The UEFA Champions League returns on Wednesday night with a blockbuster slate of four mouth‑watering fixtures as Europe’s elite continue their quest for continental glory. Catch all the action live on SuperSport.
Bayer Leverkusen welcome Arsenal in a clash of high‑tempo technicians, Paris Saint‑Germain host Chelsea in a heavyweight showdown in the French capital, Real Madrid and Manchester City renew their fierce modern rivalry, and Norwegian upstarts Bodø/Glimt look to shock Sporting CP.
With so much on the line and storylines everywhere you look, sparks are expected to fly live on SuperSport TV from 7pm.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN V ARSENAL
Bayer Leverkusen have progressed from four of their five major European knockout ties against English clubs, failing only against Liverpool in 2004-05 in the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal's only previous European meetings with Bayer Leverkusen came in the second group stage in 2001-02, drawing 1-1 away and winning 4-1 at Highbury.
Arsenal's only previous European meetings with Bayer Leverkusen came in the second group stage in 2001-02, drawing 1-1 away and winning 4-1 at Highbury.
All five of Arsenal's UEFA Champions League knockout ties against German teams have come against Bayern Munich, going out in the last 16 in 2004-05, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2016-17, and in the 2023-24 quarterfinal.
Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last three UEFA Champions League games (W2 D1), keeping a clean sheet in all three. The German side have never previously kept four consecutive shutouts in the competition.
Arsenal are the only team who haven’t trailed at any point in the UEFA Champions League this season (62 per cent winning, 38 per cent drawing of their total match time). Indeed, the Gunners have the best xG difference when in a drawing game state of any team in this edition (+8 – 9.4 xG for, 1.4 xG against).
Coming into the round of 16 fixtures, Bayer Leverkusen have conceded more shots from high turnovers (26) than any other side in the UEFA Champions League this season. Overall, only Qarabag (118) have conceded more total high turnovers than the German side (109) in this edition.
A total of 43 per cent of Bayer Leverkusen’s chances created in the UEFA Champions League this season have come from the left side (split by left/centre/right thirds); the highest per centage of any team. Indeed, left wing back Alejandro Grimaldo has created 23 chances for them in this edition, which is 12 more than any of his teammates (11, Ibrahim Maza).
Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres has netted 10 goals in 14 UEFA Champions League appearances, four of which have been scored following a carry (travelling 5+ metres with the ball). Coming into the round of 16, only VinÃcius Júnior (6), Raphinha and Lamine Yamal (both 5) have more goal-ending carries in the competition since the start of last season.
Since the start of last season, Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber has the lowest dribbled past per centage (7.4 per cent) of any player to attempt 50+ true tackles in the UEFA Champions League (4/54).
Bayer Leverkusen’s Aleix GarcÃa has averaged 16.6 line-breaking passes per 90 in the UEFA Champions League this season; the most by any midfielder (min. 300 minutes played).
PARIS SG V CHELSEA
Paris SG and Chelsea last faced in the UEFA Champions League in the last 16 in 2015-16, with the French side winning both legs 2-1.
Chelsea have only won two out of eight UEFA Champions League matches against Paris SG (D3 L3). They have only lost more games against Bayern Munich and Barcelona (4 each) than Paris SG (3) in the competition.
Paris SG have progressed from their last three UEFA Champions League knockout ties against English clubs, all last season (Liverpool in last 16, Aston Villa in quarterfinal, Arsenal in semifinal).
Since losing 2-1 to Paris SG in March 2016, Chelsea have won all six of their UEFA Champions League games against French clubs (four v Lille, two v Rennes).
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior will be the 16th manager to see his first knockout stage game in the UEFA Champions League come against the reigning champions. Of the previous 15, only one of those has been victorious (D5 L9): Ralf Rangnick in April 2011 (FC Schalke 04 5-2 Internazionale, quarterfinal first leg).
In terms of average age, Chelsea (24y 31d) and Paris SG (24y 195d) are the two teams with the youngest starting XIs fielded in the UEFA Champions League this season. The last knockout stage game in the competition to see both sides use a starting XI with an average age under 25 was in March 2012, with Bayern Munich (24y 319d) and Basle (24y 233d) both doing so in a round of 16 clash (second leg).
Paris SG are the top-ranked team in the UEFA Champions League this season for possession average (69.7 per cent), build-up attacks per game (7.3) and pass completion rate under high-intensity pressure (85.7 per cent).
Since the start of last season, only Ousmane Dembélé (16) has more combined goals and assists for Paris SG in the UEFA Champions League than full back Achraf Hakimi (13). The Moroccan also leads all players for the French side in this period for assists (8) and chances created (54).
Estêvão is Chelsea’s joint-top scorer in the UEFA Champions League this season (3 – level with João Pedro). Should he find the net in this match, he would become the youngest ever South American player to score in a knockout stage game in the competition (18y 321d on the day), with the current record held by Carlos Alberto (scored in the 2004 final for FC Porto, aged 19y 167d).
Paris SG’s Vitinha has the highest pass completion rate under high-intensity pressure of any midfielder in the UEFA Champions League this season (93.3 per cent - min. 50 attempted), as well as leading all players in this edition for total passes completed under high-intensity pressure (470).
