Man City boss Pep GuardiolaBad blood, harrowing finals and ill-timed injuries: these final eight European clubs set to meet on April 6-7 and April 13-14 for the Champions League quarterfinals have a rich and ruthless history of facing off against each other. From those with a record number of titles, to those who've never won one, we take a look at match predictions, line-ups and what's at stake for each team as they battle it out to the four coveted semifinal spots.
Real Madrid v Liverpool (April 6, 11pm), Liverpool v Real Madrid (April 14, 11pm)
WHAT’S THEIR HISTORY?
Two European giants will clash on April 6, with remnants of bad blood still hanging between them. Real Madrid and Liverpool last met in a Champions League final in 2017-18, when Sergio Ramos infamously fractured Mo Salah’s shoulder and left him in tears. Twelve months later, Liverpool won the UCL in 2018-19. Spanish giants Real hold the record for the most Champions League titles in the competition’s history, winning it 13 times. Liverpool have won it six times total.
WHO WILL WIN?
With the help of prolific striker Karim Benzema, Real Madrid have fared comparatively well in the La Liga. Having won 18 games — and lost only four — out of their 28 fixtures this season, they are currently third on table, only two points behind Barcelona and six points behind table-leaders Atletico Madrid. But a calf injury to captain Sergio Ramos during the World Cup 2022 qualifiers is not looking good for Real’s defence. Meanwhile, injury-plagued Liverpool sit at 7th place in the English Premier League, a whole 25 points behind table-leaders Man City. The win would mean more to Liverpool as progressing through the UCL and winning it would keep them from dropping into the Europa League next season. Whether or not they can secure (and retain) top signings without a Champions League qualification remains to be seen.
WHAT THEY’VE SAID?
With Liverpool now we only faced [Real Madrid] once. But it's always tough. I think [this will be] the first time I face them when Cristiano [Ronaldo] is not there — maybe the first time since [Gareth] Bale is not there. But obviously [Sergio] Ramos is still there, [Raphael] Varane still there, [Toni] Kroos still there, [Luka] Modric still there, Casemiro still there, [Dani] Carvajal still there, [Karim] Benzema still there. And a few young prospects, proper players on top of that. I'm really looking forward to it.
"We cannot say that it is a bad draw or that it is a good draw. Liverpool are a team that, in a tie, can play their ace at any given moment. But that is the same as us. It will be a good match between two teams that have won many Champions League trophies between them. At this level, it is always very difficult to win.”
WHO WILL PLAY? (Uefa’s predicted line-ups)
Real Madrid: Courtois, Vázquez, Varane, Ramos, Mendy, Kroos, Casemiro, Valverde, Modrić, Vinícius, Benzema
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Kabak, Phillips, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Thiago Alcántara, Jota, Salah, Mané
Man City v Dortmund (April 6, 11pm), Dortmund v Man City (April 14, 11pm)
WHAT’S THEIR HISTORY?
Both teams will be hungry for a win as Manchester City have never tasted Champions League victory and Dortmund’s last and only time winning the competition was 24 years ago — before star striker Erling Haaland was even been born. But it might just be Haaland who makes all the difference this time, at 20-years-old, the Norwegian boy wonder is the UCL’s current top-scorer with 10 goals so far this season, beating the likes of Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe (six goals each), and even Ronaldo (4) and Messi (5) before they were eliminated. Manchester City’s Ferran Torres has been their goal-scorer for the UCL.
WHO WILL WIN?
This will be Manchester City’s fourth time in a row in the quarterfinals of the Champions League — but none of their last three campaigns progressed past this stage. However, City — who displayed stunning form in England this season with a historic 28-game unbeaten streak — have more freedom to focus on the UCL than Dortmund do. Dortmund plagued by inconsistency are fifth place in the Bundesliga and will be prioritising a top-four finish in order to guarantee a spot at Europe’s top competition next year. So, while BVB aren’t incapable of victory, it’s a matter of risk management for boss Edin Terzic right now.
Meanwhile, City are top of the EPL, 14 points clear of their closest competitors Man United (although other teams have a game in hand). They’ll be gunning to win the Champions League, EPL, FA Cup and League Cup in order to achieve a historic quadruple.
WHAT THEY’VE SAID?
It's been turbulent. We are just happy. It feels really cool. It’s not a matter of course for us to get this far. Now to be among the best eight in Europe makes us very happy. Erling Haaland is just outstanding.
It’s a privilege to be in the last eight teams. I didn't see much [of Dortmund] but in this international break we will have a chance. They are a really good team. They were able to go through against Sevilla - who in knockout competitions are one of the strongest teams. They were able to beat them. Dortmund is tough but so would all of them [be].
