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After every member of Europe's elite survived the painfully protracted Champions League league phase, some of the big boys finally began to fall in the play-off round. Manchester City were obviously the most noteworthy victim, with the 2023 winners taken apart by Kylian Mbappe at Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid romped to a 6-3 aggregate win that sent a stark warning to every other team in the tournament.
Paris Saint-Germain also announced themselves as dark horses by routing poor Brest 10-0 on aggregate, while Borussia Dortmund cruised past Sporting CP, who collapsed after losing coach Ruben Amorim to Manchester United. Elsewhere, Benfica edged Monaco in a cracking tie, Bayern Munich stumbled past Celtic while Italy lost three teams in the one round, with Juventus upset by PSV, Atalanta stunned by Club Brugge and AC Milan shocked by Feyenoord.
But how has Friday's draw for the last 16 affected the overall picture? Whose hopes of taking home the trophy have receded and who's perfectly placed to go all the way? GOAL ranks the remaining teams in terms of their chances of outright victory based on their form, opponents, momentum, pedigree and quality...
Previous update: February 20, 2025. Teams eliminated in the play-off round: AC Milan, Atalanta, Monaco, Celtic, Sporting CP, Manchester City, Brest & Juventus.