play1:52Burley: Real Madrid don’t look like they can win the Champions LeagueCraig Burley assesses Real Madrid’s Champions League hopes after their second leg playoff win over Benfica.
play1:26Moreno: PSG could get exposed in Champions League knockoutsAlejandro Moreno reacts to PSG’s progression to the Champions League knockouts after a 5-4 aggregate win over Monaco.
play1:32Klinsmann: Inter exit to Bodø/Glimt ‘hugely embarrassing’Jurgen Klinsmann brands Inter’s Champions League exit at the hands of Bodø/Glimt as a “catastrophe” for the Serie A leaders.
play2:22Leboeuf & Marcotti clash over late penalty decision for AtalantaFrank Leboeuf and Gab Marcotti discuss the penalty decision that sent Atalanta to the Champions League knockouts.
play2:17Why is Woltemade playing out of position for Newcastle?Craig Burley and Steve Nicol try to make sense of Newcastle using striker Nick Woltemade in a deeper role.
Sam TigheCloseSam TigheESPNSam is a writer, broadcaster and podcaster for ESPN. He will write on the Premier League, scouting and transfers.Follow on X, Mark OgdenCloseMark OgdenSenior Writer, ESPN FCMark Ogden is a senior soccer writer for ESPN.com. Read his archive here and follow him on Twitter: @MarkOgden_.Follow on X, Julien Laurens, Gab MarcottiCloseGab MarcottiSenior Writer, ESPN FCGabriele Marcotti is a senior soccer writer for ESPN.com. Read his archive here and follow him on Twitter: @Marcotti.Follow on XMultiple AuthorsFeb 25, 2026, 08:24 PM ET
Q1. Real Madrid defeated Jose Mourinho’s Benfica 3-1 on aggregate, but were hardly convincing. Is winning while playing badly a sign of a champion team? Or are Los Blancos going to come undone in the Champions League sooner rather than later?
Q2. AS Monaco pushed Paris Saint-Germain all the way in their tie, with Les Parisiens eventually winning 5-4 on aggregate. Do the defending champions have enough in the tank to go back-to-back?
Q3. Bodø/Glimt are the story of the 2025-26 Champions League; making it further than any Norwegian team ever, racking up impressive wins over Atlético, Man City and Inter (twice) along the way. How far can this fairytale go? And does their performance give hope to those clubs outside Europe’s top five leagues when it comes to this competition?
Q5. Now that the playoff round is complete, which match are you hoping gets drawn in Friday’s last 16?
Marcotti: Juventus will have huge regrets over UCL exit (0:50)Gab Marcotti reacts to Juventus’ Champions League exit after their 7-5 aggregate loss to Galatasaray. (0:50)
Burley: Real Madrid don’t look like they can win the Champions LeagueCraig Burley assesses Real Madrid’s Champions League hopes after their second leg playoff win over Benfica.
Craig Burley assesses Real Madrid’s Champions League hopes after their second leg playoff win over Benfica.
Moreno: PSG could get exposed in Champions League knockoutsAlejandro Moreno reacts to PSG’s progression to the Champions League knockouts after a 5-4 aggregate win over Monaco.
Alejandro Moreno reacts to PSG’s progression to the Champions League knockouts after a 5-4 aggregate win over Monaco.
Klinsmann: Inter exit to Bodø/Glimt ‘hugely embarrassing’Jurgen Klinsmann brands Inter’s Champions League exit at the hands of Bodø/Glimt as a “catastrophe” for the Serie A leaders.
Jurgen Klinsmann brands Inter’s Champions League exit at the hands of Bodø/Glimt as a “catastrophe” for the Serie A leaders.
Leboeuf & Marcotti clash over late penalty decision for AtalantaFrank Leboeuf and Gab Marcotti discuss the penalty decision that sent Atalanta to the Champions League knockouts.
Frank Leboeuf and Gab Marcotti discuss the penalty decision that sent Atalanta to the Champions League knockouts.
Why is Woltemade playing out of position for Newcastle?Craig Burley and Steve Nicol try to make sense of Newcastle using striker Nick Woltemade in a deeper role.
Craig Burley and Steve Nicol try to make sense of Newcastle using striker Nick Woltemade in a deeper role.
The evening prior, Bodø/Glimt’s fairytale continued with a comprehensive 5-2 aggregate win over Internazionale, while Atlético Madrid and Newcastle United made light work of Club Brugge and FK Qarabag, respectively.
ESPN FC writers Mark Ogden, Sam Tighe, Julien Laurens and Gab Marcotti break down the action as it happened as we look ahead to the Round of 16.
