36 teams have been whittled down to eight as the Champions League starts to heat up heading into the final stages.
Four ties consisting of eight matches in total will grace your TV screens over the next week (April 8th & 9th, and April 15th &16th) to decide who advances into the semi-finals.
Arsenal vs Real Madrid (5:00 pm ET/3:00 pm PT)
Arguably the biggest tie of the round, Arsenal will welcome Real Madrid to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, April 8th (5:00 pm/ 3:00 pm PT). Before travelling to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, April 16th, for the return fixture.
Team News
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last seven matches, though they have drawn four of those games. Meanwhile Real Madrid haven’t managed to keep a clean sheet in their previous eight games and recently lost to Carlos Corberan’s Valencia at home.
Arsenal will be without Riccardo Calafiori who misses the game through injury and they will also be missing Raheem Sterling, who is suspended for this fixture.
Los Blancos defender Ferland Mendy will miss the game with a hamstring injury, whilst Dani Ceballos is not expected to take part in the opening leg of the fixture despite being back in training. Aurelien Tchouameni will miss the game through suspension.
Predicted lineup(s)
Arsenal: Raya (GK); Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Partey, Odegaard, Rice; Saka, Martinelli, Merino
Real Madrid: Courtois (GK); Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Garcia; Modric, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicus; Mbappe
Both sides are heavily depleted in several areas of the pitch. Arsenal have been bolstered in recent weeks thanks to the return of their best creators, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, and will need to rely on them to produce a piece of magic. Madrid, meanwhile, are not lacking any star power upfront, and Kylian Mbappe could expose defensive frailties if Jakub Kiwior is not at the top of his game.
PSG vs Aston Villa 5:00 p.m. E3:00 p.m. PT)
A fixture that could have more than meets the eye, as both teams enter the tie in scintillating form. Paris Saint-Germain have won their last six matches whilst Aston Villa have won their last eight. Villa will travel to the home of the recently re-crowned French champions on Wednesday, April 9th (5:00 pm ET/3:00 pm PT) before PSG travel to the West Midlands for the return fixture on Tuesday, April 15th (5:00 pm ET/3:00 pm PT).
Team News
PSG will miss their star centre-back Marquinhos, who is suspended for the first leg of the tie. South Korean midfielder Kang-In Lee could miss both games with a sprained ankle.
Aston Vill,a meanwhile could be without Leon Bailey and Ross Barkl,ey who are doubtful but could feature in the second leg.
Predicted Lineup(s)
PSG: Donnarumma (GK); Hakimi, Beraldo, Pacha, Hernandez; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Kvaratskhelia, Dembele, Barcola
Aston Villa: Martinez (GK); Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Tielemans, Onana; Rogers, Asensio, Rashford; Watkins
Some bookmakers have PSG as the second most likely to win the Champions League, and some have Aston Villa as the second least likely to win the Champions League. But don’t count Villa out, they have already recorded strong results against European giants, and the return fixture will be an especially tough test for PSG.
Bayern Munich vs Inter (5:00 pm ET3:00 pm PT)
Bayern come into the first leg of the tie as favourites as they have not lost at home in the Champions League for four years (17 wins, five draws). They have also won five of their nine games against Inter, though all of those victories have come in the group stage. Bayern will welcome Inter to the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, April 8th (5:00 pm/3:00 pm PT) before making the quick jaunt over the Alps to visit the San Siro on Wednesday, April 16th (5:00 pm ET/3:00 pm PT).
Team News
Bayern have quite the list of absentees for this fixture. Aleksander Pavlovic (mononucleosis), Manuel Neuer (calf), Alphonso Davies (knee), Kingsley Coman (ankle), and Dayot Upamecano will all miss the fixture.
Inter meanwhile also have a fairly big injury list. Denzel Dumfries, Piotr Zielinski, and Mehdi Taremi will all miss the fixture through injury whilst Kristjan Asllani will miss the game through suspension.
Predicted Lineup(s)
Bayern Munich: Urbig (GK); Laimer, Dier, Kim, Stanisic; Kimmich, Goretzka; Olise, Muller, Sane; Kane
Inter: Sommer (GK); Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Bayern have a strong chance to win the tournament and will be incredibly motivated to sweep aside Inter. The Nerazzuri will not be a pushover, however, especially when you consider that they have not lost across their previous 10 matches.
Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund (5:00 pm ET3:00 pmm PT)
Barcelona are possibly the favourites to win the entire tournament. They are in incredible form (unbeaten in their previous 22 matches) and have only lost one game in the Champions League this season. Dortmund of course reached the final last season after a Cinderella run to the final, but a victory over two legs at the Estadio Luis Company on Wednesday 9th April (5:00 pm/3:00pmPT) and Westfalenstadion on Tuesday 15th (5:00 pm/3:00pmPT) will be a tall order due to the number of absentees from the BVB squad.
Team News
Barcelona don’t have too many selection issues heading into this tie. Dani Olmo will miss the fixture due to injury, but other than that, they generally have a clear bill of health.
Dortmund, meanwhile, have quite the injury list. Marcel Sabitzer (knee), Nico Schlotterbeck (knee), Niklas Sule (leg), and Remy Bensebaini (thigh) will all miss the tie. Additionally, Pascal Gross is suspended for this fixture.
Predicted Lineup(s)
Barcelona: Szczesny (GK); Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Pedri, de Jong; Yamal, Gavi, Ferran; Lewandowski
BVB; Kobel (GK); Ryerson, Anton, Can, Svensson; Gross, Chukwuemeka; Adeyemi, Brandt, Beier; Guirassy
A familiar foe for Barca’s star striker Robert Lewandowski, and a tough test for the Dortmund XI. This might be the most routine fixture in the quarter-finals, but nothing is certain in the Champions League.
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