By: Salil Karkhanis
The 2025 Champions League final in Munich is drawing closer, and the round of 16 matchups are now confirmed. Several of Europe’s top clubs, including Real Madrid, Liverpool, PSG, and Arsenal, are set for intense battles as they compete for a spot in the final. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich and Barcelona have landed in a bracket that could offer a smoother route forward.
Despite how the draw unfolded, every team faces a challenging path, with no guarantees of an easy progression. With the knockout stage kicking off in less than two weeks, the competition is heating up as clubs fight for a place in the quarterfinals.
Let’s examine the draw for the Round of 16 to figure out how tough of a path each team has to navigate before ultimately hoisting the trophy.
PSG vs Liverpool
Liverpool dominated the league stage, finishing atop the table of 32 teams, similar to their Premier League dominance. In contrast, PSG struggled early on, only securing a playoff spot after a crucial victory over VfB Stuttgart in their final group-stage game.
However, PSG’s recent results suggest they are peaking at the right time. Under Luis Enrique, this team has gained momentum, demolishing Brest 10-0 on aggregate to reach the round of 16. Ousmane Dembélé has stepped up as a key playmaker, and the addition of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli in January has further strengthened their attack.
Liverpool, led by Arne Slot, will enter as favorites, but PSG’s speed and confidence make them a serious threat. With a spot in the quarterfinals on the line, this tie is sure to be a must-watch. Despite warning signs for a potential PSG upset, Liverpool is the safe choice here, as their dominance this season is simply unmatched.
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa
This is definitely one of the more surprising matchups in the round of 16. Brugge pulled off a huge upset by knocking out last year’s Europa League winners, Atalanta, with a 5-2 aggregate win in the playoffs. They don’t really have any superstar players, but they’ve made it this far by playing well as a team. Plus, they already beat Villa earlier this season with a 1-0 win in Belgium, so they know they can compete.
Villa, though, probably couldn’t have asked for a better draw to keep their Champions League run going. With Unai Emery in charge, they’ll be the favorites to win, especially since they get to play the second leg at home. Emery is the kind of coach who learns from mistakes, so he’ll have his team ready. If they take care of business, they’ll move on to the quarterfinals, where they’ll face either Liverpool or PSG. However, Aston Villa has faced off against far mightier foes and overcome them in the Premier League, so due to this experience, I’ll have to side with Aston Villa to come out on top.
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are facing off again in the Champions League, and history isn’t on Atlético’s side. Real have knocked them out four times in the past decade, including the Champions League finals (2014). Atlético have never eliminated their city rivals from this tournament, but they did manage two 1-1 draws against them in La Liga this season.
Real, though, look unstoppable. Kylian Mbappé just dropped a hat trick in a 6-3 aggregate win over Manchester City, and their attack is firing on all cylinders. Atlético will need something special to finally flip the script, but Real’s history has me favoring them to move on to the next round.
PSV vs Arsenal
PSV showed they’re no joke by knocking out Juventus in the playoffs, and they’ve got some real threats in Ivan Perisic and Luuk de Jong. Both have the experience and skill to cause problems for Arsenal’s defense, so this won’t be a walk in the park for the English giants.
That said, even with injuries to key guys like Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal still has the better squad overall. They might not be at full strength, but they should have enough firepower to get past PSV and move on to face either Real or Atlético Madrid in the quarterfinals. The yearly Arsenal choke is up ahead, but this match should be smooth sailing for them.
Feyenoord vs Inter Milan
Inter have been rock solid defensively, letting in just one goal in eight games during the league stage. They nearly took down Manchester City in the 2023 final, and with a squad full of experience and firepower, especially with Lautaro MartÃnez and Marcus Thuram leading the attack. They’re a serious contender this year. Feyenoord pulled off a big win against AC Milan in the playoffs, but taking down Inter is a whole lot tougher, so give me Milan.
Bayer Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen
Bayern vs. Leverkusen is gonna be a wild one. Bayern’s got history on their side and a home-field advantage if they make the final, but Leverkusen has been right there with them all season.
Bayern barely survived against Celtic in the playoffs, while Leverkusen cruised through. Plus, Xabi Alonso has never lost to Bayern as a coach. With all the pressure on Bayern and Harry Kane’s injury issues, Leverkusen might just pull this off.
Dortmund vs Lille
Dortmund hasn’t been great in the Bundesliga, but they handled Sporting CP in the playoffs, and Serhou Guirassy has been on fire with 10 goals in the Champions League. New coach Niko Kovac knows how to win, so they’ll have high hopes heading into the match.
Lille’s got Jonathan David up front and Osame Sahraoui pulling the strings, so they won’t go down easy. It’s a tough matchup, but Dortmund’s experience gives them the slight edge.
Benfica vs Barcelona
Barcelona and Benfica played a wild 5-4 game earlier this season, with Barça coming back from 4-2 down. In their last meeting in 2021, Benfica knocked out Barcelona in the group stage, but this time, Barça are the favorites.
Benfica has some serious firepower with Vangelis Pavlidis and Kerem Aktürkoglu leading the charge, but Barcelona is looking strong under Hansi Flick. With a deadly attacking trio of Lewandowski, Yamal, and Raphinha, you can rely on a dominant Barcelona team to advance to the next round.
