Real Madrid and Manchester City to meet in blockbuster Champions League quarter-final

Manchester City, the defending champions, are set to face the record-winning team Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Barcelona, on the other hand, will be playing against Paris St-Germain. The draw took place at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon on Friday, March 15th.

Real Madrid, with their impressive record of 14 Champions League titles, faced a defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the 2022 semi-finals. However, it was a different story last year when Pep Guardiola's team convincingly defeated Carlo Ancelotti's side with a 5-1 aggregate scoreline.

In response to the upcoming challenge, Guardiola acknowledged the recurring pattern of facing Real Madrid in the competition and expressed the hope of arriving in good form for the first leg in Madrid, which is still three weeks away.

Meanwhile, Paris St-Germain, who are yet to clinch their first Champions League title, will be up against Barcelona, while Atletico Madrid will take on Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. This presents an opportunity for all three Spanish teams to progress to the semi-finals.

For Kylian Mbappe, this tournament may be his final chance to secure the title with PSG, as he is set to depart the Ligue 1 club at the end of the season. PSG had reached the final in 2020 but suffered defeat against Bayern Munich.

Arsenal has made a long-awaited return to the quarter-finals after a 14-year absence. In this round, they will face Bayern Munich, providing an opportunity for Harry Kane, the star striker of the German club, to face his former rivals from north London once again.

Kane has faced Arsenal 19 times in various competitions and has managed to score 14 goals against them. He is currently one of the top scorers in the Champions League this season, alongside Antoine Griezmann, Erling Haaland, and Mbappe, with six goals to his name.

Bayern Munich, a six-time champion, has proven to be a formidable opponent for Arsenal in the past. They have emerged victorious in all four previous knockout ties between the two teams.

The most recent encounter saw Bayern secure a resounding 10-2 aggregate victory over Arsenal in the last 16 of the competition back in 2017. In fact, Bayern has won the last three meetings between the two sides by a scoreline of 5-1.

However, Bayern will not have the support of their fans in the away end due to a UEFA ban. This ban was imposed after their supporters threw fireworks onto the pitch during their 3-1 victory against Lazio earlier this month. Despite this setback,

Bayern's manager, Thomas Tuchel, acknowledges the challenge that lies ahead and recognizes Arsenal as one of the best teams in Europe.

He emphasizes their consistent performance at the highest level over the past two years and their ability to score a significant number of goals. Tuchel assures that his team will be prepared and confident in their own abilities.

Looking ahead, the path to the semi-finals has been set, and if both teams progress, Arsenal and Premier League leaders Manchester City will face each other in a highly anticipated clash.

It is worth noting that this quarter-final draw marks the last in the current format, as UEFA will introduce a new format starting from the 2024-25 season.

The Champions League final is scheduled to take place on June 1st at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London, which can accommodate up to 90,000 spectators.

Champions League quarter-finals:

QF1: Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

QF2: Atletico Madrid vs Dortmund

QF3: Real Madrid vs Manchester City

QF4: Paris St-Germain vs Barcelona

Semi-finals:

SF1: Winners of QF2 vs winners of QF4 (winner to be nominal home side in final)

SF2: Winners of QF1 vs winners of QF3

Dates:

Quarter-finals

First legs: April 9th/10th

Second legs: April 16th/17th

Semi-finals

First legs: April 30th/May 1st

Second legs: May 7th/8th

The Final

Saturday, June 1st, Wembley Stadium London