The Champions League round of 16 stage was concluded following Villarreal’s shock 3-0 win at Juventus and Chelsea comfortably securing their place in the quarter-finals with victory over Lille.
Neither Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo will play in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2004-05.
But despite their absence, the tournament is yet to hit its peak with Manchester City, Liverpool and defending champions Chelsea among the teams remaining.
Now it is almost time for the quarter-final draw, with the semi-final draw and “home” draw for the final also taking place on Friday.
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When is the Champions League draw?
- Date: Friday 18 March
- Time: 11am (GMT)
- TV Channel: BT Sport 1
- Live stream: BT Sports app and YouTube channel and Uefa’s website and social media channels
Man City
City are still on the search for their first Champions League, and Pep Guardiola’s first since the 2010-11 campaign.
But with Liverpool one point behind City in the league it remains a mystery how much attention will be diverted away from their European efforts.
City have the minerals to beat any team but if another Crystal Palace-like performance occurs they will suffer.
History is not on the side of City but history is made to be broken. They will remember losing last year’s final 1-0 to Chelsea and will do everything to end the season victorious.
Liverpool
The quadruple remains on the cards for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool.
They lost their last-16 second leg 1-0 to Inter, but the 2-0 first-leg win gave them the leg room they needed to hold off the Italian side.
Klopp’s side, once 14 points behind Guardiola’s men, have engaged in a mental warfare with City – who will crack first?
The Reds have not played at the heights of their potential the last few games, as their manager has admitted, but they are capable of riding the opposition’s waves of momentum.
Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota, the two goalscorers against Arsenal on Wednesday night, returning arguably makes them the most lethal attack in Europe.
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Typically the German giants lack a challenge in the Bundesliga but Borussia Dortmund have crept back up to sit just four points behind Bayern, going five games undefeated in the league.
Bayern lifting the 2020-21 Champions League followed their league win 13 points ahead of RB Leipzig.
With Dortmund out of the Europa League thanks to Rangers they will concentrate their energy knowing they could clinch their first Bundesliga since 2010-11 with Klopp.
Nevertheless, Bayern’s quality cannot be denied as they made easy work of RB Salzburg thanks to Ballon D’or snubbed Robert Lewandowski’s earliest hat-trick in the competition’s history.
Chelsea
The Blues are in limbo as uncertainty over Roman Abramovich’s successor continues, but Chelsea remain focused on the pitch, only losing to City and Liverpool this year.
The adversity means they are arguably more honed in than ever as the commitment remains strong – Kai Havertz offered to pay for travel amid their £20,000 limit, while Thomas Tuchel said he will drive a seven-seater if he had to.
After Romelu Lukaku’s seven-touch game against Crystal Palace, Havertz has assumed the centre-forward role and has thrived, offering Chelsea more space and link-up play.
The German has scored five in as many games, reducing the £97.5m Belgian striker to an impact substitution.
Real Madrid
The departure of Ronaldo in 2018 drew a lot of attention away from Real Madrid, but their 3-2 aggregate comeback win over PSG via a record-breaking Karim Benzema hat-trick has brought eyes back to the Spanish capital.
“CR7” is not the only player showing that age is only a number – Luka Modric commanded the midfield, breaking the lines against PSG when assisting Benzema’s second goal.
Madrid may struggle to reach the levels they attained with Ronaldo, but they still have a squad capable of beating any team with passion and heart knowing no game is ever dead in the water.
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Atletico Madrid
Manchester United’s fifth consecutive season without a trophy was sealed by the hands of Atletico, who ground out a 2-1 aggregate win in typical defensive Diego Simeone fashion.
The Argentine sensed the animosity which eventually boiled over as United fans threw bottles at full time when the manager ran to the tunnel.
They are perceived as the least entertaining of the remaining teams, but Joao Felix’s disallowed goal displayed nothing short of brilliant football – from defence to the back of the net in five passes, they are the masters of playing with their backs against the wall, and cannot be ruled out.
Villarreal
Since Unai Emery’s time at Arsenal he has developed his redemption arc, last season beating his former club in the Europa League final to later lift the trophy, and now beating Juventus to book a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Villarreal may put everything into this tournament knowing their hopes for top European football next season are close to none given they are currently sitting seventh, six points off the top four.
The Yellow Submarines are capable of performing upsets, and with striker Gerard Moreno returning from a calf injury sustained in February, they become even more dangerous.
Benfica
The Eagles pushed through the Ajax onslaught, only holding 31 per cent possession, as West Ham target Darwin Nunez headed the winning goal – the only shot on target.
Benfica will be the underdogs whoever they draw in the next round, but low expectations may be what allows them to strive.
The Portuguese team have sometimes lacked the edge to kill off a game, playing shut-down defence, which will come to haunt them as shown by their 4-0 and 5-2 group-stage defeats to Bayern Munich.
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