– UCL as it happened: Gala’s extra-time win over Juve caps chaotic day – Kirkland: Viní Jr. brings star power, but worries abound for Real Madrid – O’Halloran: The secret behind Bodø/Glimt’s European success
Burley: Real Madrid don’t look like they can win the Champions League
Tighe: I’ve seen Real Madrid play extremely poorly a number of times this season, but that often hasn’t stopped them winning. As Gab notes, that’s the way of things when you have elite players in key positions. But at no point have I felt like Madrid’s individual quality and natural affinity with this tournament can override the fact that several other teams look streets ahead of them, and so therefore Los Blancos must be considered a long shot to win it all.
Moreno: PSG could get exposed in Champions League knockouts
Sporting, though, would be a different matter. Bodø have beaten City and won away against Atlético Madrid and Inter, so the team from Portugal will not hold any fears for Kjetil Knutsen and his players. And yes, every team outside the big leagues can take inspiration from Bodø. If you’re organised, recruit well, and have a smart coach you can beat the top teams.
Laurens: I agree with Oggy. Give Bodø/Glimt a date with Sporting, and they’ll be in the quarterfinals. However, if they face Guardiola’s side, they will have their midweeks free again; Bodø can’t beat Manchester City over two legs.
Klinsmann: Inter exit to Bodø/Glimt ‘hugely embarrassing’
I think they can shock anybody, but equally, they need a lot of things to go their way (like they did in the first leg against Inter). Let’s just call them the most unpredictable team left in the competition.
These players not only find themselves in the perfect environment, but they all feel like they have something to prove to the world. That’s a dangerous combination that knows no limit.
Laurens: Even Gab can be wrong sometimes! Before the start of Tuesday’s games, he told us: “Don’t worry, Inter and Atalanta will be fine…” Sadly if you are a Nerazzurri fan, you are not fine. Atalanta, seventh in Serie A, on their second manager of the season and who lost their best player, Ademola Lookman, in the January transfer window, are saving Italian football from total embarrassment. And it is not a surprise.
We watch Serie A every weekend: it’s the league with the most 0-0 draws (by far) this season amongst the big five leagues, the league with the least intensity (apart from Como and, to a lesser degree, Atalanta) amongst the big five leagues, the league where 40-year-old Luka Modric is one of the best players this season. And I could go on, too…
In 2023, Serie A had a finalist in each of the three European competitions. The Italians lost them all and, three years later, even those “successes” feel like a distant memory.
Tighe: There’s no doubt that certain members of Italy’s traditional top order feel weak right now. You only have to scroll back a handful of years to remember AC Milan and Inter duelling in a Champions League semifinal! Less than 10 years ago, Juventus signed Cristiano Ronaldo for €100 million as they sought to take the final step and win this competition. But now? Several traditional Serie A big guns appear to lack that presence at Europe’s top table.
That said, there must be some room for nuance here. Knockout tournaments are by nature quite random, something Inter can clearly attest to. They put up 2.29 xG in their 2-1 second-leg loss to Bodø/Glimt after smacking the woodwork several times in the first leg. It’s football, sometimes things go wrong. Add that to Napoli’s injury issues (and the fact they’re managed by Antonio Conte, who habitually struggles in Europe) and it’s worth considering whether some of this is just … circumstantial.
Leboeuf & Marcotti clash over late penalty decision for Atalanta
It’s amazing to think that, since Inter won the Champions League in 2010, only two European trophies have been won by Italian clubs: AS Roma (UEFA Conference League, 2022) and Atalanta (UEFA Europa League, 2024). The top players don’t play in Italy anymore and that’s ultimately why their clubs are failing in the Champions League.
Inter could have scored five in the first leg against Bodø, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Nor would we be having it if Florian Wirtz hadn’t taken a dive in injury time, because they’d be in Round of 16. Atalanta — sorry guys, I know you planned this question when you thought they were going out — are seventh in Serie A and knocked out Dortmund, second in the Bundesliga. And they did it without their best midfielder and two starting strikers. So maybe take a chill pill here.
The rest, especially Newcastle vs. Barcelona will be great to watch, like Atalanta vs. Arsenal, but all I ask of UEFA is that we get a ton of big club vs. big club matches in the next round!
Why is Woltemade playing out of position for Newcastle?
Ogden: I’m with Juls on this one. It feels like it’s taken forever to get to the games that matter in this season’s Champions League, but we’re finally here now, so let’s get as many heavyweights slugging it out against each other as possible.
But one tie that intrigues me is PSG vs. Chelsea/Barcelona because PSG are so difficult to gauge this season. Will they take revenge on Chelsea for beating them in the Club World Cup final, or will it be a resumption of their epic Champions League rivalry with Barça? Either way, PSG have two blockbuster games coming up.
Tighe: My one request to the draw gods is that they go easy on the all-domestic ties. The really fun part of the Champions League is watching teams who don’t play each other a minimum of twice a year lock horns, representing their nations’ reputations in the process.