Dan Childs's team-by-team guide to the Champions League contenders

The Champions League returned on Tuesday, February 15 and Racing Post Sport football expert Dan Childs has weighed up the strengths, weaknesses and prospects of the contenders for European glory.

Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Benfica and Ajax will play the first leg of their round-of-16 matches on Wednesday, February 23.

Atletico Madrid

Strengths

Antoine Griezmann has saved his best contributions for Champions League nights, scoring four goals, and Jan Oblak is capable of returning to being a world-class keeper even if his form has been off for parts of this season.

Luis Suarez is past his best but still has an eye for goal.

Weaknesses

Solid defending has been Atleti's strength for several seasons but that no longer appears to be the case.

Efforts to improve the team's creativity included the summer signing of attacking midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, but the defence has received less protection than in the past and opposing teams have taken advantage.

Prospects

Atletico won La Liga last season – taking advantage of a dip in performance from Real Madrid and Barcelona – but their title defence has not got off the ground and there are ongoing concerns over Griezmann, who has struggled with injuries.

They secured just seven points during the Champions League group stage and must improve if they want to go any further.

Manchester United

Strengths

Goalkeeper David De Gea has had an outstanding season and is probably the biggest reason why United are still in with a decent chance of finishing in the Premier League top four.

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to excel on Champions League nights and Bruno Fernandes has the ability to slice open a defence with a moment of magic.

Weaknesses

Holding midfielders Fred and Scott McTominay lack the quality to dictate the tempo of a game and Marcus Rashford has struggled for consistency.

Goals have been a problem since Ralf Rangnick arrived and they have a poor recent shootout record if a tie went to penalties.

Prospects

Getting past the group stage looked like a challenge after United lost 2-1 away to Young Boys on matchday one but they responded well and can approach the knockout phase with some confidence.

United's Premier League performances are often laced with periods of mediocrity but their individual quality makes them dangerous opponents, even at the elite level.

Benfica

Strengths

Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez has been their go-to man this season and bagged two goals in the crucial 3-0 victory at home to Barcelona on Champions League matchday two.

Benfica registered a pair of clean sheets against Barca, drawinh 0-0 at Camp Nou, and experienced defenders Jan Vertonghen and Nicolas Otamendi are making key contributions.

Weaknesses

Swiss international striker Haris Seferovic has struggled for form and fitness and right-back Valentino Lazaro has found his game time limited since a loan switch from Inter.

Prospects

Benfica are one of the most famous clubs on the planet but they have failed to make a major impact since the European Cup became the Champions League and are unlikely to be in the mix at the business end of this season's competition.

The Portuguese giants amassed eight points in the group stage, keeping them ahead of third-placed Barcelona, but they are rightly considered outsiders to win their clash with Ajax.

Ajax

Strengths

Without stating the obvious, the Dutch champions are at their best when on the attack.

They regularly hand out beatings in the Dutch top flight with centre-forward Sebastien Haller leading the charge and Steven Berghuis, Dusan Tadic and Antony providing excellent support.

Weaknesses

Any team with such attacking intent are bound to leave themselves open at the back from time to time.

They failed to keep a clean sheet in their last three Champions League matches and will need to tighten up when the difficulty level increases.

There has been some recent upheaval at the top of the club with Marc Overmars resigning from his director of football role.

Prospects

If there is to be a dark horse to upset the market-leaders it could be free-scoring Ajax, who have taken a fearless attitude into the competition.

Erik Ten Haag's side were semi-finalists in 2018-19 and are probably an even more dynamic side this season.

They hammered 20 goals in the group stage - only Bayern Munich scored more - and will be dangerous opponents for whoever they come across.

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