Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham have returned to Real Madrid’s squad for their Champions League last-16 second leg at Manchester City on Tuesday.
France striker Mbappe, 27, was diagnosed with a left knee sprain at the beginning of March and has been missing from Real’s line-up since their La Liga game against Osasuna on 21 February.
Bellingham sustained a hamstring injury less than 10 minutes into a league game against Rayo Vallecano on 1 February and left the field in tears.
The 22-year-old midfielder had initially been expected to miss about four weeks, but the injury was found to be more significant than first thought.
The Premier League’s power was supposedly emphasised by having six teams in the last 16 following the league stage, but this was something of a cold shower hosed on talk of its supremacy as City and Chelsea were heavily beaten, following on from defeats for Liverpool and Spurs on Tuesday.
Premier League leaders Arsenal needed Kai Havertz’s last-minute penalty to scrape a draw at Bayer Leverkusen, sixth in the Bundesliga, after winning eight from eight in the league phase.
Spurs were humiliated by Atletico, Liverpool lost to Galatasaray – although Newcastle United can take credit as they were only denied victory by Barcelona’s last-gasp penalty at St James’ Park.
Some big performances are required in the second leg if boasts about the supposed superpower of the Premier League are not to be rendered hollow.
Five of those teams had first legs away from home. Chelsea, Manchester City and Spurs must all turn around three-goal deficits, although Arsenal and Liverpool are the best hopes of going through.
It was an unexpected downturn. Could it be that the heavy workload and intensity of the Premier League has taken the edge off performances when the Champions League comes around?
Taken on this evidence, the Premier League picture is not as rosy as some would suggest in the Champions League context.
It all looked so different from the newer league table format, which led to a clean sweep of Premier League teams, giving rise to suggestions they could dominate the latter stages.
Not so, as teams that made their way through the play-offs such as Bodo/Glimt, Atletico, Real, PSG and Galatasaray all impressed.
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who was at the Bernabeu, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We spoke about the England teams and dominance in Europe. Look at how easily they qualified, in the Europa and Conference leagues as well. But in the Champions League, not one English team has won.
“Manchester City were in a better place than Real Madrid. They were injury-ravaged. It looked like an under-23 side with a scattering of experience for Real. But they were clinical and well-coached and hit City on the counter-attack.”
Kvaratskhelia’s family home in Tbilisi, where he grew up, does not announce that a global football star was raised there.
It is one of those anonymous Soviet-era apartment blocks that populate so many parts of the city: concrete, weathered, functional rather than beautiful, surrounded by identical neighbours and the everyday sounds of a working-class district.
Inside that building I met his father, Badri – a former Dinamo Tbilisi player and Azerbaijan international – and his mother, Maka, when their son was starring with Napoli.
It was a warm, welcoming home. Humble, not full of luxuries, but filled with memories. Everywhere you looked there were small mementos of his journey – photographs, trophies, shirts. Among them the first shirt he ever wore for Dinamo Tbilisi.
“Because this is where Khvicha’s professional career started. It has to be the Dinamo one,” Maka said. “His path to the top started here.”
Kvaratskhelia still uses his small bedroom whenever he returns. In one corner there is a computer table, a keyboard, large headphones and the kind of chair used by gamers.
That little world is where he disappears for hours whenever he comes home.
Born on 12 February 2001, from an early age football was inseparable from his life. As his mother recalls, he walked with the ball, slept with the ball. Football was everything, which is not to say that it was an easy path.
As a graduate of the Dinamo Tbilisi academy, he made his professional debut at 16 in 2017 before moving to Rustavi and then on loan to Lokomotiv Moscow where he would receive his first significant salary, money which allowed him to pay for life-saving heart surgery for his father.
“It wasn’t even a question to him,” said Badri.
On 22 May 2019, the 18-year-old would win his first major honour when Lokomotiv Moscow won the Russian Cup.
