The Champion League round of 16 has concluded, and defending champions Real Madrid, along with Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, AC Milan, Napoli, Inter Milan and Benfica are through to the quarterfinals. Some of the heavyweights in Liverpool, PSG and Tottenham Hotspur have been ousted in the round of 16. The draw for the quarterfinals has been concluded and there are some more exciting ties waiting.
The Champions League quarterfinals and semifinals draw
In the Champions League quarter-finals, reigning champions Real Madrid will face 2021 winners Chelsea, while Manchester City will face Bayern Munich in the last eight. The two English teams left in the competition face difficult tests if they are to advance to the final four, where they could face each other. The winner of Real Madrid’s tie against Chelsea will clash against either of City or Bayern in the semifinals.
Chelsea have only faced the Spanish giants four times in the competition, and they actually have the better head-to-head record. The Blues have two wins, while Los Blancos have only one, which came in the first leg of last year’s quarter-finals. This season, the pair will meet for the third time in a row in the tournament, with Chelsea defeating Real to reach the 2021 final – which they won against Man City – with a win and a draw against the Spanish giants.
Real Madrid have relied on Vinicius Jr for goals in the competition so far, with the Brazilian finding the back of the net six times, with Karim Benzema struggling for fitness in the build-up to last year’s World Cup. Chelsea, on the other hand, are still without a player who has scored or assisted three or more goals, despite their record winter transfer spending.
City face the record German champions and Pep Guardiola’s ex-club Bayern Munich in an equally enticing match to set up that potential all-English clash. The two sides have a very even history as well. Both teams have three victories, with City winning the most recent meeting, back in 2014-15, to tie the series at three wins apiece.
In the other half of the draw, Inter Milan will face Portuguese side Benfica, who defeated Club Brugge in the last-16, while AC Milan will face Napoli in a Serie A derby with the Italian top-flight leaders. As a result, if Inter and Milan both beat their opponents in the quarter-finals, the second semi-final could feature a Milan derby.
Napoli, the Serie A leaders and tipped as the favourites to win the Champions League, face an Italian derby against reigning top-flight champions AC Milan. Napoli won their only league meeting this season at the San Siro, and the quarter-final draw will pit the two sides against each other three times in 16 days.
Inter travel to Lisbon to face Benfica, who have made the last eight for the past two seasons, with the winner facing the winner of the all-Italian clash between AC Milan and Napoli. The first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals will take place on April 11 and 12, with the second legs taking place the following week on April 18 or 19.