Four second leg matches still need to be played, but the first teams to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals are already known. And the matchups should be interesting. Only one is official so far, and it pits Sporting Lisbon against Arsenal.
The Portuguese achieved a small feat on Tuesday by overturning a very precarious situation against Bodo/Glimt. Despite the Norwegians having won the first leg by a large margin (3-0), they struggled on Lisbon’s turf, where it took extra time to score the decisive fourth goal (5-0).
The Gunners, on the other hand, ended Bayer Leverkusen’s journey. After a tough match in Germany (1-1), Mikel Arteta’s men did the job at home to advance (2-0) and continue dreaming of an incredible Premier League-Champions League double. They will be favorites against Lisbon.
As clear favorites thanks to their impressive first leg victory (3-0), Real Madrid did not falter in knocking out Manchester City, especially with an early penalty and Bernardo Silva’s expulsion (1-1). The Madrid side will likely face Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, unless Atalanta manages a monumental upset.
Paris Saint-Germain, who dominated Chelsea, will face Galatasaray or Liverpool. The Turks won the first leg at home (1-0) but will need to withstand Anfield’s atmosphere on Wednesday night. The final quarter-final will see Barcelona or Newcastle play against Atletico Madrid or Tottenham.
Quarter-final matchups: – Paris SG – Liverpool or Galatasaray – Real Madrid – Atalanta Bergamo or Bayern Munich – Newcastle or Barcelona – Atletico Madrid or Tottenham – Arsenal – Sporting CP
