The Champions League quarter-finals are here: what to expect from the three League teams?
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are preparing for their Champions League quarter-final ties.
With the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League just around the corner, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are gearing up for their respective duels, aiming to secure a place in the semi-finals of the competition. No league has more participants in the last eight of this season than La Liga, whose teams have won six of the last 10 editions, and the three remaining Spanish teams could all reach the semi-finals, since none of them will meet. Here's a look at what to expect from Los Blancos, Barca and Athletes in these next European meetings.
A familiar opponent for Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti's side were one of the two teams that managed to have a perfect group stage by winning all six of their group games. Real Madrid group C started, which also included Napoli, Braga and Union Berlin. The round of 16 draw pitted the 14-time Champions League winners against RB Leipzig, with Los Blancos securing a 1-0 away win before qualifying for the next round by drawing 1-1 at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid currently sits at the top of the La Liga standings, eight points above second-placed Barcelona. It has been a very solid campaign and Ancelotti's men remain unbeaten at home this season in all competitions. In fact, Real Madrid's last home defeat was in March 2023, when they lost 1-0 to Barça in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.
Meanwhile, their last defeat in the Champions League was against their future opponents, Manchester City. The two teams have met in the Champions League semi-finals in back-to-back seasons and in 2021-22 Real Madrid cruised to their 14th European Cup after a stunning 3-1 home win. in extra time, the tie leads 6-5 on aggregate. A year later, the English side got their revenge by beating Real Madrid 4-0 at home after a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital. Now it remains to be seen which of the two teams will pass the bet this season.
Barça makes his former boss
After finishing top of Group H, which also includes Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Royal Antwerp, Barcelona returned to KO for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign. The Blaugrana drew 1-1 at Napoli in the first leg of the round of 16 and then won 3-1 at the Estadi Olimpic to book a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
There, they will face Paris Saint-Germain, and this upcoming tie will see the return of former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique, this time as an opponent. The 53-year-old tactician led Barca to a historic treble in 2015 and, after a spell with the Spanish national team, took charge of Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
The last time the first leg between these two sides took place in France was in 2017, when PSG took a 4-0 win in Paris. However, Barcelona, then coached by Luis Enrique himself, made an incredible comeback and achieved a 6-1 victory at Camp Nou to progress.
In Wednesday's first leg at Paris Saint-Germain, the Blaugrana will look to extend their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 12 games. With eight rounds of La Liga to go, the reigning champions remain in that title race, while also having the chance to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2018-19.
Atleti will be looking to build on the momentum of their dramatic round of 16 win
Atletico Madrid recorded four wins and two draws to clinch first place in group E this season, a group that also consisted of Lazio, Feyenoord and Celtic. Los Colchoneros hit the ground running in the competition, as only Manchester City (17) scored more goals than Diego Simeone's side (16) in a group stage in which Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata were joint top scorers , with five goals each.
Their first defeat of the Champions League of the season came at Inter (1-0) in the round of 16, but Atleti bounced back in a season Civitas Metropolitano, sending the match to penalties and concerning the qualification to the quarter. final thanks to Jan Oblak's saves. There, they will face Borussia Dortmund, a team they have not met since the 2018-19 season, when both sides won their home meetings in the Champions League group stage.
Atletico Madrid have won 17 of their 19 La Liga and Champions League games at the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano so far. Diego Simeone's side are fourth in the table as they bid to qualify for the Champions League for the 12th consecutive season, but for now the focus is on making the quarter-finals, where they could face Barcelona if the two Spanish sides qualify. . When Atleti reached the finals in 2014 and 2016 under Simeone, they met Barca on both occasions, and Los Rojiblancos fans dare to dream once more.
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