Champions League Round 7: Leaders Clash, Golovin vs Real

The Champions League resumes after the New Year break with only two rounds left in the group stage, raising the stakes for every team. The central match features Inter Milan and Arsenal, the leaders of Serie A and the Premier League, in Milan.

Jan 22, 2026

After the winter break, the Champions League returns with crucial matches in the seventh round.
Source:
UEFA press service

The Champions League returns from the New Year break. Only two rounds remain in the group stage, meaning the importance of every match has increased significantly — many teams have no margin for error.

The highlight of the round is the clash between Italian leaders Inter and English leaders Arsenal.
Source:
UEFA press service

We publish the match schedule and discuss the pre-match scenarios.

Manchester City«s Erling Haaland returns to Norway as his team faces Bodø/Glimt near the Arctic Circle.
Source:
UEFA press service

Tournament Format

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé meets his first professional club, Monaco, in a Champions League fixture.
Source:
UEFA press service

A total of 36 teams compete in the Champions League group stage. There are no groups anymore, only a single league table. This is the second season in this format.

Russian midfielder Alexander Golovin may play for Monaco against Real Madrid, adding intrigue for fans.

Each team plays eight matches: four at home and four away. All opponents are different.

Kylian Mbappé leads the scoring charts with nine goals, followed by Victor Osimhen and Erling Haaland.
Source:
UEFA press service

The top eight teams in the table qualify directly for the round of 16. Clubs from 9th to 24th place enter a playoff round (round of 32). For teams from 25th to 36th place, the European season is over.

In Russia, all Champions League matches are available to watch on the Okko streaming platform.
Source:
UEFA press service

Round 7 Schedule

This season«s Champions League uses a new format with a single league phase instead of groups.
Source:
UEFA press service

20 January

Kairat vs Club Brugge (18:30);
Bodø/Glimt vs Manchester City (20:45).

Manchester City will travel to the Arctic Circle to face a team featuring Russian goalkeeper Nikita Khaykin. The English team«s coach, Josep Guardiola, said before the match that he is happy about the trip as he will be able to see the Northern Lights. The team»s main star, Erling Haaland, won«t be surprised by this — he has returned to his native Norway.

The Norwegian team needs to win if it wants to fight for a playoff spot.

Villarreal vs Ajax (23:00);
Tottenham vs Borussia Dortmund (23:00);
Copenhagen vs Napoli (23:00);
Inter vs Arsenal (23:00).

In Milan, the leaders of the Italian and English championships — Inter and Arsenal — will meet. The Londoners have not dropped a single point in this Champions League campaign and top the table. A draw would suit them in this match.

Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen (23:00);
Real Madrid vs Monaco (23:00).

Real Madrid«s French forward Kylian Mbappé will play against the team where he took his first steps in professional football. For Russian fans, there is another intrigue — Russian midfielder Alexander Golovin of Monaco could play against Real Madrid.

For Real Madrid, this will be the first Champions League match after a change of coach — Xabi Alonso«s place has been taken by Álvaro Arbeloa.

Sporting CP vs Paris Saint-Germain (23:00).

21 January

Qarabağ vs Eintracht Frankfurt (20:45);
Galatasaray vs Atlético Madrid (20:45);
Juventus vs Benfica (23:00);
Chelsea vs Pafos (23:00);
Marseille vs Liverpool (23:00).

Both teams play attacking football but have huge defensive problems. A goal fest is expected at Marseille«s Stade Vélodrome. Moreover, their tournament positions force both teams to play for a win.

Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin (23:00);
Slavia Prague vs Barcelona (23:00);
Atalanta vs Athletic Bilbao (23:00);
Newcastle vs PSV Eindhoven (23:00).

Top Scorers Race

After six rounds, the top scorer is Real Madrid«s French forward Kylian Mbappé with nine goals.

Second place is shared by Nigerian Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray) and Norwegian Erling Haaland (Manchester City) — each has six goals.

The top three is rounded out by Englishmen Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) and Craig Gordon (Newcastle), as well as Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal).