The 2024/25 Champions League has officially embarked on its most exciting stage. Now that the knockout stage matchups were drawn in Nyon, Switzerland, clubs finally know the route to the big final, which will take place on May 31 in Munich. The system is still the same: two-legged encounters, with aggregate scores determining the champion. If they are tied, extra time and penalties will decide who advances. Among the highlight encounters, Real Madrid vs. Atlético de Madrid is set to be a ferocious city derby, and Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich will be a fight for German supremacy. Liverpool, meanwhile, takes on PSG in a heavyweight encounter, and Arsenal, Inter Milan, and Barcelona have to overcome tricky foes in their quest to reach the quarterfinals.
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Classic rivalries and high-stakes tactical battles
The Champions League draw always produces shocking encounters, but the 2024/25 installment did not hesitate to lay out blockbuster contests. Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid will revive their bitter rivalry, memories of previous finals hanging heavy in this clash. Tactical analysis takes a back seat in these affairs, as sentiment and history getting the better of it. In Germany, Bayern Munich is up against Bayer Leverkusen, a club that has prospered under Xabi Alonso. With Leverkusen's flashy attacking play butting heads against Bayern's guile and weaponry, this promises to be one of the rounds' most attractive draws.
Liverpool, desperate to restore its standing among Europe's best, clashes with a PSG team still hunting its first-ever Champions League championship. Arsenal, seeking to restore continental honor to North London, encounters a PSV team notorious for punishing defensive errors. Barcelona takes on Benfica, a club with a reputation for frustrating larger clubs and exploiting vulnerabilities. Feyenoord and Inter Milan offer a contrast in style, with the Dutch team emphasizing intensity and brawn, and the Italians relying on experience and tactical discipline. Borussia Dortmund and Lille arranged a thrilling, fast-paced encounter between two sides who play best on the break. In contrast, Aston Villa and Club Brugge is not perhaps the most enticing tie, but it can give us loads of drama and shock.
The path to Munich is being laid out
Aside from scheduling the round of 16 matches, the draw also decided the final's road bracket in a way that allowed clubs to anticipate future opponents in later rounds.
The Real Madrid vs. Atlético de Madrid winner will host their quarterfinal second leg, as will the PSV vs. Arsenal winner. The winner of PSG vs. Liverpool will play their quarterfinal decider away from home, the same for the Aston Villa vs. Club Brugge winner.
Across the draw, Benfica or Barcelona will host their first quarterfinal match, while Borussia Dortmund or Lille will also get the same luxury. In the Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen confrontation, the victor will host the first quarterfinal match, the same regulation extending to whoever emerges from Feyenoord vs. Inter Milan.
This configuration allows Real Madrid and Barcelona to only possibly face each other in the final, while the other three English teams — Liverpool, Arsenal, and Aston Villa — are bunched together in one half of the bracket, meaning there is a greater chance for a huge Premier League clash in the semifinals.
Who are the favorites to win it all?
Although the Champions League never goes according to script, there are a handful of teams who come into this round as definite favorites.
Real Madrid, the competition's most-decorated club, is always in the running. Carlo Ancelotti has them with a balanced roster, clutch players, and an unshakeable winning culture. Bayern Munich, although having their peaks and troughs of late, possesses the expertise and talent to be reckoned with. Liverpool, at full speed, has an offense that can dismantle any defense, and Jürgen Klopp understands how to best utilize it in this tournament.
Arsenal, now back in among Europe's top teams, has played gaffer soccer but has yet to show that it can handle high-pressure knockout series. Inter Milan, its runner-up from last season, is an extremely well-rounded, well-organized team that knows how to win ugly. PSG, having spent years underachieving, still nurtures hopes of claiming the trophy and possesses individual flair that can turn games in one instant.
At the same time, teams like Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, and Feyenoord might be dark horses waiting to spoil the traditional giants' plans. At times, the team under the least pressure ends up being the most dangerous — a circumstance that has led to numerous Champions League upsets in the past.
Expect intense play and no second chances
With the knockout stage now under way in Champions League 2024/25, each blunder could be fatal, and every flash of genius could define a club's season. The draw sets up the mouthwatering matchups in which a history of grandeur squares off with budding challenge. Experience, unpredictability, and pure drama combine in these matches where heavyweights clash before, underdogs look to defy the odds, and added tension comes from a single-elimination format.