Nick and Taylor provide a comprehensive analysis of the first ever Champions League Playoff round, which absolutely lived up to the hype. The Playoff round featured a blockbuster rematch for the fourth-straight season between Real Madrid and Manchester City, two Italian vs Dutch matchups (including a rematch between PSV and Juventus from Matchday 1), a rematch between Benfica and Monaco from Matchday 5, an all-French affair between PSG and UCL debutants Brest, and several other entertaining ties. Our European football experts dissect the tactics, goals, blunders, and endless drama from a riveting Playoff round that paved the way to the last 16.

Timestamps:

03:03 Real Madrid vs Manchester City

22:48 PSV vs Juventus

39:29 Atalanta vs Club Brugge

49:50 Milan vs Feyenoord

01:05:00 Benfica vs Monaco

01:12:34 PSG vs Brest

01:20:56 Bayern vs Celtic

01:30:17 Dortmund vs Sporting

Taylor analyzes the complete slate of Matchday 8 fixtures from the Champions League group phase. This epic conclusion featured sixteen fixtures in which at least one club had something to play for: a top-8 finish, a seeded playoff spot, or an unseeded playoff spot. As eighteen clubs had mathematically secured a top-24 finish after Matchday 7, nine clubs competed for the remaining six playoff spots, including PSV, Club Brugge, Benfica, PSG, Sporting, Stuttgart, Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb, and Shakhtar Donetsk. Additionally, only Liverpool and Barcelona had mathematically secured top-8 finishes with an automatic bye to the round of 16, which meant that every club behind them fought heroically to secure safe passage to the last 16. And, well, then there was Sturm Graz, Leipzig, Young Boys, and Crvena Zvezda, who essentially played meaningless friendlies with absolutely nothing at stake. There was certainly no shortage of drama, delight, and despair.

Timestamps:

City vs Club Brugge 1:20-04:38

Stuttgart vs PSG 04:39-07:43

Dinamo Zagreb vs Milan 07:44-13:20

Sporting vs Bologna 13:21-17:17

PSV vs Liverpool 17:18-22:45

Barcelona vs Atalanta 22:46-24:58

Leverkusen vs Sparta Praha 24:59-26:41

Aston Villa vs Celtic 26:42-30:07

Lille vs Feyenoord 30:08-36:32

Juventus vs Benfica 36:33-39:42

Dortmund vs Shakhtar 39:43-44:04

Inter vs Monaco 44:05-47:31

Brest vs Real Madrid 47:32-50:35

RB Salzburg vs Atletico Madrid 50:36-54:02

Girona vs Arsenal 54:03-56:06

Bayern vs Slovan Bratislava 56:07-58:00

Sturm Graz vs RB Leipzig 58:01-59:20

Young Boys vs Crvena Zvezda 59:21-1:01:24

Group Phase Outcomes vs Predictions: 1:01:25-01:05:28

Playoff Round Preview: 01:05:29-01:16:40

Playoff Round Predictions: 01:16:41-01:17:34

Nick and Taylor return just in time to provide comprehensive analyses of Matchday 7 in the Champions League with just days to go before the final League Phase matchday! Our European football experts explain what went wrong for Benfica and Manchester City, how Feyenoord somehow scored three on a dominant Bayern side, and how Atletico Madrid adapted to overturn seemingly impossible odds. Matchday 7 featured 2/8 clubs securing automatic round of 16 placements, 18/24 total clubs securing the playoff round at minimum, and 9/12 clubs becoming mathematically eliminated from reaching the playoff round. As Matchday 8 draws near, Nick and Taylor highlight the must-see matches, and provide the scenarios that certain clubs face in what promises to be an electric, chaotic final day.

Time Stamps:

0:00-6:05 Intro & FIFA Club World Cup Talk

6:06-32:00 Benfica vs Barcelona

32:01-50:38 Atletico Madrid vs Leverkusen

50:39-1:02:14 Bologna vs Dortmund

1:02:15-1:11:46 Liverpool vs Lille

1:11:47-1:15:33 Monaco vs Aston Villa

1:15:34-1:19:29 Crvena Zvezda vs PSV

1:19:30-1:21:30 Slovan Bratislava vs Stuttgart

1:21:31-1:23:59 Atalanta vs Sturm Graz

1:24:00-1:25:59 Club Brugge vs Juventus

Wednesday, 01/22/2025:

1:26:00-1:41:32 Feyenoord vs Bayern

1:41:33-1:50:32 PSG vs Manchester City

1:50:33-1:54:50 Leipzig vs Sporting

1:54:51-1:56:26 Shakhtar vs Brest

1:56:27-1:59:24 Milan vs Girona

1:59:25-2:01:38 Sparta Praha vs Inter

2:01:39-2:03:39 Real Madrid vs Salzburg

2:03:40-2:05:04 Celtic vs Young Boys

2:05:05-2:07:28 Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb

2:07:29-2:12:18 Matchday 8 Notable Fixtures & Conclusion