Champions League Matchday 8: Key stats
The UEFA Champions League league phase reaches its final, high-pressure night on Wednesday, January 28, with every game kicking off at 21:00 CET.
Fifteen teams have already booked their place in the next round, Arsenal and Bayern München are already guaranteed a round-of-16 spot, and four clubs are out — leaving 17 teams fighting for the remaining knockout places, News.Az reports, citing UEFA.
Here’s what to watch in every Matchday 8 fixture, with the standout stats shaping each game.
Ajax vs Olympiacos
Ajax and Olympiacos have split their six UEFA meetings evenly (two wins each, two draws), last facing off in the 1998/99 Champions League group stage. Ajax’s recent pattern is risky: they’ve conceded first in all seven league-phase matches this season. Olympiacos arrive with momentum, chasing rare history — back-to-back away wins in the Champions League proper would be only the second time they’ve managed it, and they’re also looking for consecutive wins in the same edition for the first time since 2015/16.
Arsenal vs Kairat Almaty
Arsenal have been the league-phase standard-setters: seven wins from seven, and no team has won all eight matches since this format began. They’ve also scored first in every league-phase game and hit 3+ goals in five straight. Kairat, meanwhile, are winless in 10 UEFA matches (three draws, seven losses), making this a classic “perfect record vs upset attempt” night.
Monaco vs Juventus
These sides only meet in big moments: all six previous encounters came in Champions League knockout rounds — and Juventus won all three ties. Monaco have been solid at home lately, losing only one of their last seven Champions League league/group home matches and keeping two straight clean sheets there. Juventus bring form too, chasing a fourth consecutive Champions League win, while Weston McKennie is one goal away from becoming the first U.S. player to score in four straight matches in the competition proper.
Athletic Club vs Sporting CP
The head-to-head is perfectly balanced (two wins each), but Sporting’s record in Spain is brutal: no wins in 14 away UEFA games against Spanish opposition. Athletic have been strong at home in Europe (seven wins in their last ten), and Gorka Guruzeta has scored four in his last five Champions League appearances. Sporting can counter with Luis Suárez, who has four goals across their last six Champions League matches.
Atlético de Madrid vs Bodø/Glimt
Atlético have been dominant at home in this competition, with one loss in 18 (13 wins, four draws) and 12 wins in their last 13 at home. But there’s one big warning sign: Atleti haven’t kept a clean sheet in 10 league-phase games. Bodø/Glimt rarely blank — they’ve failed to score in just two of their last 23 UEFA matches, and they’ve hit two+ goals in five of seven league-phase games this season.
Leverkusen vs Villarreal
Villarreal have had the edge historically, unbeaten in four prior UEFA meetings (three wins, one draw). Still, Leverkusen are generally reliable at home in Europe, losing just two of their last 17 home UEFA matches — but they’re also winless in their last four (two draws, two losses). Villarreal’s current Champions League trend is even tougher: 10 matches without a win, and four straight away losses without scoring.
Borussia Dortmund vs Inter
Dortmund’s home record is elite: just one loss in 21 Champions League home games (13 wins, seven draws). A win would also be their 100th in European Cup/Champions League history. Inter, however, arrive under pressure — they’ve lost three straight matches in this edition, and their recent trips to Germany in the league phase have been rough (five losses in their last six).
Club Brugge vs Marseille
Their only previous meetings were in 1992/93, when Marseille won both. Club Brugge have already shown they can hurt French teams this season (a 4–1 home win vs Monaco) and have lost only two of their last eight home UEFA matches vs French opposition. Marseille are chasing a rare achievement: back-to-back away wins in the Champions League proper for the first time since 2010/11.
Frankfurt vs Tottenham Hotspur
Frankfurt are stuck in a European slump: just one win in nine UEFA matches and winless in six straight. Tottenham, meanwhile, are trending the other way — unbeaten in six vs German teams (four wins, two draws), scoring first in their last four Champions League games, and keeping four clean sheets in five in the competition.
