It’s down to 8 teams in the UEFA Champions League 2021-22 season after a gripping round of 16 actions that saw eight teams go out of Europe’s top club competition.
Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Benfica, Manchester City, Villarreal and Atletico Madrid were the teams progressing to the quarter-final stage.
Record 13-time champions Real Madrid stunned Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 on aggregate over two rounds in their round of 16 clashes, while their city rivals and three-time runners up Atletico edged three-time champions Manchester United 2-1 on aggregate. Six-time champs Liverpool booked their last-eight spot after 2-1 aggregate defeat of Italian champions Inter, while Bayern Munich, also six-time champions, thumped RB Salzburg 8-2 on aggregate to reach the quarter-final. Two-time champions Chelsea and Villarreal also progressed via 4-1 aggregate scorelines against Lille and Juventus, respectively. Benfica, two-time champions, edged out Ajax 3-2 on aggregate to reach the last 8.
Last season’s runners up and Premier League champions Manchester City eased 5-0 on aggregate past Sporting Lisbon in their round of 16 clashes.
Quarter-finals draw:
Defending Champions Chelsea are the first team to be drawn out, and they will face 13-time winners Real Madrid, which is a repeat of last year’s semi-final.
Last season’s runners-up Manchester City will lock horns against Atletico Madrid.
Unai Emery’s side will face six-time winners Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.
Benfica, who are on the hunt for their first European Cup glory since 1962, will play English giants Liverpool.
The quarter-final ties:
Chelsea v Real Madrid
Manchester City v Atletico Madrid
Villarreal v Bayern Munich
Benfica v Liverpool
Semi-final draw:
The winner of Benfica vs Liverpool will be up against the winner of Villarreal vs Bayern in the semi-finals. While the winner of Manchester City vs Atletico Madrid will be up against the winners of the Chelsea vs Real Madrid tie.
Manchester City or Atletico Madrid v Chelsea or Real Madrid
Benfica or Liverpool v Villarreal or Bayern Munich
When will the Champions League quarter-final and semi-final ties take place?
Quarter-finals
First legs: 5/6 April
Second legs: 12/13 April
Semi-finals
First legs: 26/27 April
Second legs: 3/4 May
When and where is UCL 2021-22 Final taking place?
This season’s final will be played at the Stade de France in Paris, which also hosted the event in 2000 and 2006. The game will kick off at 9:00 pm CET on Saturday, 28 May.
