The UEFA Champions League is the pinnacle of club football in Europe, with only the best teams from across the continent qualifying for this prestigious tournament. As we approach the business end of the competition, 16 teams remain with dreams of being crowned champions of Europe.
In this in-depth guide, we analyze the recent results, league position and upcoming fixtures of each Champions League challenger. Read on for the latest form guide and key insights on the teams still fighting for Champions League glory.
Arsenal’s Irresistible Attack Firing on All Cylinders
Current Form: WWWWLL across all competitions Most Recent Result: 6-0 win away at West Ham in the Premier League League Position: 1st in Premier League
Arsenal have emerged as shock Premier League title contenders this season, playing an exhilarating brand of attacking football. The Gunners demolished West Ham 6-0 away from home in their last league outing, with Bukayo Saka grabbing a brace to bring up 50 goals for the club.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been simply irresistible going forward, scoring 20 goals in their last 6 games. With the likes of Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli in scintillating form, Arsenal will fancy their chances of pulling off an upset when they travel to Portugal to face Porto in the Round of 16.
Atlético Madrid Stuttering After Impressive Run
Current Form: LLDWWW across all competitions
Most Recent Result: 1-0 loss away at Sevilla in La Liga League Position: 4th in La Liga
After a run of five straight wins in all competitions, Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid have hit a poor run of form lately. Los Rojiblancos were knocked out of the Copa Del Rey by Athletic Bilbao and were beaten 1-0 by Sevilla in their last league game.
With just one win from their last five games, Atlético have lost the momentum they had built up in the new year. The usually solid Spanish outfit has been unusually porous defensively, keeping just one clean sheet in their last 11 matches.
Atlético face a tricky Round of 16 tie against Italian giants Inter Milan, and need to rediscover their best form quickly to progress further.
Prolific Barcelona Leaking Goals Despite Offensive Firepower
Current Form: DWWLLW across all competitions Most Recent Result: 3-3 home draw against Granada in La Liga
League Position: 2nd in La Liga
Barcelona have been exceptional going forward under new coach Xavi this season, scoring at least one goal in their last 19 matches across all competitions. However, their progress has been hampered by defensive lapses, with the Spanish giants keeping just three clean sheets in that 19-game period.
Barca played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at home against relegation battlers Granada in their last league game, despite taking the lead three times. With star striker Robert Lewandowski scoring at will, they have enough firepower to trouble any team. But Barcelona’s hopes of conquering Europe again depend on shoring up their leaky backline.
Bayern Munich Stumble After Domineering Group Stage
Current Form: LLWWWL across all competitions Most Recent Result: 1-0 loss away at Lazio in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg League Position: 1st in Bundesliga
Bayern Munich dominated their Champions League group, strolling to six wins from six while scoring 18 goals. However, the German champions showed rare vulnerability in their Round of 16 first leg away at Lazio, suffering a shock 1-0 loss.
That defeat ended Bayern’s run of 17 wins from their last 18 Champions League matches. With prolific striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting misfiring lately, Bayern suddenly look vulnerable as they seek their seventh European crown. The Bavarian giants still have work to do to turn this tie around in the second leg.
Courageous Copenhagen Break Danish Duck with Bold Display
Current Form: LWWLLD across all competitions Most Recent Result: 1-3 home loss against Manchester City in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg League Position: 2nd in Danish Superliga
As Danish champions, Copenhagen qualified for the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2016. After negotiating a tricky group containing Man City, Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla, the Danish minnows continued to enhance their reputation by putting up a brave fight against City in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie.
Despite losing 3-1 at home, Copenhagen made history by becoming the first Danish side to score in the Champions League knockout rounds thanks to a goal from Magnus Mattsson. The Danish outfit will be heavy underdogs again in the second leg, but their European adventure has already exceeded expectations.
Borussia Dortmund Finding Consistency After Inconsistent First Half
Current Form: WDWWWD across all competitions Most Recent Result: 3-0 home win against Freiburg in the Bundesliga League Position: 3rd in Bundesliga
After blowing hot and cold in the first half of the Bundesliga campaign, Borussia Dortmund are finally finding some consistency under new manager Edin Terzic. BVB stretched their unbeaten run to eight games across all competitions by comfortably dispatching Freiburg 3-0 in their last league outing.
With star forwards Donyell Malen and Niclas Füllkrug both hitting top form, Dortmund have scored 13 goals during their ongoing unbeaten run. They appear to be peaking at the right time ahead of their tricky Round of 16 tie against free-scoring Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven.
Rampant Inter Milan Hit Top Form Ahead of Knockout Stages
Current Form: WWWWWW across all competitions Most Recent Result: 4-2 away win against Roma in Serie A League Position: 1st in Serie A
Inter Milan have been in scintillating form since the Serie A season resumed after the World Cup, winning seven straight matches in all competitions. A 4-2 triumph away at top four rivals Roma was the latest statement of intent from Simone Inzaghi’s chargers.
Prolific striker Lautaro Martinez has been central to Inter’s stunning form, taking his season’s tally to 22 goals with six strikes in his last five appearances. With a 13-point lead atop the Serie A table, Inter can focus their energy on conquering Europe for the first time since 2010.
In red-hot form, the Nerazzurri will fancy their chances of dispatching Atlético Madrid in the Round of 16.
Lazio Riding High at Home Ahead of Bayern Munich Showdown
Current Form: WWLDLW across all competitions Most Recent Result: 1-0 home win against Bayern Munich in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg League Position: 5th in Serie A
Lazio are enjoying a terrific debut Champions League campaign thus far. The Italian outfit finished second to Feyenoord in their group and pulled off a major upset by beating Bayern Munich 1-0 at home in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie.
