UEFA Champions League Predictions: Matchday 3/18

It wasn’t quite the night of remontadas on Tuesday, although Sporting CP were able to produce something special in Lisbon to cruelly bring to an end Bodø/Glimt’s Champions League fairytale.

Chelsea and Manchester City were seemingly each uninspired by Sporting’s heroics, as they bowed out of the competition to European heavyweights with varying degrees of a whimper. City at least threatened to stun Real Madrid, while the Blues struggled to lay a glove on the holders.

However, Arsenal guaranteed Premier League representation in the last eight, with Tottenham Hotspur and certainly Newcastle United not yet dead and buried. It’ll take a mini-miracle from Igor Tudor’s Spurs, but this competition has a knack of facilitating the bizarre.

Here’s how Sports Illustrated predicts Wednesday’s second legs will play out.

Barcelona vs. Newcastle United

Lamine Yamal — Barça were fortunate to escape St. James’ Park with a result. | Julian Finney/UEFA/Getty Images

Kick-off time: 5:45 p.m. GMT / 1:45 p.m. ET / 10:45 a.m. PT

Wednesday’s early kick-off may well be the most intriguing of the bunch, given how Newcastle United performed against the La Liga champions and current leaders last week.

Barça, who won on Tyneside at the start of the league phase, succumbed in ways that so many teams have done in the past to Eddie Howe’s Magpies under the lights, yet they found a way to escape English shores with a result. Lamine Yamal’s stoppage-time penalty means the tie is locked at one apiece.

While Yamal’s strike would seemingly leave the Blaugrana with the advantage, Newcastle are capable of capitalizing on Barça’s distinct vulnerabilities. In fact, they seemed to lay a blueprint for potential success at the Camp Nou on Saturday evening, when they beat Chelsea 1–0.

Still, it’ll take Newcastle’s greatest European night for them to advance.

Prediction: Barcelona 3–1 Newcastle

Bayern Munich vs. Atalanta

Konrad Laimer, Kamaldeen Sulemana — Bayern thumped Atalanta 6–1 in the first leg. | Francesco Scaccianoce/UEFA/Getty Images

Kick-off time: 8 p.m. GMT / 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT

Bayern Munich were nothing short of majestic in Bergamo last week, with their 6–1 victory all but making sure of their place in the quarterfinals.

Vincent Kompany will be without a couple of last week’s lead protagonists in Munich, including Michael Olise, but the Belgian was always going to rotate heavily for the return leg. Never before has a team overturned a five-goal deficit in Champions League history, and Atalanta won’t be doing anything ludicrous on Wednesday.

However, there’s a chance for La Dea to save face. Raffaele Palladino will undoubtedly revert to a back three after going 4-4-2 last week, and the visitors will also have Éderson and Charles De Ketelaere available at the Allianz Arena.

Expect the second leg to be far more competitive, but it’ll likely have an exhibition feel.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 2–2 Atalanta

Liverpool vs. Galatasaray

Virgil van Dijk — Livepool were beaten at RAMS Park for a second time this season. | Burak Basturk/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

Kick-off time: 8 p.m. GMT / 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT

The pressure point in the later set of fixtures arrives at Anfield, where Liverpool are aiming to overturn a 1–0 deficit against Galatasaray.

The Reds have now succumbed twice at RAMS Park in this season’s Champions League, but Arne Slot’s side could’ve easily escaped Istanbul with a result despite a rather abject showing.

A slender loss was by no means a disaster, but Liverpool have only twice lost the first leg of a knockout tie in this competition and subsequently advanced. Still, Galatasaray have a wretched away record against Europe’s elite and almost exclusively relied on their home form during the league phase to reach the playoffs.

Their collapse in Turin during the previous round will encourage the Reds, who desperately need to enjoy a special night on Merseyside amid growing discontent at Anfield.

Prediction: Liverpool 3–1 (AET) Galatasaray

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Atlético Madrid

Kick-off time: 8 p.m. GMT / 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT

Tottenham Hotspur’s kamikaze defeat in the Spanish capital was unlike anything so many have seen, with Antonin Kinsky’s nightmare Champions League debut thrusting Atlético Madrid into a 3–0 lead inside 17 minutes.

His withdrawal after an egregious mistake, which allowed Julian Álvarez to tap home, led to Igor Tudor pulling the plug, but the Czech’s replacement, Guglielmo Vicario, was powerless to stop the hosts from scoring a fourth just minutes later.

An admirable recovery means they’re 5–2 behind at the halfway mark, and Atléti’s indifference on the road, combined with the feel-good result at Anfield, has deluded some supporters, whose world was crashing down barely 72 hours ago, that Tudor’s men may actually do something remarkable on Wednesday night.

Plenty will be content with another victory, even if it’s not enough to advance, to maintain some momentum heading into their considerably more important Premier League duel with Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

Prediction: Tottenham 2–1 Atlético Madrid

Matchday 3/18 Predictions

Kick-Off Time	Fixture	Prediction
5:45 p.m. GMT / 1:45 p.m. ET	Barcelona vs. Newcastle United	3–1 (4–1 agg)
8 p.m. GMT / 4 p.m. ET	Bayern Munich vs. Atalanta	2–2 (8–3 agg)
8 p.m. GMT / 4 p.m. ET	Liverpool vs. Galatasaray	3–1 AET (3–2 agg)
8 p.m. GMT / 4 p.m. ET	Tottenham vs. Atlético Madrid	2–1 (3–6 agg)