On Tuesday, the second leg of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League knockout playoffs will take place, promising excitement. Club Brugge faces Atletico Madrid in a tight matchup, while Inter Milan seeks a comeback against Bodo/Glimt. Here’s a preview of the matches.
Club Brugge at Atletico Madrid
(3-3 on aggregate)
Atletico Madrid are the favorites at home against Club Brugge, despite a lively 3-3 draw in the first leg in Belgium. They won 4-2 against Espanyol recently, but will regret the three second-half goals they conceded last week. Atletico’s defense has been inconsistent, yet they are successfully scoring, thanks to Julian Alvarez and new signing Ademola Lookman.
Brugge is performing decently but lacks the star power of Atletico. They will be without Raphael Onyedika due to a suspension. While it’s tough to predict a clean sheet for Atletico, it seems equally challenging for Brugge to stop their scoring. This matchup promises to be entertaining. Prediction: Atletico Madrid 3 Club Brugge 2
Olympiacos at Bayer Leverkusen
(2-0 Bayer on aggregate)
Bayer Leverkusen has a 2-0 lead after the away leg and will focus on strong defense to move forward. Although they lost over the weekend, Olympiacos is struggling with goal scoring. Leverkusen will start backup goalkeeper Janis Blaswich and might not take many risks unless they concede early. A draw seems likely. Prediction: 0-0 Draw, Leverkusen advances
Qarabag at Newcastle
(Newcastle 6-1 on aggregate)
This UEFA Champions League matchup may not be highly anticipated. Qarabag’s run in Europe likely ends here, having conceded 6 goals at home to Newcastle. Anthony Gordon scored 4 of those goals. Although Newcastle recently lost to Manchester City, Qarabag needs to attack freely to have any chance of scoring in this match, but they may find themselves conceding as well. Some starters for Newcastle, including Bruno Guimaraes, will miss the match. Prediction: 4-1 Newcastle
Bodo/Glimt at Inter Milan
(Bodo/Glimt 3-1 on aggregate)
Inter Milan is facing a challenging situation after losing 3-1 to Bodo/Glimt in the first leg. Despite strong Serie A title hopes after a win against Lecce, they need to turn this tie around. Bodo’s players, Kasper Hogh and Jens Petter Hauge, were instrumental in their first-leg success, scoring fast goals after Bodo took the lead. Francesco Pio Esposito scored for Inter in that match. While Inter maintained more possession and had more shots, they are missing key player Lautaro Martinez due to injury, which limits their scoring options.
Inter has solid defensive capabilities, but they need to focus on attacking goals. If they succeed, it would mark a significant milestone for Norwegian football, as it has been over 30 years since a team from Norway advanced past this stage. Inter welcomes back Denzel Dumfries, and Bodo Glimt is fit for this match. They should be capable of pushing the match into penalties, but scoring in Italy will be crucial. Prediction: Inter Milan 2-0, Inter Milan advances on penalties