The Champions League knockout stage play-off second-legs take place this week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, as 16 clubs fight it out for the eight remaining places in the last-16.
Below, we delve into a selection of stats that could come to life this week.
Stats you might see
Newcastle vs Qarabag
- A Newcastle win would see them record their most ever victories (6) in a Champions League season, while they could also claim their biggest ever aggregate win in Europe.
Newcastle ran riot in Azerbaijan last week wheere they thrashed Qarabag 6-1 thanks to an electrifying first-half four-goal blitz from Anthony Gordon, which all but sealed the Magpies’ place in the last-16.
A win in the return leg at St James’ Park would see Newcastle accumulate six wins in a Champions League season for the first time, but the bigger question now is likely to be how many goals the Toon can score in front of their own fans. The club’s record for the biggest aggregate European win stands at eight goals, set against Royal Antwerp (10-2) in the 1994-95 UEFA Cup – a club record they could well topple on Tuesday night.
As for Qarabag, an unthinkable comeback would, unsurprisingly, see them make history as the first team in European competition to overturn a first-leg deficit of five or more goals in a knockout tie.
Atletico Madrid vs Club Brugge
- Diego Simeone has advanced from every Champions League knockout tie in which his side avoided defeat in the first-leg away from home – a streak he could extend to five.
Atletico Madrid and Club Brugge played out a 3-3 thriller in Belgium last week, with Brugge fighting back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to score an 89th-minute equaliser.
Atletico’s veteran boss Diego Simeone has advanced from all four Champions League knockout stage ties in which his side have avoided defeat away from home in the first leg, a record that will be put to the test on Tuesday night as Club Brugge bid to become just the second Belgian team this century – after Anderlecht – to eliminate a Spanish opponent in the knockout stages of a major European competition.
Inter Milan vs Bodø/Glimt
- Bodø/Glimt can become the first Norwegian side to progress in a European Cup/UEFA Champions League knockout stage tie since Lillestrøm back in 1987-88.
Bodø/Glimt stunned last season’s runners-up Inter Milan 3-1 in Norway to give them a two-goal advantage heading into the return clash at the San Siro.
Bodø/Glimt, who are still in their off season, previously carved out superb wins over Man City and Atletico Madrid in the league phase and now find themselves in an excellent position to become the first Norwegian team to advance in a European Cup/Champions League knockout tie since Lillestrøm in 1987-88.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan will be hoping to bounce back and become the first club since Liverpool in 2018-19 to qualify from a two-legged Champions League knockout tie following a 2+ goal defeat in the first leg away from home.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Olympiakos
- Olympiakos could become only the third club to progress from a European Cup/UEFA Champions League knockout game after losing the first leg at home by 2+ goals.
Olympiakos have it all to do in their bid to reach the last-16 after they slipped to a 2-0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg.
The Greek side can, however, take encouragement from back-to-back away wins in the competition – against Kairat and Ajax – as they travel to Germany aiming to become just the third club, after Manchester United and Ajax, to overturn a home first-leg defeat of two or more goals in a European Cup/Champions League knockout tie.
Real Madrid vs Benfica
- Real Madrid are looking to reach the last-16 for the 29th season in succession.
Real Madrid and Benfica meet for the third time in a row in this season’s competition. Benfica claimed a dramatic 4-2 win over Los Blancos on the final day of the league phase to book their place in the playoffs, but then fell to a 1-0 defeat to the same opponents last week.
So, it’s advantage Real Madrid at the Bernabeu as the 15-time winners head into the second-leg bidding to reach the last-16 for the 29th successive season, a run which dates back to 1996-97; a season in which they weren’t involved in any European competitions for the first time since 1977-78.
PSG vs Monaco
- Monaco could lose their six consecutive two-legged tie in UEFA competition.
Defending champions PSG fought back from two goals down after just 18 minutes to beat French rivals Monaco 3-2 at the Stade Louis-II, which kept alive their chances of retaining the trophy they won in spectacular fashion last season.
History doesn’t bode well for Monaco, who have endured a torrid time in European knockout competitions, having lost each of their last five straight two-legged ties, including a 4-3 aggregate defeat to Benfica last season.
Meanwhile, PSG have won six of their last seven Champions League knockout ties and 19 of their last 20 European ties in which they were victorious in an away opening match.
Juventus vs Galatasaray
- Juventus could lose their sixth straight knockout tie.
Juventus endured a nightmare in Istanbul, collapsing to a 5-2 defeat against Turkish champions Galatasaray in the first leg despite having led the game 2-1. It marked the largest-ever European Cup knockout victory for a Turkish club and handed the Lions a commanding three-goal cushion ahead of the return leg in Turin.
Galatasaray have progressed from all eight previous European ties in which they held a three-goal advantage after the first leg. Juventus, meanwhile, are weighed down by recent history in the competition, having been eliminated in each of their last five knockout ties since 2018-19.
Atalanta vs Borussia Dortmund
- Serhou Guirassy can become only the sixth player to score 20 goals within his first 28 Champions League appearances.
Borussia Dortmund secured a 2-0 win away to Atalanta in the first-leg courtesy of goals from Serhou Guirassy and Maximilian Beier.
In Guirassy, Dortmund have a player with a very impressive record in the competition, having scored 19 goals in just 27 appearances. If he scores another on Wednesday, he will become only the sixth player to score 20 goals in his first 28 Champions League matches after Erling Haaland (14 matches), Harry Kane (24), Alessandro Del Piero (26), Ruud van Nistelrooy (27), and Filippo Inzaghi (28).