A move to Rubin Kazan where he would spend three seasons – and twice win the best young player in the Russian League – followed.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought an end to his stay, when Fifa announced on 7 March 2022 that all foreign players in Russia could unilaterally suspend their contracts until 30 June and sign with clubs outside Russia until the same date.
He went home, signing for Georgian club Dinamo Batumi.
Barcelona needed Lamine Yamal’s penalty with the last kick of the game to cancel out Harvey Barnes’s opener.
Published On 10 Mar 202610 Mar 2026
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Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal struck from the penalty spot with the final kick of the game to salvage a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, cancelling out a late strike from Harvey Barnes.
Newcastle appeared set to take a slender advantage into the second leg after Barnes scored in the 86th minute, when he volleyed home Jacob Murphy’s cross on Tuesday.
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But elation for the home fans turned to heartbreak when Malick Thiaw brought Dani Olmo down in the box in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and Yamal fired the penalty into the bottom corner as Aaron Ramsdale dove the wrong way.
Newcastle’s Joelinton thought he had scored earlier in the second half when he smashed home the rebound of Barnes’s shot off the post, but the linesman quickly raised his flag for offside.
The second leg is at Barcelona on March 18.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Mario Lemina’s early diving header handed Galatasaray a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in their Champions League last-16 first leg in Istanbul, leaving the tie finely balanced after a compelling contest in which both sides saw goals disallowed.
The Turkish champions struck after seven minutes, when Lemina nodded home after Victor Osimhen headed a corner back across goal, giving them a precious advantage ahead of the second leg at Anfield.
In Italy, Bayern Munich dismantled Atalanta 6-1 in a dominant Champions League last-16 first-leg performance on Tuesday, seizing control from the outset in Bergamo.
The visitors surged into a three-goal lead within the opening 25 minutes, leaving the home side struggling to gain any sort of foothold in the contest.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid tore Tottenham Hotspur apart in a stunning first-half blitz on Tuesday, powering to a 5-2 victory in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie and leaving the Premier League side with a mountain to climb in London.
The visitors’ 22-year-old goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky, endured a night to forget on his first appearance since October and only his third of the season.
Two costly errors from the Czech helped Atletico race into a commanding lead, and he was substituted in the 17th minute by manager Igor Tudor immediately after Atletico’s third goal.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot calls for improvement from both his players and the officials, after the Reds 1-0 first leg defeat to Galatasary in Istanbul.
A CONCACAF source with knowledge of the issue not authorized to discuss it publicly said the organization was aware of the problem and working with the team to appeal the decision. The Champions Cup is the most prestigious club tournament in CONCACAF, the 41-nation FIFA confederation that governs soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Mount Pleasant FA, champion of last year’s CONCACAF Caribbean Cup and runner-up in the last two Jamaican Premier League tournaments, is playing in the Champions Cup for the first time. The team has six Haitian players on its roster, and Haiti is one of 19 countries whose citizens have been banned from entering the U.S by the Trump administration. Citizens from an additional 20 countries faced partial restrictions.
“This decision raises serious concern about the administration’s willingness to abide by its own agreement and statements regarding the issuance of visas for the World Cup,” said David J. Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute. “The President’s proclamation clearly exempts athletes and necessary support personnel for ‘major sporting events.’ But apparently, this exception is not being applied in all cases.”
The State Department has the ability, under the Presidential Proclamation exception, to grant entry to “athletes, coaches and essential support staff” from any country traveling to the U.S. for “the World Cup, Olympics or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.”
Despite that, eight members of Cuba’s delegation to the World Baseball Classic — among them federation president Juan Reinaldo Pérez Pardo and pitching coach Pedro Luis Lazo — had their visa requests denied. Under the Trump administration’s rules, Cuban citizens are subject to the same travel restrictions as Haitians.
However, Haiti and Jamaica were able to play in last summer’s Gold Cup soccer tournament in the U.S. without issue. The State Department did not respond to requests for comment.
