The UEFA Champions League quarter-finals take centre stage this week as we unpack what to expect on Tuesday and Wednesday. The 30th season of the Champions League has delivered some explosive matches thus far and there is no doubt of more fireworks on the road to the final on May 28.
During the group stages there were a total of 297 goals scored in 96 games, an average of over three goals per game. An additional 41 goals were scored in the the round of 16, bringing the goal tally up to 338 across 112 matches.
Of the eight quarter-finalists, three teams are from England and three are Spanish. They are accompanied by one German club and one from Portugal. There is some serious pedigree in the mix with the last three winners of the UCL – Chelsea, Bayern Munich & Liverpool – all present in the quarters, as are last year’s runners-up Manchester City as well as 13-time European champions Real Madrid.
Quarter-final time! 😀
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 4, 2022
Who will take a first-leg advantage? #UCL
Let’s take a look at the exciting ties which lie ahead…
Benfica vs Liverpool
Benfica welcome Liverpool to Lisbon on Tuesday evening as the Portuguese side compete in the Champions League quarters for the first time in six seasons, albeit the Eagles are winless in eight previous quarter-final matches. Liverpool, meanwhile, have reached the QFs in four of the last five years under Jürgen Klopp after cruising through the group phase this season with a maximum 18 points.
Liverpool got the better of Inter Milan (2-1 agg) in the Round of 16, and Benfica edged Ajax 3-2 on aggregate after the 37-time Portuguese champions topped FC Barcelona as runners-up in Group E. A total of seven Benfica players are in danger of missing their next European fixture if they are booked. Liverpool’s Sadio Mané and Diogo Jota are also one booking away from a one-match suspension.
Should Liverpool get past Benfica and also overcome the massive hurdle that is likely to be Bayern, there may well be an all-English UCL Final in the waiting, the third of its kind in the last four seasons.
Manchester City vs Atlético Madrid
Also on Tuesday, Atlético Madrid make a return to Manchester after they disposed of Man United in the Round of 16 last month. Diego Simeone and his men now look to unnerve Pep Guardiola’s Man City who are chasing an elusive European crown. This is the fifth consecutive year that the Citizens have reached the Champions League quarter-finals, however this juncture has proven to be their downfall in three of the last four editions of the competition. For Atlético, this is just a second time in five seasons they have progressed to this stage of Europe’s primary club competition.
It has been three-and-a-half years since Man City last tasted defeat at home in Europe, while all three of Atlético’s UCL wins this season have come on their travels. Guardiola and Simeone have had three previous meetings, with the current City boss winning twice and the esteemed Atlético manager once.
Man City’s trio of João Cancelo, Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus will miss the second leg in Madrid if they are booked, and the same can be said for six Atléti players including João Felix and Luis Suárez.
Villarreal vs Bayern Munich
On Wednesday, Villarreal meet German champions Bayern Munich in what will be a first showing in the Champions League quarter-finals in 13 years for the Yellow Submarine. On the other hand, Bayern have reached this stage in 10 of the last 11 seasons with this set to be a record 20th QF appearance for the Bavarians. Current holders of the Europa League, Villarreal swept aside Juventus last time out as they emerged as 3-0 victors in Turin. Bayern put 7 goals past RB Salzburg in their second leg after the first leg ended all square in Austria.
Bayern escaped unscathed from Group E with six wins and the six-time European winners have scored the joint-most goals in the UCL quarter-finals with 66, but have also let in the most with 48 goals conceded. This will be a first meeting between managers Unai Emery and Julian Nagelsmann. Three Villarreal players – Alberto Moreno, Dani Parejo and goalie Geronimo Rulli – must avoid a yellow card or will be unavailable for the return leg next week. Bayern’s Lucas Hernández is also a booking away from suspension.
Chelsea vs Real Madrid
The fourth and final quarter-final tie pits UCL holders Chelsea against La Liga runaway leaders Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti, a former manager of the Blues, will be out to make sure lightning does not strike twice after the London club got the better of Los Blancos the last time they faced off. These two teams met in the semis last year as Chelsea ran out 3-1 winners on aggregate and N’Golo Kanté scooped the Man of the Match award on both occasions.
This time around Real are hoping that it will be another Frenchman making the headlines after their talisman Karim Benzema bagged a hat-trick in the Round of 16 second leg against Paris St-Germain. Benzema has a whopping 34 goals to his name in all competitions this term and seeks to make Thomas Tuchel’s team his latest victim.
The imminent tie will be Real’s 18th QF appearance and an 11th for Chelsea. Real have a rich history in Europe’s elite and the 13-time European champions have scored 66 goals in the Champions League quarters – the joint-highest with Bayern Munich.
Madrid defender Eder Militão will miss the second leg if he receives a yellow card at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Bayern ace Robert Lewandowski has scored the most goals with 12 in eight Champions League outings, four more than any player that remains in the competition. Benzema and Mohamed Salah have netted eight apiece this Champions League campaign. Sébastien Haller bagged 11 goals prior to Ajax being eliminated in the Round of 16.
No player has registered more assists in the Champions League than Bayern winger Leroy Sané (6).
Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos and Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy have kept the most clean sheets with five each; Real Madrid ‘keeper Thibaut Courtois and Manuel Neuer of Bayern both have four.
