Champions League predictions: 7th round

If you’re not yet enamored with this brand new phase of the league, these final two matchdays may well put you on the other side of the divide.

The extension of the Champions League means that we will get continental games in January, but by the end of the month we will know who has secured a place in the round of 16 and who will compete in the two-leg play-off.

The 36-team table remains tight, only adding to the intrigue, and we can’t say for sure if it will take shape after the penultimate matchday ends.

Here’s how 90 min predicts the seventh round in 2024/25 Champions League will take place.

As usual, there will be two early kick-offs on each day of the Champions League. Tuesday starts with the top eight Aston Villa traveling to Monaco, and Atalanta welcome Sturm Graz to Bergamo.

Europa League holders Atalanta have suffered a slump in recent weeks but are expected to cruise at home to boost their chances of a top-eight finish before they travel to Barcelona next week. Villameanwhile they are fifth, winning four of six games. Monaco were once in a strong position but have since lost back-to-back games and are now on the outside looking in on the game.

Atletico Madrid a remarkable run of form has pushed them to the top of La Liga and three straight league wins means they should move into the top eight with another win over Bayer Leverkusen. Fourth-placed Leverkusen bounced back after suffering a heavy defeat at Anfield in the fourth round.

Liverpool and Barcelona both are on the verge of securing their places in the round of 16. They face each other Lille and Benfica that is, on Tuesday evening.

Slovan Bratislava they are one of three teams without points and are facing a lack of form Stuttgart a side hoping to sneak into the knockout play-offs. Bundesliga compatriots Borussia Dortmund download a Bologna sides that met under Vincenzo Italiano. Dortmund is ninth in the league table, but the Italians have collected only two points so far.

Juventus have surprisingly won more than they have drawn in the league stage, and will be looking to build on the momentum gained from a 2-0 home win over AC Milan this weekend, against Club Brugge. The Belgians look good for a place in the play-offs, after equaling Juve’s three wins.

PSV they are a few points behind and in a rather uncertain position. They are 23rd and currently entering the play-offs, but should benefit from meeting the Red Star Belgrade a team that has lost five of its six appearances in the Champions League so far.

The key game of matchday arrives on Wednesday night, but before we head to Paris, RB Leipzig Welcome Sporting CPstill unsure of themselves in a world without Ruben Amorim, in Saxony, doc Brest visit Shakhtar Donetsk.

Leipzig is already out of the competition and is only playing for pride, while Sporting fell to 17th place after back-to-back defeats. Brest have embarked on a remarkable campaign to this point, winning four games and will have one foot in the last 16 if they win their penultimate encounter.

PSG and Manchester City met in the semi-finals of this competition less than four years ago, now the pair are fighting only for passage to the knockout stage. PSG have suffered amid a tough schedule and enter this match 25th in the standings. City, on the other hand, is 22nd and just one point ahead.

Pep Guardiola’s perennial domestic champions have shown signs of rediscovering their most potent form in recent weeks, while PSG they opened up a nine-point lead at the top of Ligue 1.

Bayern Munich They look set to win the Bundesliga title again this season, with three straight league wins putting them in an ominous position. They are aiming to win their fourth European game on the bounce Feyenoord on Wednesday.

holders, Real Madridthey haven’t had it all their own way this term and Carlo Ancelotti’s men still have work to do to secure even a place in the play-offs. They should have no problem against RB Salzburg at home, however, Arsenal and Between they are also expected to cement their positions in the top eight as they meet Dinamo Zagreb and Sparta Prague respectively.

Celtic have competed fiercely in the league stage after years of struggling in Europe, and their Champions League campaign should get an incredible boost in February with victory over the bottom-of-the-table Young Boys at Celtic Park.

Girona The first adventure in this competition appears to be coming to an end, but they will no doubt enjoy another big day away as they face AC Milan at San Siro. The Rossoneri could be a tricky opponent in the knockout stages with former Inter winger Sergio Conceicao at the helm.

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