MADRID (AP) — The Madrid derby will take center stage in the Champions League Round of 16. Atlético Madrid has finally taken a commanding position to potentially outpace Real Madrid in European competition.
Real Madrid, holder of the record with 15 European titles, has been a thorn in Atlético’s side in the Champions League over the years. The Merengues have defeated their city rival in two finals and knocked them out in the other two encounters when they met in the knockout rounds.
But Atlético arrives for the first leg on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabéu in one of its best runs under manager Diego Simeone, buoyed by the belief that they can face their eternal foe on equal terms.
The round of 16 begins this week to cap the inaugural season of a revamped Champions League format that featured a group stage followed by a playoff round.
The other Round of 16 matchups will include the local rivalry between the German clubs Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, and the heavyweight clash of Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool.
Atlético de Madrid arrives at the Madrid showdown in good form. The club sits ahead of its rival in the Spanish league standings and one point behind Barcelona, which leads the table.
Atlético has not lost any of its matches this season against Madrid or Barcelona. In La Liga, they beat the Catalan club 2-1 in Barcelona and drew 1-1 in both meetings with Real Madrid.
Atlético has not fallen to its city rival in four straight meetings, dating back to when it eliminated the local rival in the Copa del Rey’s Round of 16 last season.
“Previous matches don’t count for anything. For Madrid it will be spectacular, for Spain it will be very good as well, and for us, as we go out to play, we’ll enjoy it—this is a very important match,” Simeone said before the clash with Real Madrid. “With a lot of respect, but ready for whatever comes.”
Simeone’s side finished fifth in the group stage, while Madrid ended up eleventh and had to play additional playoff matches against Manchester City.
The last time Atlético faced Madrid in the Champions League, they were eliminated in the semifinals in 2017. They also lost the final in 2014 and 2016, and the quarterfinals in 2015.
In total, Atlético has won only three of its ten meetings with Madrid in UEFA competitions, with five losses and two draws.
Champions League Round of 16 Schedule 2025: First-leg and Second-leg Dates
- PSG vs. Liverpool (March 5 and March 11)
- Club Brugge vs. Aston Villa (March 4 and March 12)
- Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid (March 4 and March 12)
- PSV vs. Arsenal (March 4 and March 12)
- Benfica vs. Barcelona (March 5 and March 11)
- Borussia Dortmund vs. Lille (March 4 and March 12)
- Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen (March 5 and March 11)
- Feyenoord vs. Inter (March 5 and March 11)
Fans can follow the action on Paramount+ in the United States, Max in Mexico, and Disney+ in Latin America.
PSG vs. Liverpool
Liverpool, the Premier League leaders, finished the group phase in first place, but there was no reward in the next round as they must face Paris Saint‑Germain in the Round of 16.
PSG had been faltering in the group stage and finished 15th, but found momentum in the playoffs, crushing Brest 3-0 in the first leg and 7-0 in the return at home.
Liverpool won seven of their eight Champions League matches this season, with their only defeat coming at PSV Eindhoven on the final day, when they had little to lose.
Benfica vs. Barcelona
A Barcelona squad in good form, posting the second-best campaign in the group phase, will face a familiar foe in Benfica.
The two clubs met in the group stage, with Barcelona taking a dramatic 5-4 victory in Lisbon. They had also collided in the 2021-22 group stage when Benfica stunned Barcelona 3-0 at home and then held them to a 0-0 draw in Lisbon, results that helped prevent the five-time champions from advancing to the knockout rounds at that time.
PSV vs. Arsenal
PSV Eindhoven was one of the group-stage surprises, pulling off a 3-2 win over Liverpool, and then knocking Juventus out in extra time in the playoffs.
Now they face another in-form Premier League club: Arsenal, currently second in England behind Liverpool and finishing third in the group stage.
Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen
A purely German clash pits a Leverkusen side that finished sixth in the group phase against a Bayern team that required a stoppage-time goal from Alphonso Davies to advance past Celtic in the playoffs.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen sits eight points behind Bayern in the Bundesliga, yet they did not permit a single shot on target in the 0-0 league draw last month.
Other Matchups
Borussia Dortmund, runners-up last year, will face Lille, who finished seventh in the group stage with wins over Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid.
Aston Villa also turned heads in the group stage, suffering only one loss to finish eighth and set up a Round of 16 meeting with Club Brugge, who beat Villa 1-0 at home in November. Brugge knocked out Atalanta in the playoffs.
Inter Milan conceded only one goal — in a 1-0 defeat to Leverkusen — en route to fourth place in the group. Now they’ll face Feyenoord, who will rely on Robin van Persie as their third coach this season.
