01; however, they have only managed to progress beyond the group stage on four occasions. Their best performance was in the 2010/11 season, when they topped their group and then beat Roma 6-2 on aggregate in the round of 16. However, a quarter-final against Barcelona was one step too far, with the Spanish side easily winning 6-1 on aggregate. The Ukrainian side have one European success to their name, winning the UEFA Cup in 2009 after defeating Werder Bremen in the final.
Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
Dinamo Zagreb have a long history in European football, with their first appearance coming in the 1958 European Cup. They reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2020/21 by defeating Tottenham after overcoming a 2-0 first-leg deficit. Two years later, Dinamo played in the group stage of the Champions League, where they defeated Chelsea 1-0 at home. However, they lost four of their other five games and finished bottom of the group. They comfortably beat Qarabağ to reach this league stage, winning both home and away in their playoff matches.
Crvena zvezda (Serbia)
Crvena zvezda, also known as Red Star Belgrade, won the European Cup in 1990/91. After a goalless 120 minutes against Marseille, Crvena Zvezda took the title following a 5-3 penalty shootout. However, they have not come close to matching that performance since, only progressing beyond the group stage three times in any competition, and have never gone beyond the round of 16. In their last two European campaigns, the Champions League last season and the Europa League the season before, they finished bottom of the group on both occasions.
Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)
Slovan Bratislava looked to be heading out of the Champions League before two goals in the last eight minutes of their playoff match saw them defeat Midtjylland 4-3 on aggregate. That was the fourth round of matches they had to play just to reach this stage and, during those rounds, they won all their home matches and were undefeated away. They do have a European title to their name, having defeating Barcelona 2-1 in the 1969 Cup Winners’ Cup final. However, since then they have failed to progress beyond the round of 16 in any European competition.
Young Boys (Switzerland)
Young Boys qualified for the league stage through excellent home and away wins in their tie against Galatasaray. The Swiss side have been regular competitors in European competitions over the years, with their best finish this century being a round-of-16 exit in the 2020/21 Europa League. They did compete in the group stages of last season’s Champions League, but home and away defeats to both Manchester City and RB Leipzig ended their hopes of qualifying for the knockout rounds.
Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)
Sparta Prague have already progressed through three qualifying rounds to reach this stage, eliminating Shamrock Rovers, Steaua București and Malmö. Last season, they reached the Europa League round of 16, only to encounter a Liverpool side in dominant form. Sparta lost the home leg 5-1, followed by a 6-1 defeat at Anfield. The Czech side have made little progress when competing in the Champions League of late, with their last group stage appearance coming nearly 20 years ago.
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