The CONCACAF source said the confederation hopes to reach an agreement with the State Department but added that Mount Pleasant’s game with the Galaxy will go forward either way. The club, which is scheduled to depart Sunday, told a Jamaican newspaper that up to 10 players have been denied visas and coming to Los Angeles without them would require it to rely on seven or eight players from the team’s youth academy to fill out the roster.
“We don’t want to just show up for the game, we want to be able to compete, but we are not being given the opportunity to be at our best,” Paul Christie, the team’s sporting director, told the Jamaica Observer.
The teams will meet in the second and deciding leg of the two-game playoff March 19 at National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Mount Pleasant is expected to be at full strength for that game.
The State Department’s approach to the visa requests for the Cuban baseball delegation and Jamaican soccer team raise questions about how the Trump administration will handle visa requests ahead of this summer’s World Cup. Four tournament qualifiers are impacted by the administration’s travel restrictions, with citizens of Iran — a country with which the U.S. is at war — and Haiti facing a total ban, and those from Senegal and Ivory Coast subject to severe restrictions.
Members of Iran’s delegation were refused entry to the U.S. for December’s World Cup draw in Washington, during which FIFA president Gianni Infantino presented President Trump with the FIFA Peace Prize. And last summer, Senegal’s women’s basketball team was forced to cancel a 10-day training camp in the U.S. when visa requests for five players, six staff members and a ministerial delegation were rejected.
Elsewhere, Barcelona will face Newcastle, Tottenham will play Atletico Madrid, and Arsenal will take on Bayer Leverkusen.
Published On 27 Feb 202627 Feb 2026
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Real Madrid will play Manchester City while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will face Chelsea in the pick of the 2025/26 Champions League last 16 games after the draw was made by UEFA in Nyon, Switzerland.
The draw for European football’s biggest club competition on Friday determined that City will face Madrid for the fourth consecutive season in a knockout Champions League clash.
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Meanwhile, PSG and Chelsea will repeat their FIFA 2025 Club World Cup final, which the Premier League side won 3-0.
Elsewhere, Barcelona will face Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur will play Atletico Madrid, and Arsenal will take on Bayer Leverkusen.
Liverpool will renew hostilities with Galatasaray in a rematch of their league phase game, which the Turkish giants won 1-0 in Istanbul.
Norwegian minnows will face Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon, while the only Italian side left in the competition face a daunting encounter with German champions Bayern Munich.
The first legs will be played on March 10-11 and the second legs will be played on March 17-18.
The eight seeded teams – who finished in the top eight spots in the league phase – will be at home for the second legs against the eight teams who qualified through the playoff round.
The last 16 draw in full:
Paris Saint-Germain vs Chelsea
Galatasaray vs Liverpool
Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Atalanta vs Bayern Munich
Newcastle vs Barcelona
Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur
Bodo/Glimt vs Sporting
Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal
Familiar foes
Real Madrid knocked City out in the last 16 last season, as they did in the 2024 quarterfinals and 2022 semifinals.
City beat Madrid in the 2023 semifinal en route to lifting the Champions League trophy for the first time.
The two clubs have played each other on 15 occasions, with each team winning five games and the rest ending as draws.
City and Madrid have already faced each other in the league stage this season, with City coming from behind to win 2-1 in December.
PSG will be eager to take revenge on Chelsea after the Blues stunned the French champions to win the inaugural the Club World Cup title in a bad-tempered game last year.
The clubs have previously faced each other in the Champions League, with Chelsea triumphing in a 2014 quarterfinal and PSG eliminating the Blues in the last 16 in 2015 and 2016.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer celebrates scoring against PSG in the Club World Cup final with Joao Pedro [Hannah Mckay/Reuters]
The draw on Friday also mapped out the potential route to the final, to be held in Budapest on May 30, as every team now knows their possible quarterfinal and semifinal opponents.
