The Champions League knockout play-offs begin this week with Paris St-Germain leading the charge of teams that finished outside the top eight. Last season's champions, who defeated Inter Milan 5-0 in the final, proved that navigating the play-offs isn't necessarily a death sentence for European glory. The French giants, along with Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, and Newcastle United, must now win two-legged ties to reach the last 16.

Newcastle's dramatic qualification stands out, with goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scoring in the eighth minute of stoppage time to secure a 4-2 victory against Real Madrid. Meanwhile, five of the six English clubs avoided the play-offs entirely, with Arsenal finishing top of the league phase with eight wins from eight games. Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Chelsea also secured direct passage to the last 16, while Newcastle faces Qarabag in their play-off tie.

Despite the extra workload, Opta rates PSG's chances of winning the Champions League higher than several top-eight finishers, including Tottenham and Sporting. Arsenal, having completed a perfect league phase, are given a 30% chance of claiming their first European title. The play-off first legs take place on 17-18 February, with second legs following on 24-25 February, setting the stage for another thrilling knockout phase.