Barcelona vs Copenhagen
Barcelona are relentless scorers: they’ve scored in 26 of their last 27 Champions League matches, and none of their last 42 UEFA games ended 0–0. They’re also unbeaten in eight vs Danish sides. Copenhagen’s confidence comes from improvement — unbeaten in three Champions League matches (two wins, one draw), and they’ve had rare success vs Spain recently, including a 3–2 away win at Villarreal on Matchday 6.
Liverpool vs Qarabağ
Anfield has been a fortress in the league phase, even with a recent stumble: Liverpool had won 16 straight home league/group games before losing to PSV on Matchday 5. They’ve still won 17 of their last 20 league-phase/group matches overall. Qarabağ’s England record is harsh — winless in eight vs English teams and four losses in four trips — but they’ve been scoring freely in Europe, with two+ goals in eight of their last ten UEFA games.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Newcastle United
Their only prior meetings came in 2023/24, with Newcastle winning 4–1 at home before a 1–1 draw in Paris. PSG have been strong at home (two losses in 18 league/group matches) and have scored four+ goals in three of their last four home league-phase games. Newcastle’s key headline is Anthony Gordon: six goals in seven Champions League appearances this season — already among the club’s best-ever Champions League scoring marks.
Manchester City vs Galatasaray
City’s home dominance was finally cracked when Leverkusen ended a 23-game unbeaten home run in the league/group phase. Now the pressure is real: another defeat would mean back-to-back Champions League home losses, something City haven’t suffered since a three-match streak spanning 2017/18–2018/19. Galatasaray’s away form in Europe is shaky (one win in 12), but they’re chasing history too: two more goals would make them the first Turkish club to reach 250 European Cup/Champions League goals.
Pafos vs Slavia Praha
A brand-new Champions League matchup: Cyprus vs Czechia in the competition proper for the first time. Pafos have been difficult to beat at home in Europe (one loss in ten), but their overall form is inconsistent (one win in eight). Slavia’s drought is the biggest storyline: winless in 14 UEFA matches, and winless in 18 Champions League proper games dating back to 2007.
PSV Eindhoven vs Bayern München
Bayern have dominated this head-to-head (six wins in eight), and they’ve been consistently strong in the league phase, winning 10 of their last 12. PSV’s numbers are tougher: winless in five vs German clubs, and only two wins in their last nine Champions League matches. Harry Kane remains a headline-maker with Bayern: 26 Champions League goals in 32 appearances for the club.
Union Saint-Gilloise vs Atalanta
Union SG have struggled in this Champions League run, losing five of six matches. Atalanta arrive with a strong away profile — just two losses in 14 league/group away matches (nine wins, three draws), plus two straight away wins without conceding. Keep an eye on Gianluca Scamacca, who has scored in consecutive Champions League appearances.
Benfica vs Real Madrid
A classic European nameplate with surprisingly few meetings — just three historic ties — but the modern trend favors Madrid: unbeaten in their last 10 vs Portuguese teams (eight wins, two draws), including four straight away wins. Benfica’s long-term record against Spanish opposition is poor (three wins in 25). The headline stat belongs to Kylian Mbappé: his 11 goals this season match the record for the most in a single Champions League group/league campaign (Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2015/16 mark).
Napoli vs Chelsea
Their last Champions League meetings were unforgettable: Napoli won 3–1 in 2012, then Chelsea stormed back with a 4–1 extra-time win — and went on to lift the trophy. Napoli are typically fierce at home vs English clubs (eight wins in 11), while Chelsea’s away record in Italy is a major concern (two wins in 13). Chelsea’s current European consistency is strong, though: only two losses in their last 12 league/group matches, and none of their last 55 UEFA matches ended 0–0.
After Matchday 8, attention flips immediately to the knockout calendar: the play-off draw is Friday, January 30, the two-leg play-offs are 17/18 and 24/25 February, and the draws for the round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals follow on February 27.
By Aysel Mammadzada
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