In the quarterfinals, City or Madrid will face the winner of Bayern Munich vs Atalanta, while PSG or Chelsea will take on either Liverpool or Galatasaray.
Quarterfinal draw
Paris Saint-Germain or Chelsea vs Liverpool or Galatasaray
Real Madrid or Manchester City vs Bayern Munich of Atalanta
Newcastle or Barcelona vs Tottenham or Atletico Madrid
Sporting Lisbon or Bodo/Glimt vs Arsenal or Bayer Leverkusen
Semifinal draw
Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Liverpool or Galatasaray vs Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich of Atalanta
Newcastle,Barcelona, Tottenham or Atletico Madrid vs Sporting Lisbon, Bodo/Glimt, Arsenal or Bayer Leverkusen
The 2025/26 Champions League playoff round has now concluded, with the likes of Real Madrid, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and Atletico Madrid booking their places in the last 16.
The remaining teams will discover their opponents and potential route to the final on Friday when UEFA holds the last 16 draw.
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Here is everything you need to know about the timing, format and seeding of the draw, as well as the teams still vying for glory in European football’s largest club competition.
When will UEFA hold the draw?
The draw is set to take place at 11:00 GMT on Friday, February 27, 2026, in Nyon, Switzerland.
It will determine which teams play each other in the last 16, quarterfinals and semifinals.
How does the draw work?
The eight winners of the playoffs will face the teams that finished in the top eight of the league phase in a knockout format.
The draw will determine the potential path to the final, as every team will know their possible quarterfinal and semifinal opponents.
The last 16, quarterfinal, and semifinal fixtures will be played over two legs, while the final will be a single match.
Which teams have made it through to the last 16?
Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Sporting Lisbon, and Tottenham Hotspur had already made it through to the last 16 as top-eight league stage finishers.
Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Bodo/Glimt, Galatasaray, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid made it through the playoffs.
Goals from Vinicius Junior helped Real Madrid overcome Benfica in the playoff stage [Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters]
When will the last-16 ties be played?
The first legs of the last 16 ties will take place on March 10-11, with the second legs scheduled for March 17-18.
When are the quarterfinals, semifinals and final?
The quarterfinals will take place on April 7-8 and April 14-15.
The semifinals will be held on April 28-29 and May 5-6.
The Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, will host the final on May 30.
Who could the biggest teams play in the last 16?
Real Madrid will face either Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon. If Man City are not drawn against Madrid, they will face Bodo/Glimt.
Paris Saint-Germain will face either Barcelona or Chelsea. Barcelona could also end up facing Newcastle United.
Liverpool will face either Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray.
Arsenal or Bayern Munich will play Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen.
Lamine Yamal’s Barcelona will face either PSG or Newcastle United in the last 16 [Josep Lago/AFP]
Who are the surprise packages?
Norway’s Bodo/Glimt, a tiny club based in the Arctic Circle, made it through to the last 16 after beating Inter Milan in the playoffs and humbling Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the league stage.
Turkish champions Galatasaray also reached the last 16 following thrilling playoff games against Juventus. The Istanbul club beat Juve 5-2 at home, before falling to a 3-0 deficit in the second leg – only to win the tie with two extra-time goals.
How does seeding affect the draw?
Seeded teams – those that finished in the top eight of the league stage – will have the supposed advantage of playing their second last 16 legs at home.
Where teams are placed in the league stage will also affect the seeding for subsequent rounds.
The teams that finished in the top four of the league stage – Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Tottenham – would be given home advantage for the second legs of their quarterfinals, should they reach that stage.
As number one and two finishers in the league stage, Arsenal and Bayern would get the advantage of playing their semifinal second legs at home, should they get that far in the tournament.
If a seeded team does not reach the quarterfinal or semifinal stages, the team that knocks them out will gain their seeding.
Can teams from the same country play each other?
Yes, teams from the same country can play each other in the knockout rounds.
Clubs can also face sides they have already played against during the league phase.
