The Champions League quarter-finals will begin next month but the draw has already decided every match. The Champions League quarter-final draw, which took place on March 17, has given soccer fans very interesting matches. The quarter-finals have some teams we are used to seeing there almost every year but there are a few others looking to surprise the world of sports. The Champions League will return in April for the quarter-finals but here are all the matches, facts and numbers while we wait.
Juventus vs. Barcelona
Juventus and Barcelona will be facing each other in the Champions League quarter-finals. This is a rematch of the 2015 Champions League final, which Barcelona won. This time, many sports fans believe the result could be different as Barcelona is coming from an amazing comeback against PSG. Barcelona scored six goals against PSG to advance to the next round and many believe this could be Juventus chance if they play well. Juventus currently leads Serie A with 73 points and has allowed just 19 goals in 29 matches played. In La Liga, Barcelona is in second place with 63 points. But they do have 81 goals scored in 28 matches played, so Juventus will have to defend well.
Atletico Madrid vs. Leicester City
Atletico Madrid have shown they are a very strong team in Champions League, reaching the final two times, the latest one last season. It is not the first time that Leicester City will play Atletico Madrid, they actually faced each other in the 1997 UEFA Cup. Leicester City may not be doing great in the Premier League but they did finish first in the group stage with four wins, one draw and one loss. Leicester City also won against Sevilla, a team that won three straight UEFA Europa Leagues.
Dortmund vs. Monaco
Dortmund scored four goals in the second game of the round of 16 to advance while Monaco also showed that they can score a lot of goals. Monaco scored three goals against Manchester City in the first game and three more in the second game to advance to the quarter-finals. Dortmund has scored 54 goals in Bundesliga while Monaco has scored a whopping 87 goals in 30 matches played in Ligue 1. These numbers mean we could see a goal party between the two teams.
Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have met a few times in the Champions League in recent years. The two teams have looked good in the Champions League this year and it is difficult to predict who will advance to the next round. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are currently leading their leagues and this match feels more like a semi-final or even a final than a quarter-final.
Oh and here are a few facts about the Champions League quarter-finals:
- The Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus was the fifth appearance in the final for both teams. Barcelona won that match 3-1.
- Back in 2014, when Real Madrid was looking to win its tenth Champions League trophy, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid met in the semi-final. Real Madrid then advanced to their first Champions League final since 2002 with a 5-0 aggregate.
- Monaco has scored a total of 102 goals between the eight games played in the Champions League (including round of 16) and the 30 matches played in Ligue 1.
- Borussia Dortmund and Monaco have never faced each other in a UEFA tournament.
- Real Madrid’s 4-0 victory in 2014 against Bayern Munich was Bayern’s record home defeat in European competition. In 2012, Bayern Munich eliminated Real Madrid with a 3-1 score on penalties. Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti will also be returning to face his former club.
- The Champions League quarter-finals has two teams that didn’t qualify for the tournament the previous season, Dortmund and Leicester City.
- The Champions League quarter-finals also features the two all-time top scorers of the competition, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
- Spain has the most winners in the competition’s history. Real Madrid has the most with eleven titles. Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona have reached the Champions League finals in the last three editions.
- Dani Alves will be returning to face Barcelona after playing for them from 2008 to 2016. The right back won 23 trophies with Barcelona.