REAL MADRID V MANCHESTER CITY
Manchester City will face Real Madrid for the 16th time in the UEFA Champions League (W5 D5 L5), twice as often as they have faced any other team in the competition (Bayern Munich - 8). This will be the first time two teams have met in the knockout phase of the competition in five consecutive seasons.
Only Bayern Munich (8) and Juventus (7) have won more UEFA Champions League games against Real Madrid than Manchester City (5), who beat them 2-1 in this season's league phase.
Manchester City have been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid on four occasions, the only side to knock them out more than twice. That includes in each of the last two seasons: 2023-24 quarterfinals and 2024-25 play-offs.
The last away team to keep a clean sheet in a UEFA Champions League knockout stage game away to Real Madrid was Barcelona in April 2011, who were then managed by current Man City boss Pep Guardiola (2-0 win). Since then, the Spanish side have scored in 39 in a row, averaging 2.2 goals per match (86 in total).
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will take charge of his 190th UEFA Champions League match here, equalling Alex Ferguson’s total in the competition (190). Following this fixture, Guardiola will only trail Carlo Ancelotti (218) on the list of most Champions League games by managers.
Coming into the round of 16 ties, Manchester City have scored the most goals following build-up sequences (6) in the UEFA Champions League this season, while no side have netted more following direct attacks than Real Madrid (4 – level with Benfica). Los Blancos are also ranked first for total direct attacks (31) this term.
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé has scored more UEFA Champions League goals against Manchester City than any other opponent (7), including netting a hat-trick in his most recent appearance against the Citizens, in last season's play-off round.
Since the start of the 2019-20 edition (Erling Haaland’s first), only four players have registered 50+ goal involvements in the UEFA Champions League – three of which play for either Real Madrid (Kylian Mbappé 71, VinÃcius Júnior 55) or Manchester City (Erling Haaland 61), along with Robert Lewandowski (63).
Among teams still remaining in the 2025-26 edition and prior to the round of 16 ties, the two players who have accounted for the highest share of their side’s goals in the UEFA Champions League this term are Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé (54 per cent - 13/24) and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (47 per cent - 7/15).
Since (and including) the 2022 final against Liverpool, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois has only conceded 39 goals (excl. OGs) from 53.2 xG on target faced in the UEFA Champions League. This positive differential (+14.2) is the highest of any goalkeeper in the competition in this period.
BODØ/GLIMT V SPORTING CP
This will be the first ever knockout stage tie between teams from Norway (Bodø/Glimt) and Portugal (Sporting CP) in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, and the first in any major European competition since the last 32 of the 2003-04 UEFA Cup (Rosenborg eliminated by Benfica).
Bodø/Glimt have won both of their previous two games against Portuguese sides in European competition, with both of those coming in last season’s UEFA Europa League (3-2 v FC Porto and 2-1 v Braga).
Sporting CP have only faced a Norwegian opponent away from home in Europe on three previous occasions, winning at Lyn in 1971 (3-0 in the Cup Winners’ Cup) and Rosenborg in 2019 (2-0 in the UEFA Europa League), but losing at Viking in 1999 (0-3 in the UEFA Cup).
With wins in their last two, Sporting CP can equal their longest winning run in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League (3), achieved on three previous occasions (October-November 2008, October-November 2021 and September-October 1962).
Bodø/Glimt are on a four-game winning streak in the UEFA Champions League – in the 21st century, only four teams from outside of Europe’s big five leagues (England, Spain, Germany, France, Italy) have won five consecutive games in the competition: Ajax in 2021 (6), FC Porto in 2018 (5), Zenit St Petersburg in 2015 (5) and Shakhtar Donetsk in 2011 (5).
Of European Cup/UEFA Champions League campaigns in which they have played 5+ matches, Sporting CP’s win per centage this season (63 per cent - 5/8) is their highest in a single edition.
Bodø/Glimt could equal the UEFA Champions League record for most consecutive games played with the same starting XI (currently on four), with Auxerre in 2002-03 the only previous side to do so in five in a row.
Kasper Høgh (4 goals, 3 assists) and Jens Petter Hauge (6 goals, 1 assist) both have seven goal involvements in the UEFA Champions League this season; the joint-most for a Norwegian team in a single edition, along with John Carew for Rosenborg in 1999-2000 (7 – 5 goals, 2 assists).
Sporting CP’s Geovany Quenda – who scored and assisted in his last game in the competition (v Club Brugge) – already has the most goal involvements by a Portuguese teenager in the UEFA Champions League (5 – 2 goals, 3 assists), despite being yet to turn 19.
Bodø/Glimt’s Jens Petter Hauge has completed 27 dribbles and produced 20 carries ending in a shot or chance created in the UEFA Champions League this season; coming into the round of 16 fixtures, he’s one of only three players with 20+ in both, along with VinÃcius Júnior and Michael Olise.
Of players to have contested 20+ duels in the UEFA Champions League this season, Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande has the highest duel success rate in the tournament (81 per cent - 17/21).
By: Opta