Explore the Champions League draw and rank the 6 most frequent knockout ties, including Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich.
Over the past three decades, the UEFA Champions League draw has often felt like a serious case of déjà vu, repeatedly pitting the exact same European heavyweights against one another. These frequent encounters have forged some of the most intense and bitter rivalries in the modern era of the Champions League.
Here is the list of the 6 most frequently played two-legged knockout ties born from the Champions League draw.
6. Real Madrid vs Juventus (5 Knockout Ties)
Head-to-Head Winner: Juventus leads 4-1.
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1995/96 – Quarter-finals: Juventus advanced (Aggregate: 2-1)
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2002/03 – Semi-finals: Juventus advanced (Aggregate: 4-3)
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2004/05 – Round of 16: Juventus advanced (Aggregate: 2-1)
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2014/15 – Semi-finals: Juventus advanced (Aggregate: 3-2)
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2017/18 – Quarter-finals: Real Madrid advanced (Aggregate: 4-3)
While Real Madrid famously beat Juventus in the 1998 and 2017 finals, the Italian giants have been Los Blancos’ ultimate kryptonite in two-legged ties. Juventus eliminated Real Madrid in 1996, 2003, 2005, and 2015.
The most dramatic clash, however, was the 2017/18 quarter-final. After Cristiano Ronaldo scored his iconic bicycle kick in Turin, Juventus staged a miraculous comeback at the Bernabeu, only for Ronaldo to break their hearts with a highly controversial 97th-minute penalty to secure Real’s only two-legged victory over the “Old Lady”.
5. Bayern Munich vs Arsenal (5 Knockout Ties)
Head-to-Head Winner: Bayern Munich leads 5-0.
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2004/05 – Round of 16: Bayern Munich advanced (Aggregate: 3-2)
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2012/13 – Round of 16: Bayern Munich advanced on “away goals” (Aggregate: 3-3)
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2013/14 – Round of 16: Bayern Munich advanced (Aggregate: 3-1)
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2016/17 – Round of 16: Bayern Munich advanced (Aggregate: 10-2)
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2023/24 – Quarter-finals: Bayern Munich advanced (Aggregate: 3-2)
For Arsenal fans, seeing Bayern Munich’s name pulled out during the Champions League draw became a recurring European nightmare. The German powerhouse eliminated the Gunners in the Round of 16 in 2005, 2013, 2014, and 2017, before knocking them out of the quarter-finals in 2024.
The 2016/17 encounter remains the most infamous, as Bayern completely dismantled Arsene Wenger’s side with an aggregate score of 10-2. Arsenal has often played beautiful football, but the ruthless efficiency of the “Bavarians” has always prevailed.
4. Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain (5 Knockout Ties)
Head-to-Head Winner: Barcelona leads 3-2.
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2012/13 – Quarter-finals: Barcelona advanced on “away goals”, (Aggregate: 3-3)
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2014/15 – Quarter-finals: Barcelona advanced (Aggregate: 5-1)
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2016/17 – Round of 16: Barcelona advanced (Aggregate: 6-5)
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2020/21 – Round of 16: PSG advanced (Aggregate: 5-2)
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2023/24 – Quarter-finals: PSG advanced (Aggregate: 6-4)
Whenever the Champions League draw pairs these two together, it represents the ultimate clash between traditional royalty and modern financial power.
Barcelona narrowly edged past PSG in 2013 and 2015, but the 2016/17 Round of 16 tie is what immortalized this rivalry. After losing 4-0 in Paris, Barcelona produced “La Remontada” – a historic 6-1 victory at Camp Nou sealed by Sergio Roberto’s 90+5-minute winner.
PSG finally got their revenge in 2021 behind a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick, and repeated the feat by eliminating Xavi’s Barcelona in a fiery 2023/24 quarter-final clash.
3. Real Madrid vs Manchester City (6 Knockout Ties)
Head-to-Head Winner: Real Madrid leads 4-2.
