Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens react against PSG Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. (2:35)
Manchester City faced Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals on Friday, in a draw in which the latest winners of Europe’s most sensible festival face their most successful team.
Kylian Mbappe and his Paris Saint-Germain side will face Barcelona in what is expected to be his final season with the French club, and sources told ESPN he is expected to sign up for Barca rival Madrid this summer.
– ESPN Broadcast: LaLiga, Bundesliga, (USA)
Elsewhere, Harry Kane will face a familiar foe when Bayern Munich take on Arsenal. It’s also a familiar clash, as Bayern knocked the north London club out of this festival in 2013, 2014 and 2017.
Bayern fans will not be allowed to travel to the Emirates after UEFA sanctioned fans of the German club for setting off fireworks on the pitch in the first leg of 16 against Lazio in Rome.
The clash will be between Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
In the semi-finals, Atletico’s winner against Dortmund will face either Barca or PSG, while Arsenal, Bayern, Madrid and City will face off for a place in the final.
Barca’s clash with PSG will be reminiscent of several recent encounters, as the two teams have met in the 16-man category on 3 occasions since the 2014-15 season.
Most famously, the Catalan club overcame a 4-0 deficit in the first leg of the round of 16 of the 2016-17 season with a 6-1 victory at the Spotify Camp Nou in a match dubbed by the Spanish media as La Remontada: the return of everything. Returns.
“With Paris, I think we have an opponent that is clearly a very difficult team, with a lot of individual qualities, but I feel like this season especially, they have taken a big step as a team,” Barcelona’s Ilkay Gündogan told ESPN. “They are developing and it will be a difficult challenge that we will face. “
Madrid and City also have a very recent history in the Champions League, having met in the semi-finals in the last two seasons. Madrid will host the first leg on April 9 or 10 and the second leg will take place the following week in Manchester. .
Pep Guardiola’s side beat Madrid in maiden name last year with a crushing 4-0 win at the Etihad, while in 2021-22, Madrid had a strong reaction to borrow the draw and progress.
Madrid coach Emilio Butragueño said after Friday’s draw: “They are the champions, we know each other perfectly, I don’t want all the virtues of City.
“It’s going to be two wonderful games for the fans. There are very sensible players and we have two wonderful games ahead of us. We are very happy that the team is up to the task, we want to get a smart result. “the Bernabéu to protect it there.
“All the groups that have reached this point are strong. In the end, it’s two games. The matches are evenly matched and all the main points can go to a draw. The remaining 8 groups can be champions, let’s see what happens. All ties are “
Guardiola said in his press conference on Friday that clashes against Madrid were common.
“It’s a bit of a tradition, 3 years in a row we play for the king of the festival because they have won 14 Champions Leagues, but that’s the way it is,” he said.
The first leg of the quarter-finals will be played on 9 and 10 April, and the second legs a week later on 16 and 17 April.
This year’s Champions League final will take place at Wembley, London, on June 1. This will be the eighth time England’s National Stadium will host UEFA’s flagship match.
Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid-Manchester City
Paris Saint Germain vs Barcelona
Atletico Madrid/Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain/Barcelona
Arsenal/Bayern Munich-Real Madrid/Manchester City