Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are gearing up for their Champions League quarter-final ties.
With the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals just around the corner, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are preparing for their respective duels as they each aim to clinch a spot in the semi-finals of the competition. No league has more participants in this season’s last eight than La Liga, whose teams have won six of the last 10 editions, and the three remaining Spanish sides could all make the semi-finals, as none of them face each other. Here’s a look at what to expect from Los Blancos, Barca and Atleti in these upcoming European fixtures.
A familiar opponent for Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti’s side were one of just two teams that managed to have a perfect group stage by winning all their six group games. Real Madrid topped Group C, which also included Napoli, Braga and Union Berlin. The Round of 16 draw then brought the 14-time Champions League winners up against RB Leipzig, with Los Blancos securing a 1-0 win away from home before clinching qualification to the next round by drawing 1-1 at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid currently sit top of the La Liga table, 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 dates back in March 2023, when they lost 1-0 to Barca in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
Meanwhile, their last defeat in the Champions League was against their upcoming opponents, Manchester City. The two teams faced each other in the Champions League semi-finals in back-to-back seasons and, in 2021-22, Real Madrid went all the way to their 14th European Cup after pulling off a stunning 3-1 comeback win at home in extra time, edging tie 6-5 on aggregate. One year later, the English side took their revenge by beating Real Madrid 4-0 at home following a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital. It now remains to be seen which of the two teams will come through the tie this season.
Barca face their former boss
Having finished top of Group H, which also included Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Royal Antwerp, Barcelona returned to the Champions League knockouts 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 clinch a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition.
There, they will take on 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 an historic treble in 2015 and, after a spell with the Spanish national team, he took charge of Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
The last time that the first leg between these two sides took place in France was back in 2017, when PSG grabbed a 4-0 victory in Paris. However, Barcelona, then coached by Luis Enrique himself, completed an incredible comeback and achieved a 6-1 win at the Camp Nou to progress.
In Wednesday’s first leg away at Paris Saint-Germain, Los Blaugrana will look to extend their unbeaten streak across all competitions to 12 games. With eight La Liga rounds to go, the reigning champions remain in that title race, while they also have the opportunity to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2018-19.
Atleti look to build on the momentum of their dramatic Round of 16 win
Atletico Madrid recorded four wins and two draws to clinch top spot in Group E this season, a group which 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 the joint top scorers, with five goals each.
Their first Champions League defeat of the season came away at Inter (1-0) in the Round of 16, but Atleti bounced back at a buzzing Estadio Civitas Metropolitano in the second leg, sending the game to penalties and clinching qualification to the quarter-finals thanks to Jan Oblak’s saves. There, they will face Borussia Dortmund, a team they haven’t 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 sit fourth in the league table, in their bid to clinch Champions League qualification for the 12th season in a row, but for now the focus is on making the final four, where they could take on Barcelona if both the Spanish sides qualify. When Atleti reached the 2014 and 2016 finals under Simeone, they came across Barca on both occasions, and fans of Los Rojiblancos are daring to dream once more.
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