Champions League playoff round one team of the week

The first legs of the Champions League Playoff Phase are over, and eight teams are on the brink of elimination, while eight more are close to punching their ticket to the Round of 16.

Here are the best players at each position from this round.

Goal Keeper: Jan Oblak

In Atletico Madrid’s 4-1 win over Brugge, Oblak had one of the best goalkeeper performances of the year.

His day started with an assist, as he played a long ball all the way to the opposing box that set up Alexander Sorloth (more on him later), for the first goal of the match.

He was phenomenal at stopping shots as well.

He saved five out of six shots, only allowing one goal on 2.68 expected goals on target.

A keeper assist is already rare, but pairing that with a great shot-stopping night is incredible.

Left Back: Dom Ruggeri

We stay in Madrid for our left back, as Dom Ruggeri was great for Atletico.

Brugge’s Carlos Forbes was quiet all night on the right wing, and Ruggeri also assisted a goal and won 8/13 duels he was in.

Center Back: Odin Lurås Bjørtuft

Now we travel up to Norway, as Odin Luras Bjortuft (who would certainly make a Champions League all-name team) is the first center back.

The Norwegian club pulled off its biggest win in club history in its upset over Inter Milan at the San Siro, and Bjortuft was a major part of that.

Inter’s striker pairing was kept silent all night, and their only goal came off a corner.

Center Back: Edmond Tapsoba

With Bayer Leverkusen holding a nice lead going into the match, their defense made it easy for them to advance without stress.

Tabsoba was a key to shutting down Olympiacos, as he had twenty defensive contributions and won 7/10 duels.

Right Back: Davide Zappacosta

In Atalanta’s stunning comeback win over Borussia Dortmund, Zappacosta played a phenomenal match.

The highlight of his day was a screamer of a goal from nearly 30 yards out, right before the break, but his defensive contribution was also incredibly strong as well.

Midfielder: Weston McKennie

A great sight to see for all American fans, Weston McKennie seems to be in great form heading into the World Cup summer.

He was all over the pitch for Juve, and his goal late in the match was the one that eventually sent it to extra time.

Midfielder: Weston McKennie

McKennie’s teammate joins him here, as Manuel Locatelli dominated the midfield for Juventus.

He won 11/13 duels, was accurate on 6/7 long balls, had 11 defensive actions, and was dribbled past zero times.

Juve did come up just short against Galatasaray, but that was in no part due to their midfield.\

Midfielder: Federico Valverde

Valverde continues to prove that when he plays in his proper position of midfield instead of right back, there are few midfielders in the world who are as good as him.

He assisted on both of the goals scored by Madrid in their 2-1 win over Benfica.

Left Wing: Jens Petter Hauge

Back to Bodo/Glimt here, as Jens Petter Hauge was absolutely fantastic.

In his old home stadium, he scored and assisted in Bodo/Glimt’s 2-1 win over Inter.

Striker: Alexander Sorloth

I mentioned him earlier, and he is the striker of the week.

This was a very easy choice, as he scored a hat trick in Atletico’s 4-1 win over Club Brugge to send them to the Round of 16.

Right Wing: Desire Doue

Doue continues to show that when the lights are brightest, he is at his best.

He was successful on ⅘ of his dribbles, won 8/11 duels, and assisted on the goal that got PSG back into the match.

Club Of The Week: Bodo/Glimt

For a club that isn’t even in season to beat a European giant on the scale of Inter Milan both home and away, there are no words to describe how impressive this is.

They will be facing Sporting in the round of 16, and I am very excited to see how long this journey can go because they play incredible football.

Edison Pellumbi is a first-year student studying broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at ejp5889@psu.edu.