UEFA Champions League Predictions: Matchday 2/17

The Champions League’s new knockout playoff round opens on Tuesday with 16 clubs battling for the eight remaining places in the round of 16. After a frantic Matchday 8, the first legs promise a more measured tone, yet the draw has still served up storylines aplenty. Sports Illustrated forecasts how the ties will unfold.

Galatasaray vs Juventus Juventus travel to RAMS Park with unhappy Istanbul memories: they have lost on both previous visits, most famously in 2013 when Wesley Sneijder struck late for the hosts. Gala, unbeaten in four matches since a 2-0 loss to Manchester City, will look to Victor Osimhen: the Nigerian has five wins and four goal contributions in seven career meetings with the Bianconeri. Juve, reeling from a last-gasp Derby d’Italia defeat in which Piotr Zielinski cancelled Manuel Locatelli’s equaliser, believe a first-leg draw would leave qualification in their hands.

Benfica vs Real Madrid Three weeks after goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin’s goal sealed Benfica’s shock league-phase win, Real Madrid return to Lisbon seeking revenge. That 4-2 defeat cost Madrid a top-eight finish; they now arrive buoyed by a stylish weekend victory over Real Sociedad achieved without even calling on Kylian Mbappé, who should be fresh after scoring in the clubs’ recent thriller. José Mourinho’s side, inconsistent since that famous night, simply want to keep the tie alive before heading to the Bernabéu.

Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta Only two points separated these sides in the league table, and their first meeting since a 2018 Europa League 1-1 draw in Bergamo looks equally tight. Dortmund, at Signal Iduna Park, have qualified for the last 16 in six of the past seven seasons, while Raffaele Palladino’s Atalanta target a second-ever appearance in the Champions League knockout stage. Both teams ended the league phase with back-to-back defeats but have since rebounded with three straight domestic wins.

Monaco vs Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain, holders but outside the automatic qualification spots after two draws and a defeat to close the league phase, visit a resurgent Monaco. The Principality club edged PSG 1-0 in November and have taken two wins from three under Sébastien Pocognoli. Luis Enrique’s side, beaten 3-1 at Rennes last time out, are still searching for the imperious form that eluded them during the autumn, while Monaco’s ten-point haul—built on four draws—was just enough to sneak into the playoffs.

With ties delicately poised ahead of next week’s return legs, Tuesday’s openers may set the tone rather than decide fates, yet the margins remain razor-thin as Europe’s elite scramble for a place among the final 16.