A final bout of Champions League action for the calendar year will be staged across Europe on Wednesday evening.
There are still two more league phase matches to come at the beginning of the new year, but the chance to end 2025 on a high in Europe’s premier competition arrives for 18 sides this Wednesday.
The battle between Real Madrid and Manchester City—two of the last three winners of the competition—will steal headlines, but there are intriguing clashes across the continent.
Here are Sports Illustrated’s predictions for the upcoming Champions League fixtures.
Qarabag vs. Ajax
Kick-off time: 5.45 p.m. GMT / 12.45 p.m. ET / 9.45 a.m. PT
Qarabağ have been surprise overperformers in this season’s Champions League. The Azerbaijani side won their opening two fixtures—including an incredible comeback win against Benfica—and have since picked up another point as they held Chelsea to a respectable draw.
They are in contention for progression to the play-off round and a positive result against strugglers Ajax would help stabilise their position.
Ajax already find themselves 14 points off PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie to compound last season’s late title collapse, with their form even worse in Europe. They are the only team without a point as they sit rooted to the foot of the table and they could be in for more heartbreak on Wednesday.
Prediction: Qarabağ 2–1 Ajax
Villarreal vs. Copenhagen
Kick-off time: 5.45 p.m. GMT / 12.45 p.m. ET / 9.45 a.m. PT
Villarreal have been unable to take their domestic form into the Champions League. They are currently third in La Liga and only five point behind table-toppers Barcelona, making their midweek difficulties all the more bizarre.
They have picked up just a single point from their five European games and have drawn four blanks in as many defeats. Their loss against Pafos was particularly bruising, while they have been swept aside by Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.
The visit of Copenhagen is about as kind as you can ask for in the Champions League, with the Danish side having amassed just four points themselves. They are also just fifth in the Superliga after a poor start to the season.
Prediction: Villarreal 3–1 Copenhagen
Athletic Club vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Athletic Club have been nowhere near as resilient as they were last season as they reached the Europa League semi-final and finished fourth in La Liga. A weekend win over Atlético Madrid eased some pressure, but they have still been underwhelming.
The most feared side in Europe visits Bilbao looking to further Ernesto Valverde’s European woes—Athletic having picked up four points and scored just four goals in five league phase outings.
Paris Saint-Germain fired five past Tottenham Hotspur in their last European excursion, albeit conceding three in the process, and they have also scored seven against Bayer Leverkusen this term. The defending champions are on course for a more modest victory at San Mamés.
Prediction: Athletic Club 0–2 PSG
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Newcastle United
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Newcastle United’s away record has been their major hurdle this term and they face a challenging European trip on Wednesday. Bayer Leverkusen have proven tough opposition under Kasper Hjulmand, who has overseen wins over Dortmund, Man City and Wolfsburg in the past five games.
Leverkusen have won 11 of their 18 games under Hjulmand and despite two defeats in their past three, they should make life incredibly awkward for Eddie Howe’s side as both teams look to climb the league phase table.
The Magpies were beaten by Marseille during their most recent Champions League clash and they could suffer defeat by the same scoreline in Leverkusen.
Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 2–1 Newcastle
Benfica vs. Napoli
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
José Mourinho and Antonio Conte, bitter touchline rivals, lock horns on Wednesday in Lisbon.
Mourinho, currently tasked with stabilising Benfica, has poked fun at Conte’s hair transplant and match-fixing scandal in the past, while the Napoli boss has referred to his fellow former Chelsea manager as a “little man.” Sparks should fly at Estádio da Luz.
On the pitch, there appears little to separate the sides. Napoli are second in Serie A, but their European form has been patchy to say the least, while Benfica have been poor on the continent but are tricky to beat.
No matter which way it swings, there is plenty of narrative to keep us entertained.
Prediction: Benfica 1–1 Napoli
Borussia Dortmund vs. Bodø/Glimt
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
A battle of the yellows will be staged on Wednesday when Bodø/Glimt make the lengthy trip from the Arctic Circle to Borussia Dortmund.
The Norwegians have been competitive during their debut campaign without picking up a victory. After successive 2–2 draws with Slavia Prague and Tottenham in their opening fixtures, they have suffered three hard-fought defeats since.
Another should be inflicted on them by Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park, with BVB thrashing their fellow yellows Villarreal 4–0 last time out. They will expect to run up the score against Bodø/Glimt as they chase automatic progression to the last 16.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3–1 Bodø/Glimt
Club Brugge vs. Arsenal
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Arsenal suffered only their second defeat of the season at the weekend and it was a soul-crushing one. They were beaten 2–1 at Aston Villa with the final kick of the game as their title aspirations were dented in spectacular fashion.
But such adversity shouldn’t rock the Gunners, who face the challenging trip to Club Brugge on Wednesday looking to maintain their perfect record in the league phase.
The Belgians have lost their three away games in Europe, but have beaten Monaco and drawn with Barcelona on home soil. They are much better on their own patch and should put up a fight—even if they’re not quite able to thwart the high-flying Gunners.
Prediction: Club Brugge 0–1 Arsenal
Juventus vs. Pafos
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Pafos have sprung a fair few surprises in their maiden campaign and showcased their never-say-die attitude during the 2–2 draw with Monaco in their most recent European outing. But their upcoming challenge should prove too great.
While they have only been beaten once in the Champions League, they will be hard-pushed to keep Juventus at bay on their travels, especially with the Italians desperately needing victory having picked up just six points to date—the same number as Pafos.
Juve have made a decent start to life with Luciano Spalletti in the hot seat, winning four and losing just one of eight matches in all competitions, but they no longer boast the same firepower and quality as they did a decade ago.
Prediction: Juventus 2–0 Pafos
Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
Kick-off time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Wednesday’s standout fixture promises to deliver unbridled chaos.
A fixture that has been staged across the past three Champions League campaigns—all meetings coming in the knockout stages—sees a confident but defensively fragile Man City team travel to the out-of-sorts record European champions.
Both sides boast phenomenal forward lines and penetrable defences, meaning goals are almost guaranteed. Man City are in stronger form but Madrid have home advantage, with the pair having both shown inconsistency this season.
In a game which could ultimately decide the fate of under-fire Blancos boss Xabi Alonso, there may be nothing to separate the two.
Matchday 12/10 Predictions
| Kick-Off Time | Fixture | Prediction |
|---|---|---|
| 5:45 p.m. GMT / 12:45 p.m. ET | Qarabağ vs. Ajax | 2–1 |
| 5:45 p.m. GMT / 12:45 p.m. ET | Villarreal vs. Copenhagen | 3–1 |
| 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET | Athletic Club vs. Paris Saint-Germain | 0–2 |
| 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET | Bayer Leverkusen vs. Newcastle United | 2–1 |
| 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET | Benfica vs. Napoli | 1–1 |
| 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET | Borussia Dortmund vs. Bodø/Glimt | 3–1 |
| 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET | Club Brugge vs. Arsenal | 0–1 |
| 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET | Juventus vs. Pafos | 2–0 |
| 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET | Real Madrid vs. Man City | 2–2 |
READ THE LATEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NEWS, PREVIEWS AND PLAYER RATINGS
This article was originally published on www.si.com as UEFA Champions League Predictions: Matchday 12/10.