Since the reintroduction of the last-16 knockout round to Europe’s showpiece competition in 2003-04, there has always been at least one Italian representative.
Not since 1987-88, when Napoli went out in the first round of the European Cup to Real Madrid, has Serie A had no teams in the last 16 of the competition – or first knockout round when it took other formats.
After Inter’s exit on Tuesday, many Italian football experts were labelling it a disaster for the sport in their country.
“It is a piece of history,” said journalist Vincenzo Credendino. “Speaking about Italy and Inter, this is one of the worst pieces.”
Another Italian football journalist, Daniele Verri, said all three sides failing to make the knockouts would have been a “complete debacle, a disaster for our clubs”.
Atalanta’s progress – and the manner in which they battled through – at least provides hope, although it doesn’t get easier for them in the last 16, with either Arsenal or Bayern Munich awaiting.
But against Dortmund, they showed the kind of self-belief that will stand them in good stead against either the Premier League or Bundesliga leaders.
“Now Atalanta are the darlings of Italian football,” former West Brom and Aston Villa defender Curtis Davies said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
European football expert James Horncastle added: “They’re sort of Serie A’s Bodo/Glimt in many respects.
“They were a yo-yo club until about eight years ago and we’ve not only seen them win a European trophy and reach three Coppa Italia finals but really establish themselves in the Champions League.”
Football journalist Nicky Bandini described Atalanta’s comeback win as “significant” for Italian football, adding: “I think there would be more of a feelgood factor that carries over for a team like Atalanta than there would be for Juventus or for Inter because they haven’t been traditionally one of the big teams of Italian football.”
Atalanta score a penalty with the last kick of the game, as the Italians stage an incredible fightback to beat Borussia Dortmund and progress to the last 16 of the Champions League.
Eddie Howe says Newcastle can “raise their game” and “compete with anybody” after they swept aside Qarabag in the Champions League knockout play-offs to set up a last-16 tie against Barcelona or Chelsea.
Inter signed Ronaldo and Vieri for world-record fees in the late 1990s, when Serie A was the envy of world football, blessed with the game’s most talented stars.
AC Milan then beat Juventus to win the Champions League in 2003, losing to Liverpool on penalties in the final two years later, before defeating the Reds to become European champions again in 2007.
While there have been more recent successes in Europe’s other competitions – Atalanta won the Europa League in 2024, Roma won the Conference League in 2021 – Jose Mourinho’s Inter were the last Italian side to win the Champions League in 2010.
Inter’s European exit comes despite being 10 points clear of rivals AC Milan in Serie A and a further four ahead of defending champions Napoli, who failed to make it out of the Champions League’s league phase.
“It is a piece of history,” said journalist Vincenzo Credendino. “Speaking about Italy and Inter, this is one of the worst pieces.
“Inter are the best in Italy, but maybe it is time to think not about what can happen in one or two years, but about 10 or 15 years – and on that side we can see generally Italian football is not on the same level of top European leagues.”
The national team must also win through a play-off in March to avoid missing out on a third successive World Cup this summer, having last lifted the trophy in 2006.
“It is a difficult time for Italian football and this shows it,” added European football expert Julien Laurens on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Today, Inter Milan put pressure on but it was not enough from them. They have been the best team in Italy for the last few years. And Napoli as well, they haven’t even come close.
“It’s terrible for Italian football at the moment.”
Inter won five of their opening eight league phase games in Europe to finish 10th, with Juventus 13th and Atalanta 15th.
Yet in the play-offs, all have come unstuck against sides who finished lower in the table but play a more intense brand of football.
“What does it say about Italian football? That something needs to be changed,” added Verri.
“The level of Italian football is poor. It is a structural issue. We play very slow football. You can ask any manager in Italy and they will all say the same.
“I was talking to Claudio Ranieri the other day and he said: ‘Look, when I was in England at Leicester… people don’t train more than in Italy. They just do it with another intensity, and then they keep up that intensity during the games.’
