Football Trips to the Champions League: These clubs have reached the Knockout stage

What an exciting eighth matchday in the Champions League! 18 matches simultaneously, 4 German teams between direct round of 16 and complete knockout, we’ve watched it all for you and show teams for which Champions League tickets from the round of 16 are worth it.

So, where did you follow this historic January 29, 2025, in European competition? There was no shortage of entertainment.

BVB fluctuated for a long time between direct round of 16 qualification and playoffs in their 3-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk. The fact that Borussia Dortmund only made it to the playoffs (February 13 / 20, 2025) was partly due to a newcomer.

Aston Villa made it to the top 8 with a 4-2 win against Celtic Glasgow. "The Villans" had handed Bayern Munich (1-0) their first loss across all competitions on matchday 2. No doubt, something is still possible at Villa Park starting from the round of 16 (March 6 / 23, 2025).

 

How unpredictable the new Champions League format is was shown by the final standings. None of the four semi-finalists from 2024, Real Madrid, BVB, Bayern, and Paris Saint-Germain, made it directly to the round of 16.

Along with Stuttgart, the semi-finalist from 2020, RB Leipzig, is completely out. However, that was already decided before the final league match. "It would be arrogant to question the format just because of our poor performance," said RB Leipzig's sporting director Marcel Schäfer to the magazine SPORT BILD (Issue 5 / 2025).

Yes, because in this format, every point counts. And if you play against the almost invincible teams, you might play for three hours without scoring. Of course, we’re talking about Inter Milan, who, as the fourth-placed team in the group stage, conceded only a single goal – and that, of course, was on matchday 6 in their 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen.

That the German championship 2024 was no one-hit wonder was proven by the Leverkusen team not only against Inter.

They are the only one of the five German teams to be confirmed for the round of 16, having comfortably defeated already-eliminated Sparta Prague (2-0) and can look forward to more Champions League nights under the Bayer Cross.

Football trips Champions League: At Anfield, but also in Leverkusen, it can get magical...

From personal experience, I can tell you: It’s definitely worth it. Floodlit games at BayArena have their own magic.

This is, of course, also true for Anfield, where the first winner of the new Champions League format plays. FC Liverpool advanced confidently with 21 of 24 possible points, and their 2-0 win against Real Madrid was a memorable night at Anfield Road.

However, it’s not just football trips and tickets for FC Liverpool for the Champions League with English participation – FC Arsenal also excelled, finishing third in the final standings.

Better than "The Gunners" were only Liverpool and FC Barcelona, who made the strongest impression among the teams from Spain’s La Liga.

Barcelona continue at in the Olympic Stadium

“Barça” will play their home games in the knockout phase at the Olympic Stadium Lluís Companys (event-breaks.com reported), and the completely renovated Spotify Camp Nou will probably only be ready for their return leg of “El Clasico” against Real Madrid. We’ll have to wait and see.

The Estadio Metropolitano of Atlético Madrid was the venue for the 2019 Champions League final – and based purely on their home record, you have to consider the team of coach “El Cholo” Diego Simeone as one of the favorites.

Atlético Madrid won three of their four home matches, with only the unpredictable underdog OSC Lille (1-3) spoiling a better record.

Football trips Champions League are in demand. The new format attracts fans. With the five German teams Bayern, Bayer 04, BVB, RB Leipzig, and VfB Stuttgart, 2024/2025 saw slightly more fans traveling than last year. On average, 2,630 German football supporters traveled, compared to 2,590 in 2023/2024.

Who do Bayern and BVB play in the round of 16 playoffs?

Not being in the top 8 doesn’t mean being completely out. Bayern Munich will play in the playoff games (February 11 / 18, 2025) against either Celtic Glasgow or Manchester City, who narrowly avoided elimination with a 3-1 win against Club Brugge.

Borussia Dortmund will face either Brugge or Sporting Lisbon.