Galatasaray beat Liverpool again
4 - Mario Lemina's seventh-minute goal was enough for Galatasaray to defeat Liverpool 1-0 at home, just as they had done in the league phase. It leaves the Turkish champions on the cusp of making a second quarter-final appearance in the UCL, 13 years since their last showing. Gala have had a strong home record in Europe for quite some time now, but they are now four without defeat against English teams at home (3-1-0).
2 - Liverpool will have to play from behind in this tie, something they have not done well in recent years. The Reds have not progressed from a two-legged tie in which they lost the first leg since 2018/19, when they last won the UCL. Arne Slot's men had no problems finding the back of the net during the league phase, but this was just the second time this term they were kept off the scoresheet. Of course, the other loss to Galatasaray was on the other occasion.
16 - Newcastle were on the precipice of a big result against Barcelona, but they could not hold on. Lamine Yamal's 96th-minute goal cancelled out Harvey Barnes' opener 10 minutes prior as the match ended 1-1 at St. James' Park. It would have been the Magpies' second-ever win over the Catalans. Instead, they head to Spain next week in a more difficult position. Newcastle had 16 shots in the first leg, outshooting their opponents.
3 - Barca will be relieved to have come out of that match with a result, seeing just how close they were to defeat. Hansi Flick's men were given all they could handle at Tyneside as they failed to replicate the result from matchday 1. To make the quarter-finals for the third year running, they will have to be much better at home. Blaugrana have now failed to win any of their last three away matches in the UCL knockout stages.
17 - Atletico Madrid ran rampant in the opening quarter of their 5-2 defeat of Tottenham at the Estadio Metropolitano, giving them one firm foot in the last eight. Los Rojiblancos raced to a 4-0 lead inside 25 minutes, adding a fifth in the second half to pull off a big win. Diego Simeone's side did what they could not in the league phase - beat an English club. Atleti's home domination in Europe continued, as they have scored in their last 17 home games in Europe.
12 - It was another torrid result for Spurs, who are in deep crisis at the moment. Last season's Europa League holders are in danger of relegation in the Premier League, and now their UCL elimination appears to be all but a certainty. Overturning a three-goal deficit will be quite the tall order for a team who have lost their last six in all competitions. Across their away games in Europe this term, they have conceded 12 times in total.
6 - If there is one team who have next to no chance of moving past this round, it is Atalanta. The Bergamaschi conceded thrice in each half in their 6-1 reverse against a rampant Bayern Munich. Mario Pasalic's marker at the end was nothing more than a mere consolation for La Dea, who would have to pull off the comeback of the century next week. The six goals were the most Atalanta have ever conceded in a European match.
28 - There was no joking about by Bayern, who are set to make the last eight of the Champions League for the seventh season running. Vincent Kompany's charges were in command from the get-go, never giving their opponents a chance. It is the second season in a row in which the Bavarians have managed to score six or more times in a continental match. In total, they have found the back of the net a whopping 28 times this term.
English clubs struggle as Bodo win again
9 - Like Newcastle, Bayer Leverkusen thought they had managed an important first leg success against league phase winners Arsenal, only for former player Kai Havertz to convert a late penalty. That led to Die Werkself having to settle for a 1-1 draw at home. While it is still not a bad result, they would have been in a better position had they kept the clean sheet. That was the fifth draw for Bayer in the UCL this campaign, the most they have had in a European season in nine years.
5 - That late goal will certainly give Mikel Arteta's Gunners the confidence they need to successfully negotiate this tie. It was a struggle for Arsenal to break down their German opponents, and they will be relieved to avoid defeat. With that in mind, they will need to up their level for the return leg next Tuesday. Arsenal had the best defence in the league phase, and with the goal they let in, that was just the fifth they conceded this term.
8 - Bodo/Glimt's incredible story just got even better on Wednesday night. Goals from Sondre Fet, Ole Blomberg, and Kasper Hogh saw them past Sporting CP 3-0 in Aspmyra. The Norwegians are now 90 minutes away from becoming the second club from their country to make the final eight of the Champions League. Their rise from near-bankruptcy to a potential third European quarter-final in five years is remarkable. In their three games against Portuguese clubs, all of which they have won, Bodo have scored eight times.
27 - Sporting have a mountain to climb in the return leg at home. Despite Bodo's exploits over the last month and a half, few would have expected them to take a three-goal cushion with them to Portugal against a strong Sporting side. Leoes have never won a knockout round match in the UCL, which has to be considered as surprising. It was just their second defeat in seven versus Norwegian opposition, the other coming 27 years ago in the UEFA Cup.
15 - Paris Saint-Germain have a sizeable advantage in their tie after a couple of late goals to top Chelsea 5-2. The defending champions twice led, only to be pegged back on both occasions. In the end, they found three goals that went unanswered and will look to finish off the tie next week. Across nine European matches between the two, PSG have now scored 15 times, more than any other side has done versus Chelsea.
14 - Liam Rosenior's Blues will have to do it the hard way here as their struggles on the road continued in the French capital. Their late collapse could be the difference between them standing a chance at Stamford Bridge and being essentially all but out. The last time they were in the UCL, they did overcome a first leg defeat on the road at this very stage, something PSG will have to be wary of. In total, Chelsea have conceded 14 away goals in the UCL this term, at least two per game.
22 - Real Madrid have retaken the lead in their head-to-head with Manchester City thanks to a statement 3-0 victory. Los Blancos, who have reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the last five years, look set to extend that streak with this result. The record winners got the job done in the first half through their Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde, who netted a hat-trick. The three goals were scored in the space of 22 minutes.
13 - After winning at the Santiago Bernabeu during the league phase, the Cityzens will be disappointed to have beaten so convincingly this time around. It now leaves them requiring at least three at the Etihad, something they managed to do just once during the league phase. Otherwise, City's European journey will be over at the hands of Real for the second consecutive season. It was the 13th time that Pep Guardiola's men lost to Spanish opposition in European action.