Who: Real Madrid vs Benfica What: Champions League playoff, second leg Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain When: Wednesday at 9pm (20:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Real Madrid carry a slender 1-0 lead over Benfica going into the second leg of a Champions League playoff tie that has been overshadowed by allegations of racism.
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UEFA has suspended Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni from the second leg on Wednesday after he was accused of racially abusing Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, who scored the only goal in the first game in Lisbon last week.
Meanwhile, Benfica coach Jose Mourinho, who is also suspended for the second leg, has come under fire for criticising Vinicius for his effusive goal celebration.
So the Portuguese side will be expecting an especially hostile welcome at the Bernabeu as they try to overturn their one-goal deficit and reach the last 16.
Vinicius Jr confronts Prestianni during the first leg at the Estadio Da Luz in Lisbon on February 17, 2026 [Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images]
Courtois ‘disappointed’ in Mourinho’s response
Vinicius wrote that “racists are above all cowards” on social media after the game while Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe backed his teammate and said he had heard Prestianni calling the winger a “monkey”.
The 20-year-old Benfica midfielder, who hid his mouth with his shirt during the confrontation with Vinicius, insisted he did not racially abuse the Brazilian forward after his stunning goal at the Estadio da Luz.
Prestianni could miss at least 10 games if European football’s governing body finds he racially abused Vinicius.
Mourinho waded into the controversy by saying Vinicius’s goal celebration was disrespectful and insisting Benfica was not a racist club because their biggest icon, Eusebio, was Black.
Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said he disagreed with Mourinho’s words.
“At the end of the day, Mourinho is Mourinho. As a coach, you’re always, I think, going to defend your club and what your player has told you,” Courtois said.
“The only thing that disappoints me a bit is using Vini’s celebration. I don’t think Vini did anything wrong there,” he added.
“I don’t think we can justify alleged racism because of a celebration.”
Mourinho’s Bernabeu homecoming upended by suspension
Benfica’s boss has not set foot in the Santiago Bernabeu since leaving Real Madrid in 2013, and he cannot sit in the dugout for the playoff’s second leg after being sent off during his team’s 1-0 first-leg defeat in Lisbon last week for making vituperative complaints about the officials from the touchline.
Mourinho said referee Francois Letexier was avoiding booking Madrid players who were at risk of suspension for the second leg.
“I’ve had my butt on the bench for 1,400 games and [I could see that] he knew perfectly well who he could book and who he couldn’t,” Mourinho complained bitterly.
“I [won’t be] sitting on the bench. I can’t go to the dressing room. I can’t communicate with the team,” he added. “It’s hard for me, but my teammates and my assistants are there. They’ll do their job.”
Benfica also said Mourinho was not going to attend the pregame news conference on Tuesday and his assistant would take over.
Mourinho is shown a red card by Letexier during the first leg [Angel Martinez/Getty Images]
Arbeloa says UEFA have chance for ‘turning point’ against racism
Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa called on UEFA to make their fight against racism into more than just a slogan after the alleged abuse of Vinicius Jr.
“We have a great opportunity to mark a turning point in the fight against racism,” Arbeloa told reporters on Tuesday.
“UEFA, which has always been and has led this fight against racism, now has the chance not to leave it at just a slogan, at just a nice banner before matches, and I hope that they seize this opportunity.”
Arbeloa said he believed Vinicius will thrive on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu as the record 15-time champions bid to reach the last 16.
“Vinicius Jr has always shown a lot of bravery and a lot of character,” Arbeloa said. “That is always his response. It always has been, and I think it always will be.
“He is a fighter, and I’m sure tomorrow he will go out to fight and have a great game and keep showing he’s one of the best players on the planet.”
Head-to-head
This is only the sixth meeting between two of the biggest clubs from Spain and Portugal. Benfica have won three of the games while Real Madrid have won two.
The two clubs also faced each other in a league stage match in January when Mourinho’s team stunned his former club in a 4-2 win that allowed Benfica to qualify and prevented Madrid from automatically reaching the round of 16.
