Champions League draw gives some tasty fixtures

Earlier today the draw for the remainder of this season’s Champions League has been drawn. We started with the 4 quarter finals and continued with the semi-finals and final draw. All remaining 8 teams will try to get through to the Champions League final. The Champions League is always in for some amazing battles, but this season three out of the four quarter finals have some serious history behind them. In this article we walk through the draw and tell you why three of them are very tasty fixtures.

Arsenal versus Bayern Munich

The first 2023-2024 quarter final will be the one between Arsenal and Bayern Munich. This is one which will be received with mixed feelings in London. This season is the first time since 2016-2017 that Arsenal plays in the Champions League. The previous time was the moment Arsenal fans and the rest of the footballing community noticed Arsenal was really at a low point. They played Bayern Munich in the round of 16 and lost both matches 5-1. A 10-2 on aggregate loss showed Arsenal fans they were far of European elite. This year it all looks different. Bayern Munich is about to stop their streaks of 11 consecutive Bundesliga title wins, while Arsenal is still battling for the Premier League title for the second year in a row. Arsenal fans have waited all these years, can finally get their revanche on Bayern Munich.

Atletico Madrid versus Borussia Dortmund

The second quarter final is the only one without a spicy history between them. Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund have faced each other four times, divided over 2 group stages. Both clubs won 1 home and 1 away match. It’s also the match where the bookies have a slight favourite. Atletico Madrid is preferred to beat Dortmund over 2 legs. Both clubs are currently ranked 4th in their league, so this will be a very interesting battle.

Manchester City versus Real Madrid

For the third time in a row, two of the best clubs are facing each other in the Champions League. For the first time it’s a quarter final. The last two times this was the semi-final. Two seasons ago, Man City was the stronger team at home, but only got a 1 goal gap. A Benzema goal in extra time of leg 2 put Man City in misery. The hurt lasted a year, until Man City got another opportunity to beat Real Madrid in the Champions League. This time the difference was much bigger. After a 1-1 in Spain, Man City won 4-0 at home. This year these teams play to face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the semi-final. It will be very interesting to see which team is the better one this time.

Paris Saint-Germain versus Barcelona

This match is another tasty battle, with feelings of revanche amongst the fanbase of one club. In February 2017, Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona 4-0 in the round of 16. A huge lead to bring with them for the away match. When entering Barcelona, it was Suarez who brought some hope to the home team after 3 minutes. An own goal by Kurzawa and a penalty by Messi, really got the home fans going. When Cavani scored in the 62nd minute, Barcelona needed to score 3 more to win. In the 88th minute, Neymar scored the 4-1 for Barcelona, which looked to be the final goal of the match. But only 3 minutes later he scored another one, giving Barca a real chance in the last 4 minutes of injury time. Sergi Roberto crowned himself the king of Barcelona, when he scored the 6-1 in the 5th minute of extra time. This goal was needed to qualify for the quarter finals. PSG fans still can’t believe this ever happened and hope for a revanche this year. Another interesting detail, is that Barcelona manager at that time, Luis Enrique, currently manages PSG.