Tuesday brings the first legs of the Champions League knockout playoffs, with a whole host of big names forced to fight for their futures in the competition.
Fate has handed Real Madrid a chance at revenge against Benfica after a shock 4–2 defeat to José Mourinho’s Portuguese outfit on the final day of the league phase saw them dumped out of the automatic qualification spots.
Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain must go through Monaco to reach the round of 16, while last season’s beaten finalists, Inter, face a tricky test against Bodø/Glimt.
As we prepare ourselves for two days of enthralling affairs, here’s how Opta’s supercomputer sees the first leg of each tie playing out.
Supercomputer Predicts Champions League Knockout Playoff First Legs
Tuesday
The action kicks off in Türkiye, where Galatasaray host Juventus in Tuesday’s first game. A late resurgence saw Juve climb up to 13th in the league standings, giving them a slight edge in this one despite the hosts’ impressive home form.
While Juventus rose up the rankings late on, Italian rivals Atalanta endured the opposite fate. Automatic qualification was within reach before back-to-back losses dumped them into the playoffs, where they face a tough meeting with Borussia Dortmund. It’s the Germans who are backed to get the victory in Tuesday’s first leg.
As we learned in the final matchday of the league phase, predicting meetings between Benfica and Real Madrid is nearly impossible. Given this one is a two-legged affair, expect Mourinho’s side to play with much more caution, although the supercomputer believes that could play into Real Madrid’s hands.
Finally on Tuesday, we have Monaco vs. PSG, a fixture with plenty of recent history. Luis Enrique’s champions haven’t been themselves this season but are still seen as significant favorites to secure a result against a Monaco side sitting eighth in Ligue 1.
| Fixture | Home Win % | Draw % | Away Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galatasaray vs. Juventus | 29.9% | 26.1% | 44% |
| Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta | 47.5% | 24.6% | 27.9% |
| Benfica vs. Real Madrid | 28.7% | 24.3% | 47% |
| Monaco vs. PSG | 20.7% | 22.8% | 56.5% |
Wednesday
We head to Azerbaijan for Wednesday’s first game as Qarabağ host Newcastle United. The hosts drew with Chelsea during the league phase but ended with a 6–0 thumping at the hands of Liverpool. The supercomputer does not give Qarabağ much hope to start this tie.
Beaten finalists Inter will fancy their chances against Bodø/Glimt, but such arrogance came back to bite the last two opponents of the Norwegian side, who defeated Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in their final two league outings. Nevertheless, Inter remain heavy favorites.
Atlético Madrid managed to tank the momentum built from their 4–0 win over Barcelona with a 3–0 defeat at the hands of Rayo Vallecano, but Diego Simeone’s side are still backed to steady the ship with victory over Club Brugge in Belgium.
| Fixture | Home Win % | Draw % | Away Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qarabağ vs. Newcastle | 15.8% | 20.6% | 63.6% |
| Bodø/Glimt vs. Inter | 23.8% | 23% | 53.2% |
| Club Brugge vs. Atlético Madrid | 27.9% | 24.6% | 47.5% |
| Olympiacos vs. Bayer Leverkusen | 39.5% | 26.7% | 33.8% |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Supercomputer Predicts Champions League Playoff First Legs: Real Madrid Out for Revenge.
