Everyone knows that the UEFA Champions League is the world’s most prestigious club football championship. The annual competition attracts the best of the best and the 2024/2025 season is even more interesting than before. That is because UEFA decided to use a new format.
Now that the Group Stage is over, fans eagerly await the Knockout Phase Play-Offs. Taking place between February 11-13, we will have a total of 8 matches ahead of us. The club that wins the direct clash after the 1st and 2nd leg will advance to the Round of 16, whereas the loser will be eliminated.
Each of the 8 matches will give us access to some of the world’s best footballers, so we can’t wait to see them in action. Speaking of the top-tier footballers, let’s go through each upcoming clash and see which players to watch closely.
Brest vs PSG
The first football series that fans can watch will be between Brest and PSG. In case you have missed the previous clash between the two, PSG won with a score of 5-2. The two football clubs met on February 1 in France’s Ligue 1.
Considering the most recent result and each player’s performance, we believe that Ousmane Dembele is the star to focus on. Debemele’s having a pretty good season so far, and it’s safe to say that he shined in the match against Brest. He scored 3 goals against the French club and has 14 goals in 18 matches in Ligue 1.
The second football star who played really well against Brest was Gancalo Ramos. He scored 2 goals against the club and will try to do the same on February 11.
Club Brugge vs Atalanta
The second match in the UCL Knockout Phase Play-Offs is Club Brugge vs Atalanta. It will be the first-ever competitive clash between the two on February 12. While everything is possible, the stats show that Atalanta has better recent results, making it the favorite.
Ademola Lookman and Charles De Ketellaere are the two players to watch. The two forwards have four goals for their team and work really well together. The deadly duo is also often paired with Mateo Rategui, a 25-year-old Italian forward who has scored three goals so far.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
This is, without a doubt, the most intriguing clash in the UEFA Champions League Knockout Phase Play-Offs. Manchester City vs Real Madrid is an incredibly anticipated series in which fans expect to see a lot of action. Both are not doing that well in the UCL right now, but they are always among the favorites.
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that there are tons of players to follow closely here. Starting with the first one, we need to mention Erling Haaland. The 24-year-old Norwegian played 8 matches for his club and scored 6 goals, so he will be the main weapon against the Spanish Powerhouse.
Speaking of the devil, Real Madrid also has its deadly striker in the face of Vinicius Junior. With 7 goals in 6 games, he is Los Blancos’s leader in the current format, and we can’t wait to see him against City.
Juventus vs PSV
The fourth UCL 2024/2025 match from the knockout Phase Play-Offs will be between Juventus and PSV. Although neither of the two powerhouses is having its A-game, the series will be very intriguing because this will be the first big UCL clash between the two.
Regarding the players to follow, Weston McKennie is one of the names that played really well so far. Juventus’s midfielder has been involved in most of his club’s goals and even scored two of them.
Moving to PSV, most people will want to follow Malik Tillman. The US midfielder has 6 matches so far and scored 3 goals, so it’s safe to say that he will make a difference.
Monaco vs Benfica
The Monaco vs Benfica clash is another UCL match where absolutely everything is possible, although the stats reveal a different story. These football clubs have met 3 times so far, and Benfica has 3 victories. The two also have 1 match that ended in a draw.
Regarding the players you should focus on, Maghnes Akliouche from Monaco deserves more attention. The 22-year-old is exceeding expectations after playing in 8 matches so far and scoring 2 goals.
As for Benfica, Vangelis Pavlidis is the one to focus on. The Greek forward has also played in 8 matches and scored 5 goals so far.
Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund
Prior to this match, Sporting CP and Borussia Dortmund have met each other 4 times. The Germans have 3 victories, whereas the Portuguese squad only has one win. With that said, the outcome of the current is very hard to predict because both have what’s needed to win.
Moving on to the players, Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting is probably the most interesting one. The forward is doing an incredible job so far after scoring 6 goals in 7 matches for his club.
As for BVB, Serhou Guirassy is the forward that everyone is scared of. With 9 goals in 8 games, he is one of the leading goalscorers in the UCL right now and will try to add a few extra nets to his name.
Celtic vs Bayern Munich
Another epic UEFA Champions League clash will feature Celtic and Bayern Munich. The two have met four times so far, and the Germans have secured three victories. One of the matches ended in a draw.
Harry Kane is probably the first name that comes to mind when talking about players to keep a close eye on. The English forward is leading Bayern and has 6 goals in 7 matches.
Besides Kane, most eyes will focus on Celtic’s Reo Hatate. The 27-year-old Japanese has played eight matches so far and has done well in all of them. Celtic will need to rely on its midfielders to succeed because the Germans won’t go down without a fight.
Feyenoord vs Milan
The last match of the UCL Knockout Phase Play-Offs that fans will have access to will put together Feyenoord and Milan. These two have only played 2 times so far, and both have one victory over the other.
As for the footballers to follow, Santiago Gimenez from Feyenoord is definitely the first one to follow closely. The 23-year-old Mexican has 5 goals in 5 matches and will be the Dutch team’s hidden weapon against the Italians.
Speaking of Milan, we believe that Alvaro Morata will make a difference here. Despite only scoring 1 goal in 7 matches, he has more experience than many other players, and this will give him a big advantage.
