Last week was bad, really bad.
Six Premier League clubs in the Champions League round of 16. Six. And not one of them won their first leg. Chelsea lost 5-2 to PSG in Paris. Manchester City got torn apart 3-0 at the Bernabéu. Liverpool lost to Galatasaray. Tottenham were beaten 4-1 by Atlético Madrid. It was an embarrassment dressed up in expensive kits.
And now tonight and tomorrow night, they have to do something about it.
Let’s be honest about where each of these ties actually stands.
Arsenal vs Leverkusen tonight is the one that feels most alive. The first leg finished 1-1 at BayArena, with Havertz coming off the bench to score a penalty against his former club and rescue the draw. It’s level on aggregate. Arsenal are at home so this is genuinely winnable and of the six Premier League sides, Arsenal are the one going in with real confidence off the back of a nine-point league lead and serious momentum. But Leverkusen are disciplined, organised, and made Arsenal work hard in Germany. This one could genuinely go either way.
Chelsea vs PSG is a different story entirely. Chelsea need to score three goals against the reigning Champions League holders without conceding. PSG took them apart in Paris, the 5-2 scoreline actually flattered Chelsea. This isn’t impossible, nothing in football is impossible but it’s close. If they do it, it’s one of the great Champions League nights at Stamford Bridge. If they don’t (and the realistic expectation is that they won’t) it’s another early exit for a club that has spent a fortune trying to be relevant in Europe.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid. City need to overturn a 3-0 deficit against the most experienced knockout team in the history of this competition. Even in their peak years under Guardiola this would have been a mountain. Right now with the squad unsettled and questions everywhere, it feels like a cliff. Real Madrid will come to Manchester, sit deep, absorb pressure, and hit City on the break exactly the way they always do in these situations. The Etihad crowd will push but unless City score early and often, this tie is done. Madrid know how to kill a game from a position of strength.
Then there’s Wednesday. Liverpool vs Galatasaray is a tie Liverpool can still win. They only need to overturn a 1-0 deficit, the smallest margin of any Premier League side and they’re at Anfield. If there’s one thing this Liverpool side can do it’s score goals. This is winnable and it has to be.
Newcastle vs Barcelona at St James’ Park is the one I’m most looking forward to. The sides drew 1-1 in the first leg so it’s level going into the second. No away goals rule so one side simply needs to win. Barcelona are formidable at home but Newcastle under their current setup have shown they can compete with anyone. Don’t sleep on this one.
And Tottenham, against Atlético. 1-4 down. In a relegation battle in their own league, I genuinely don’t know what to say. They are a club that has completely lost itself.
What tonight and tomorrow represent is a chance for English football to answer back. To say last week was a blip, that the Premier League’s quality is real, that these clubs belong at this stage.
But it has to be backed up by performances on the pitch, because right now the table tells a story and it’s not the one English football wants to be telling.
The Champions League doesn’t care about your transfer budget, It only cares what happens tonight.
