First leg of the Champions League knockout play-offs: Real faces Mourinho again, PSG clashes with Monaco

The 2025/26 Champions League knockout play-offs are set to begin in the early morning of February 18 and 19, featuring many intriguing pairings.

First leg of the Champions League play-off round promises unpredictable developments as traditional powerhouses and dark horses enter this decisive phase.

Benfica vs Real Madrid

The highlight is the rematch between Benfica and Real Madrid. The two sides recently produced a thrilling 6-goal encounter in the previous fixture, where Benfica won 4-2. Historically, the Portuguese club defeated Real in the 1962 European Cup final and eliminated the royal team in the 1964/65 quarter-finals.

However, Real Madrid boasts an impressive record with 10 wins in their last 12 Champions League knockout ties and has qualified for the knockout stage for 29 consecutive seasons. Kylian Mbappé’s explosive form, scoring 13 goals in 7 matches this season, including 8 goals in the last 3 games, remains a major asset for the La Liga side.

Galatasaray vs Juventus

The head-to-head history slightly favors the Turkish club with 2 wins in 6 Champions League meetings, while Juventus has only 1 victory. Galatasaray is about to reach their 200th match in Europe’s premier competition and is just 2 goals away from the 250-goal milestone.

The Istanbul team has also remained unbeaten at home against Italian clubs for decades. Meanwhile, Juventus has not lost any first-leg matches in their last 6 two-legged UEFA ties, showing resilience in knockout games.

Monaco vs PSG

Monaco faces PSG in the first-ever all-French tie in UEFA competition. Although Monaco has lost their last 5 knockout ties in Europe, they have only been defeated once in their last 7 Champions League matches and kept 4 clean sheets in 6 games.

On the other hand, PSG has shown consistency by winning 6 of their last 7 two-legged Champions League ties and losing only 2 of their last 12 UEFA matches, maintaining a streak of 14 consecutive seasons reaching the knockout stage.

Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta

Borussia Dortmund meets Atalanta again after their Europa League encounter in 2017/18, where the German side advanced with a 4-3 aggregate. Dortmund has won only 1 of their last 7 matches against Italian teams in UEFA competitions, but a victory now would mark their 100th Champions League win. Atalanta has proven tough against German clubs, losing just 2 of 11 matches and winning the last 3 without conceding.

In the other ties, Qarabağ makes its debut in the knockout stage, becoming the first Azerbaijani team to do so, while Newcastle also embarks on their first Champions League knockout journey. Club Brugge hosts Atletico in a matchup with balanced historical records and remains unbeaten at home against the Spanish side.

Bodø/Glimt faces Inter, a team that reached two finals in the last three seasons and won 6 of their last 7 two-legged ties. Olympiacos meets Leverkusen, with the Greek side on a three-game winning streak, while Leverkusen needs just one more goal to reach 200 goals in the Champions League.