The Romans have built an intimidating fortress at their Stadio Olimpico home, losing just one of their last 13 European matches in the Italian capital. With Bayern looking unusually vulnerable right now, Lazio have a genuine chance of progressing further at the German powerhouse’s expense.
Ailing RB Leipzig Lose Momentum Ahead of Real Madrid Showdown
Current Form: LDWLLL across all competitions Most Recent Result: 0-1 home loss against Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg League Position: 5th in Bundesliga
After defying expectations to make the Champions League knockouts, RB Leipzig have come back down to earth in recent weeks. The German upstarts have won just once in their last seven games across all competitions.
Leipzig failed to score for the first time in 20 home European matches as they lost 1-0 at home to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie. With erratic form plaguing their domestic campaign as well, Leipzig face a daunting task to turn this tie around at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Rampaging Manchester City on Brink of Record Winning Run
Current Form: WWWWWW across all competitions Most Recent Result: 3-1 away win against Copenhagen in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg League Position: 1st in Premier League
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are in the form of their lives, winning their last 11 matches across all competitions. A 3-1 win away at Danish minnows Copenhagen extended their phenomenal winning streak and has them on the verge of a record-breaking 12th straight victory.
Playmakers Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva have been central to City’s success in Europe, always delivering in the big knockout games. City have fallen short in painful fashion in recent Champions League campaigns, but with momentum on their side, this could be the year they finally claim the elusive European crown their domestic dominance deserves.
Free-Scoring Napoli Faltering on Their Travels
Current Form: LWDLWW across all competitions
Most Recent Result: 1-0 loss away at AC Milan in Serie A League Position: 3rd in Serie A
Napoli have established themselves as Serie A’s great entertainers under Luciano Spalletti this season, playing some breathtaking soccer. However, worrying cracks are starting to show for the Partenopei, who have gone six straight games without a win on their travels, losing five of those matches.
A 1-0 defeat away at fellow Scudetto chasers AC Milan was the latest setback for Napoli. With home comforts hard to come by in the Champions League knockout stages, Napoli need to regain solidity on the road quickly before hosting free-scoring Barcelona at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie.
Paris Saint-Germain Building Momentum in Hunt for Elusive European Crown
Current Form: WWWWDW across all competitions Most Recent Result: 2-0 home win against Real Sociedad in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg League Position: 1st in Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain have been building momentum at just the right time as they resume their perennial quest to be crowned kings of Europe. PSG are unbeaten in 17 matches across all competitions, winning 13 of those games.
Star striker Kylian Mbappé bagged both goals as the French giants beat Real Sociedad 2-0 at home in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie. With Mbappé unrelenting in front of goal lately, PSG carry plenty of attacking threat and will be hopeful of avoiding another painful Champions League exit.
Off-Color Porto Stumble Ahead of Arsenal Test
Current Form: LDWWWW across all competitions Most Recent Result: 3-2 loss away at Arouca in the Primeira Liga
League Position: 1st in Primeira Liga
FC Porto have dominated the Portuguese league once again this season, holding an eight-point lead atop the table. However, their domestic form has dipped lately heading into the business end of the Champions League.
The Dragons suffered only their third league defeat of the season last time out, going down 3-2 away at struggling Arouca. That ended Porto’s eight-game unbeaten streak in all competitions. They will need to improve defensively to contain free-scoring Arsenal in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie at the Estádio do Dragão.
Prolific PSV Remain Unbeaten in Eredivisie
Current Form: WDWLDW across all competitions Most Recent Result: 5-1 win away at Volendam in the Eredivisie
League Position: 1st in Eredivisie
Spearheaded by veteran striker Luuk de Jong, PSV Eindhoven have been unstoppable domestically this season. De Jong has already racked up 26 goals as PSV extended their unbeaten start to the Eredivisie campaign to 21 matches, winning 19 of those games.
A 5-1 thrashing of Volendam made it back-to-back wins for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s men ahead of their tough Round of 16 test against Borussia Dortmund. PSV have the firepower to trouble any team left in the competition, with de Jong in the form of his life.
Real Madrid Extend Perfect Champions League Record Despite Domestic Struggles
Current Form: WWDWWW across all competitions Most Recent Result: 1-0 away win at RB Leipzig in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg League Position: 2nd in La Liga
Real Madrid have not been at their best in La Liga this season, falling eight points behind rivals Barcelona in the Spanish title race. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s men have maintained immaculate form in continental competition.
A hard-fought 1-0 win away at RB Leipzig was Los Blancos’ seventh victory from seven Champions League outings this term. No team has ever won all seven of their group stage games and gone on to lift the trophy in the same campaign – a statistic Real will be eager to rewrite as they seek a record-extending 15th European crown.
Real Sociedad Pay Price for Faltering Form
Current Form: LLDDDW across all competitions Most Recent Result: 0-2 home loss against PSG in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg League Position: 6th in La Liga
After making an impressive start to the La Liga season, Real Sociedad’s form has fallen off a cliff since the turn of the year. The Basque outfit are winless in seven matches across all competitions, losing five of those games including both legs of their Copa Del Rey semi-final against Athletic Bilbao.
A 2-0 home defeat against PSG in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie means Sociedad have now lost all three of their Round of 16 matches in the competition. With hopes of a top four La Liga finish also fading, it has been a 2023 to forget so far for Sociedad.
The business end of the Champions League is here, with all 16 remaining contenders dreaming of being crowned kings of Europe. But with thrills and spills guaranteed in the upcoming knockout ties, expect plenty more twists and turns before the champions are crowned in Istanbul on June 10.