WHO WILL PLAY? (Uefa’s predicted line-ups)
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Rúben Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko, Rodri, Gündoğan, Ferran Torres, De Bruyne, Sterling, Agüero
Dortmund: Hitz, Meunier, Akanji, Hummels, Schulz, Delaney, Bellingham, Dahoud, Reus, Sancho, Haaland
Bayern v PSG (April 7, 11pm), PSG v Bayern (April 13, 11pm)
WHAT’S THEIR HISTORY?
A sense of deja vu will envelope this high-stakes meet-up. German giants Bayern Munich — current title-holders — will once again go head-to-head with French side Paris St-Germain, who they defeated in the final last season. PSG lost in a heartbreaking 1-0 result against Bayern, made all the more significant for the fact that it was PSG’s first time to the finals of the competition after a record 110 Champions League matches played.
WHO WILL WIN?
Sure, Bayern and PSG are both top of the table in their respective leagues. But reigning champs Bayern have taken a massive hit this week, in the form of losing their star striker Robert Lewandowski to a knee injury during the World Cup 2022 qualifiers, which has ruled him out for four weeks. That means the Polish goalscorer will miss both legs of the UCL against PSG — and should Bayern progress to the semi-finals, he’d miss the first leg of those, too. In the Bundesliga, Bayern have won four of their five last fixtures and are four points clear of RB Leipzig with 61 points. PSG are neck-and-neck with Lille at 63 points, having won three of their last five games and lost two. But with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr being two of the highest UCL scorers still in the competition — and Lewandowski out of the picture short-term — things are looking promising for PSG.
WHAT THEY’VE SAID?
There are only strong opponents in the quarterfinals, the European top eight. It is important to have two big matches. We want to progress. PSG are a strong opponent, they showed it in the final last season. But we also showed our quality in the Champions League.
We know the Champions League is difficult. There are great teams playing. Sooner or later you have to play them all. And now we’re going to play against the most recent European champions … It’s true that we’re now facing the strongest side, the team, that won the final last season. Bayern is a great team … We beat Barcelona, why would it not be a realistic ambition to beat Bayern Munich?
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino: “We know the Champions League is difficult. There are great teams playing. Sooner or later you have to play them all. And now we’re going to play against the most recent European champions … It’s true that we’re now facing the strongest side, the team, that won the final last season. Bayern is a great team … We beat Barcelona, why would it not be a realistic ambition to beat Bayern Munich?”
WHO WILL PLAY? (Uefa’s predicted line-ups)
Bayern: Neuer, Pavard, Süle, Alaba, Davies, Roca, Goretzka, Sané, Müller, Gnabry, Choupo-Moting
PSG: Navas, Florenzi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Kurzawa, Gueye, Verratti, Neymar, Mbappé, Di María, Icardi
Porto v Chelsea (April 7, 11pm), Chelsea v Porto (April 13, 11pm)
WHAT’S THEIR HISTORY?
Chelsea and Porto are no strangers facing each other in tense situations, with the last time coming in 2015.. The English side — who’ve won the UCL once in 2012 — haven’t made it to the quarterfinals of the competition in seven years. Meanwhile, Porto haven’t progressed passed the final eight stage in 17 years, when they were under decorated head coach Jose Mourinho (who would go on to be at the helm at Chelsea). The only time the Portuguese side won it before that was in 1987.
WHO WILL WIN?
Chelsea hold a near-perfect record at home against Porto, all inside the Champions League, which is promising. But Porto have had a solid season, currently second place in the Primeira Liga having gone five games unbeaten (four of those being wins). They also managed to keep Italian giants Juventus out of the Champions League final eight by winning aggregate 4-4 on away goals. Fourth on the EPL table, Chelsea have also gone five games unbeaten — recording three draws and two wins. But the Blues have had a tumultuous season after coach Frank Lampard was sacked; it’s yet to be seen just how far new manager Thomas Tuchel can take the team.
WHAT THEY’VE SAID?
Clearly, many people will maybe now make us the favourites against Porto. That will not help us. You can ask in Turin about the opinion on this, if it helps you to be favourites. It does not help you. But we are self-confident. Being self-confident is strongly connected with our performances. We are confident that we face a strong opponent that we face with all the respect. Now we are in the quarter-final, we think about how to win it. The only thing we focus on is to reach the semi-finals. We are self-confident enough that we see our chances.
Everyone knows about the power, at all levels, of the teams that are in the quarter-finals. I believe that the eight best clubs in Europe are going to be good games, well disputed, and difficult for everyone. I believe it is very important to win the next game in Portimao. But at FC Porto we always want to win the next game.
Porto manager Sergio Conceicao: Everyone knows about the power, at all levels, of the teams that are in the quarter-finals. I believe that the eight best clubs in Europe are going to be good games. , well disputed, and difficult for everyone. I believe it is very important to win the next game in Portimao. But at FC Porto we always want to win the next game."
WHO WILL PLAY? (Uefa’s predicted line-ups)
(To be updated.)