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2015/16 – Semi-finals: Real Madrid advanced (Aggregate: 1-0)
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2019/20 – Round of 16: Manchester City advanced (Aggregate: 4-2)
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2021/22 – Semi-finals: Real Madrid advanced (Aggregate: 6-5)
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2022/23 – Semi-finals: Manchester City advanced (Aggregate: 5-1)
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2023/24 – Quarter-finals: Real Madrid advanced on penalties (Aggregate: 4-4)
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2024/25 – Knockout Play-offs: Real Madrid advanced (Aggregate: 6-3)
In recent years, this fixture becomes the de facto “European Final”.
What started as a tight semi-final victory for Real Madrid in 2016 has quickly escalated into the most explosive rivalry in modern football. After City responded by eliminating Los Blancos in 2020, the two sides began trading monumental blows that defined entire seasons.
The 2021/22 semi-final delivered pure cinematic drama, with Rodrygo orchestrating a miraculous last-minute comeback at the Bernabéu. Pep Guardiola’s side exacted brutal revenge the following year with a 4-0 masterclass at the Etihad, only for the kings of Europe to survive a relentless assault and strike back in 2024 via a nerve-wracking penalty shootout.
However, the rivalry reached an absolute boiling point in the 2024/25 knockout play-offs. Kylian Mbappé truly announced his European arrival for Madrid with a sensational hat-trick in the second leg, sealing a 6-3 aggregate victory and cementing Real’s dominance in this modern classic.
2. Chelsea vs Barcelona (6 Knockout Ties)
Head-to-Head Winner: Barcelona leads 4-2.
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1999/00 – Quarter-finals: Barcelona advanced (Aggregate: 6-4)
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2004/05 – Round of 16: Chelsea advanced (Aggregate: 5-4)
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2005/06 – Round of 16: Barcelona advanced (Aggregate: 3-2)
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2008/09 – Semi-finals: Barcelona advanced on “away goals” (Aggregate: 1-1)
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2011/12 – Semi-finals: Chelsea advanced (Aggregate: 3-2)
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2017/18 – Round of 16: Barcelona advanced (Aggregate: 4-1)
A Champions League draw featuring these two perfectly contrasted Barcelona’s elegant “tiki-taka” with Chelsea’s physical pragmatism.
Chelsea won a chaotic 2004/05 tie featuring Ronaldinho’s magical toe-poke and a John Terry header. Barcelona advanced in 2006, 2018, and famously in 2009, when Andrés Iniesta’s last-minute strike broke Chelsea hearts amid severe refereeing controversies.
However, the ‘Blues’. finally found their redemption in the unforgettable 2012 semi-final. Surviving with ten men, a defensive masterclass was perfectly capped off by Fernando Torres’ iconic breakaway goal to seal a legendary triumph.
1. Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich (10 Knockout Ties)
Head-to-Head Winner: Real Madrid leads 7-3.
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1999/00 – Semi-finals: Real Madrid advanced (Aggregate: 3-2)
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2000/01 – Semi-finals: Bayern Munich advanced (Aggregate: 3-1)
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2001/02 – Quarter-finals: Real Madrid advanced (Aggregate: 3-2)
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2003/04 – Round of 16: Real Madrid advanced (Aggregate: 2-1)
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2006/07 – Round of 16: Bayern Munich advanced on “away goals” (Aggregate: 4-4)
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2011/12 – Semi-finals: Bayern Munich advanced on penalties (Aggregate: 3-3)
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2013/14 – Semi-finals: Real Madrid advanced (Aggregate: 5-0)
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2016/17 – Quarter-finals: Real Madrid advanced (Aggregate: 6-3)
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2017/18 – Semi-finals: Real Madrid advanced (Aggregate: 4-3)
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2023/24 – Semi-finals: Real Madrid advanced (Aggregate: 4-3)
Sitting unchallenged at the top is the ultimate “European Clasico”. These two historic titans have crossed paths in the knockout stages a staggering 10 times since 1992, proving that the Champions League draw truly loves this heavyweight clash.
Bayern had the upper hand in the early 2000s and famously won the 2011/12 semi-final on penalties. However, Real Madrid has utterly dominated the modern era, eliminating Bayern in 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2024. The 2024 semi-final perfectly encapsulated their aura, with Joselu scoring two extremely late goals to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
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