Champions League Play-offs 2024-25: Return matches to be played this Tuesday, February 18

The play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 to determine the remaining eight teams that will advance to the round of 16 are reaching their climax. This Tuesday, February 18, and Wednesday, February 19, the return matches will take place to define the series that were left open after the commitments from last Tuesday, February 11, and Wednesday, February 12.

In many of these matchups, there is no clear winner in sight. In light of this, at FCBN we keep you informed about the status of these series, as well as the details of the return matches, the schedules, possible line-ups, and the rivals they might face, among other aspects.

For Tuesday, February 18, the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 will feature four exciting matchups:

1. AC Milan vs. Feyenoord
2. SL Benfica vs. AS Monaco
3. Atalanta vs. Club Brugge
4. Bayern Munich vs. Celtic F.C.

1. AC Milan - Feyenoord

San Siro will be the venue where AC Milan and Feyenoord will determine which team will qualify for the round of 16. For this matchup, the Dutch team has the advantage on the scoreboard, having secured a narrow victory of 1-0 in the first leg in Rotterdam.

It was in the early moments of the match when Igor Paixão, in the 3rd minute, tipped the balance in favor of his team, leaving the tie completely open. A close encounter is expected, similar to the first leg, where the 'rossoneri' will need to step up if they want to overturn the deficit against a determined Feyenoord.

• Kick-off time: 18:45 (CET)
• Broadcast: Movistar Liga de Campeones (ESP)
• Possible rivals in the round of 16: (4th) Inter Milan or Arsenal (3rd) 

PROBABLE LINE-UPS:

• AC Milan: Maignan; Walker, Tomori, Pavlović, Theo Hernández; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulišić, João Félix, Rafael Leão; Santiago Giménez
• Feyenoord: Wellenreuther; Read, Beelen, Hancko, Smal; Moder, Milambo; Hadj Moussa, Ivanušeć, Paixão; Carranza

2. SL Benfica - AS Monaco

The tie between SL Benfica and AS Monaco is another that, like the one between AC Milan and Feyenoord, remains extremely tight after the first leg, which took place at the Stade Louis-II in Monaco. The final score was a narrow 0-1 in favor of the Lisbon team thanks to a goal from the relentless 'killer' of the 'Eagles', Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored in the 48th minute.

In this matchup, SL Benfica showed superiority in the flow of the game, even playing with one more man for almost an entire half, but they failed to convert more goals due to a lack of precision. Now they have the mission to close the tie at Estádio da Luz as hosts.

• Kick-off time: 21:00 (CET)
• Broadcast: Movistar Liga de Campeones 2 (ESP)
• Possible rivals in the round of 16: (2nd) FC Barcelona or Liverpool (1st) 

PROBABLE LINE-UPS:

• SL Benfica: Trubin; Araújo, António Silva, Otamendi, Álvaro Carreras; Barreiro, Kökkü, Amdouni; Aktürkoğlu, Pavlidis, Schjelderup
• AS Monaco: Majecki; Diatta, Salisu, Kehrer, Henrique; Akliouche, Camara, Minamino, Ben Seghir; Embolo, Biereth

3. Atalanta - Club Brugge

Another of the matches on this Tuesday's UEFA Champions League schedule will feature one of the current leaders of Italian football, Atalanta, who will host Club Brugge at Gewiss Stadium. In the first leg, which was quite intense, the final score was 2-1 in favor of the Belgians, but it was surrounded by controversy.

Despite Brugge dominating the first half and scoring with a goal from Ferran Jutglà in the 15th minute, the 'Dea' managed to equalize with a goal from Mario Pašalić in the 41st minute. The second half was dominated by Atalanta, however, the score tilted in favor of the Belgians with a goal from Gustaf Nilsson in the 90+4 minute, through a controversial penalty called against the Italians, a highly questionable decision due to a dubious foul.

• Kick-off time: 21:00 (CET)
• Broadcast: Movistar Liga de Campeones 3 (ESP)
• Possible rivals in the round of 16: (7th) LOSC Lille or Aston Villa (8th) 

PROBABLE LINE-UPS:

• Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Posch, Djimsiti, Kolašinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Éderson, Zappacosta; De Ketelaere, Pašalić; Lookman
• Club Brugge: Mignolet; Seys, Ordóñez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Onyedika, Jashari; Talbi, Vanaken, Tzolis; Jutglà

4. Bayern Munich - Celtic F.C.

Finally, in the match that closes this first round of play-off eliminations, Bayern Munich will face Celtic F.C. at the Allianz Arena, home of the Bavarian team. This return match will conclude a first leg that ended with a tighter result than initially expected, as it finished 1-2 in favor of the Bavarians with goals from Michael Olise in the 45th minute and Harry Kane in the 49th.

These goals were answered with a goal from Daizen Maeda in the 79th minute in a match where the Scots put up a fight in their stadium, Celtic Park, even coming close to equalizing the score at the end of the match. This did not happen thanks to an impressive save by Manuel Neuer, who prevented the German team from returning home with a 2-2 tie in the series.

• Kick-off time: 21:00 (CET)
• Broadcast: Movistar Liga de Campeones (ESP)
• Possible rivals in the round of 16: (6th) Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético de Madrid (5th) 

PROBABLE LINE-UPS:

• Bayern Munich: Neuer; Stanisić, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Musiala, Sané; Kane
• Celtic F.C.: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; McGregor; Engels, Hatate; Kühn, Maeda, Jota