There are a number of teams in the UEFA Champions League who will this week need to produce one of the biggest ever comebacks in the competition’s history in order to advance to the next round.
Chelsea, Manchester City, Spurs and Sporting CP all trail by three goals from the first leg of the round of 16, while Atalanta are five goals down to Bayern Munich.
It’s a tall task for all of them to turn it around, but it has been done before. Only four teams have managed to overturn a deficit of three goals or more, so here they all are in chronological order.
The biggest ever comebacks in the Champions League knockouts:
Deportivo la Coruña vs AC Milan, 2003/04
The knockout stage of the Champions League in 2004 was a graveyard for the game’s giants. Manchester United and Juventus were eliminated in the round of 16 by so-called smaller clubs, Real Madrid went out in the quarters, and Chelsea were knocked out by Monaco in the semis. The French side lost to Porto in the final of the most unpredictable tournament ever.
Deportivo la Coruna were one of the stories of the competition that year after somehow overcoming reigning champions AC Milan in the last eight. The Rossoneri won the first leg 4-1 at the San Siro, but that away goal proved crucial as Deportivo won 3-0 at home.
Read – The greatest comebacks in Champions League history
Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain, 2016/17
We didn’t see another comeback like that for another 13 years, and then we got three in three consecutive seasons, starting with La Remontada.
PSG stunned Barça with a 4-0 victory at the Parc Des Princes, a seemingly insurmountable lead as no team had ever come from that far behind to win before.
Edinson Cavani grabbed an away goal at the Camp Nou to seemingly put the tie out of reach, but a career-defining performance by Neymar – who registered a goal and two assists on the night – helped Barcelona do the impossible as three late goals sent them through.
AS Roma vs Barcelona, 2017/18
The tables were turned on Barcelona the very next season when they faced Roma in the quarter-finals. A comfortable 4-1 lead from the first leg at the Camp Nou should have enough to seal their place in the last four.
And yet, the Romans completed a stunning comeback at the Olimpico Stadium when Kostas Manolas directed a fantastic header into the far side of the net, earning them a 3-0 win and a place in the history books.
When Manolas became a Roma legend 🐺#UCL pic.twitter.com/gCBhiMoX8S
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 3, 2026
Liverpool vs Barcelona (2018/19)
Barcelona suffered a familiar fate the very next season when they took on Liverpool in the semis.
Once again they built up a three-goal in the home leg, although it should have been four. Ousmane Dembele spurned a late chance, much to the chagrin of Lionel Messi.
That proved crucial in Anfield, which has played host to its fair share of memorable comebacks. Divock Origi pulled one back early on, but it wasn’t until the second half that the Reds really turned things around.
A quickfire brace from Georginio Wijnaldum levelled the match on aggregate and gave them belief that victory was indeed possible. Extra time was still on the cards, but the quick-thinking of Trent Alexander-Arnold ensured that wouldn’t be necessary. He caught the entire Barça defence napping when his corner found Origi unmarked in the box.
📅 #OTD in 2019, Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona (4-3 agg). Best comeback ever?@LFC | #UCL pic.twitter.com/8rEZKMQX4Z
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 7, 2022
It is easily one of the most iconic moments in Liverpool’s illustrious history in Europe.
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