How many times have Madrid and Benfica won the Champions League?
Madrid are the record winners of Europe’s premier club competition with 15 titles to their name, the last coming in 2024.
Benfica have lifted the trophy on two occasions, and both of those came in consecutive years.
In what was regarded as Benfica’s golden era, Portuguese legend Eusebio helped the team to wins against Barcelona in 1961 and Real Madrid in 1962.
A hat-trick from Hungary’s finest export, Ferenc Puskas, could not save Madrid as Benfica earned a 5-3 win that included a double from Eusebio.
Vinicius Jr scores a brilliant goal in the first leg against Benfica [Pedro Nunes/Reuters]
Real Madrid’s team news
Jude Bellingham, Dani Ceballos and Eder Militao have all been ruled out through injuries while centre back Dean Huijsen, who missed the 2-1 defeat at Osasuna over the weekend with a muscular problem, is a major doubt.
Winger Rodrygo will be unavailable due to a suspension but would anyway be a doubt as he struggles to recover from a hamstring issue.
Raul Asencio is available again after returning from suspension.
Vinicius Jr will be looking to score for the fifth game in a row as he is set to start up front alongside Mbappe.
Reigning champions Arsenal had to kick off their campaign against record eight-time winners Lyon, who they beat in the semi-finals last season.
This time they lost and they were also beaten by Bayern Munich in the league phase, meaning they had work to do to qualify.
It was a nervy few months but victories against Real Madrid and FC Twente helped Arsenal finish fifth in the table. They were handed a favourable tie in their knockout play-offs, avoiding more established European teams like Wolfsburg and Juventus to take on competition debutants OH Leuven, who they had already beaten 3-0 in the league phase.
They bettered that scoreline in the first leg, winning 4-0, but Arsenal boss Renee Slegers insisted it was not straightforward, saying her side just found form when it mattered.
“Ahead of the first game, we were very aware that Leuven had made it difficult for teams in Europe,” said Slegers after their 3-1 victory in the second leg.
“We actually played really well in Leuven and were clinical. When we go into the second game, we know we’re already 4-0 up, so it becomes a different game.”
United had to face Atletico Madrid, who have reached the main draw six times in the past decade, having also played them in the league phase.
The Spanish side are sixth in Liga F and 25 points adrift of leaders Barcelona.
The competition has been far from easy for United though, having to play three qualifying rounds before the league phase – coming from behind to beat Brann – and then meeting two-time winners Wolfsburg, Italian giants Juventus and record-holders Lyon in their group.
“For sure, it hasn’t felt easy. I’ve really enjoyed the structure of the Champions League to get here,” said United boss Marc Skinner. “It’s exposed us to different styles of play. The experiences have helped us grow quickly.
“You look back to when we played Lyon, the close Valerenga game and Juventus in the last game of the league phase – the growth is incredible from our team.”
Even Chelsea, who were top seeds and qualified directly for the quarter-finals, had to play fellow last-eight qualifiers Barcelona and Wolfsburg in the league phase.
They have Arsenal next, and could still face Lyon and Barcelona on route to the final.
BBC Sport pundit Leon Osman says he can see Anthony Gordon scoring more goals in the Champions League if Newcastle United continue to play him up front with Nick Woltemade in behind, after the Englishman scored four goals in his side’s 6-1 win over Qarabag in the knockout round play-offs.
Champions League Match of the Day pundit Guillem Balague, who attended Real Madrid’s match at Benfica on Tuesday, explains the aftermath of the alleged racist incident between Vinicius Jr and Gianluca Prestianni.
The chair of Kick It Out, Sanjay Bhandari, says the lack of support from Benfica and the response of their manager Jose Mourinho has “set the tone” in the racism row between the Portuguese club and Real Madrid, after Vinicius Junior alleged he had been racially abused by midfielder Gianluca Prestianni.
