2 months ago
1
The Champions League circular of 16 starts connected Tuesday (March 10, 2026) with blockbuster rematches, teams ending agelong absences from this signifier and the feelgood communicative of newcomer Bodø/Glimt.
Paris Saint-Germain connected Wednesday (March 11, 2026) hosts a Chelsea squad which past July stopped the Champions League victor adding the Club World Cup title.
Real Madrid hosts Manchester City for the 2nd clip this play and the 5th consecutive twelvemonth successful the knockout rounds. In 3 of those years, the victor went connected to assistance the trophy.
Madrid-Man City besides is 1 of 3 circular of 16 pairings that already played a fewer months agone successful the opening league phase.
Back successful September, Galatasaray bushed Liverpool successful Istanbul and Barcelona near Newcastle with each 3 points.
Galatasaray and Newcastle are playing Champions League games successful March for the archetypal clip in, respectively, 12 and 23 years. Atalanta hosts Bayern Munich 5 years since past reaching the circular of 16.
Bodø/Glimt has ended Norway's 29-year hold to beryllium represented this heavy successful the competition, erstwhile Rosenborg precocious to the quarterfinals from a smaller 16-team radical stage.
Bodø/Glimt present hosts Sporting Lisbon connected its artificial turf tract wrong the Arctic Circle wherever Man City and Inter Milan some were beaten 3-1 successful caller months.
The forecast somesthesia astatine kickoff is 3 Celsius (37 Fahrenheit) successful the Norwegian Sea sportfishing town.
Mbappé vs. Haaland?
Pep Guardiola's squad already won astatine the Santiago Bernabéu stadium successful December. Erling Haaland's punishment earlier fractional clip settled a 2-1 triumph arsenic Madrid's superstar guardant Kylian Mbappé stayed connected the bench.
Mbappé is simply a uncertainty again for Wednesday due to the fact that of a strain wounded successful his near knee.
“It's nether control, each time he's better,” Madrid manager Álvaro Arbeloa said past week. “Right now, it's each bully news.” There are conscionable six days betwixt the archetypal limb and the instrumentality crippled successful Manchester, though Mbappé and Haaland person different accidental to conscionable this season.
At the World Cup, France plays Norway successful the last circular of Group I games June 26 astatine the New England Patriots' stadium adjacent Boston.
Champions duel
PSG vs. Chelsea has the consciousness of a existent Champions League rivalry though it is 10 years since they met successful the competition.
That was besides successful the circular of 16 erstwhile the coaches successful 2016 were Laurent Blanc and Guus Hiddink respectively. A PSG squad featuring Zlatan Ibrahimovic won location and distant successful what was the 3rd consecutive twelvemonth the clubs met successful the knockout phase.
Their astir caller gathering 8 months agone was a astonishment 3-0 triumph for Chelsea — past coached by Enzo Maresca — astatine MetLife Stadium adjacent New York inspired by Cole Palmer.
Chelsea's manager is present Liam Rosenior who started the play arsenic a French league rival of PSG astatine Strasbourg.
European last history
Just 1 of the 8 pairings this week is simply a rematch of immoderate UEFA last since the European Cup started successful 1955. Few volition callback it.
The 1963 European Cup-Winners' Cup last was a 5-1 triumph for Tottenham implicit Atletico Madrid played successful Rotterdam. It is besides the lone clip they antecedently met.
There is immoderate familiarity for Tottenham due to the fact that Atletico's Metropolitano stadium is wherever the North London nine mislaid the 2019 Champions League last against Liverpool.
Atletico won conscionable 1 of its past 10 UEFA contention matches against English opponents, though connected Tuesday (March 10, 2026) hosts the 16th-place squad successful the Premier League having a chaotic season.
Tottenham's interim manager Igor Tudor is the club's 12th antithetic full- oregon part-time prosecute since Atletico got Diego Simeone much than 14 years ago.
Unlucky apical spot?
Finishing apical successful the 36-team standings did not enactment retired 1 twelvemonth agone for Liverpool, which was eliminated successful the circular of 16 by PSG.
Arsenal led the mode this clip arsenic the top-seeded squad paired successful the bracket with 16th-seeded Bayer Leverkusen, which hosts the archetypal limb Wednesday. The lowest-ranked squad near successful the contention is Bodø/Glimt, which squeezed into the knockout playoffs successful 23rd place.
