Bayern Munich and Barcelona head into the Champions League quarter-finals in top form, Arsenal look to regain form and Liverpool face a tough challenge against PSG
Paris Saint-Germain are defending champions (Image: AP)
The Champions League quarter-finals will see Europe’s best teams battle it out, with several teams worthy of making the finals making up the last eight.
Arsenal remain favorites to win the competition, having won nine of the 10 games they have played in Europe this season, but the break has transformed them from a side chasing a quadruple title to one chasing a double. Questions are being asked of the Gunners ahead of their clash with Sporting Lisbon.
The two La Liga teams only faced each other over the weekend, with the rivalry reignited as Barcelona or Atletico Madrid await the winner of the tie. The Catalans lost in the semi-finals last season but field one of the most dangerous front lines in Europe.
Defending champions PSG will once again face Liverpool. They beat Liverpool in the last 16 a year ago and will now be hoping to end their European hopes in the knockout stages once again. They have made a habit of beating Premier League teams in recent years, beating Chelsea last month.
The matchup between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich represents the true weight tie of this round. They have played more than 20 European Cups and have won three of the last six Champions League titles since 2020.
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Mirror Football has looked at the eight teams who have reached the quarter-finals and has devised a power ranking based on their achievements this season, current form and European pedigree.
8. Sporting Lisbon
To their credit, they have made it this far and after the first leg of the last-16 tie it looked like the game was over. However, Sporting recovered from a 3-0 deficit against Bodo/Glimt and proved that the Estadio Jose Alvalade is not a place for any team to enjoy. They may take some silver lining from Arsenal’s current predicament, but Sporting themselves need two season-defining performances if they hope to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their history.
Sporting Lisbon come back from the brink with victory over Bodo/Glimt
7. Liverpool
What is the difference between 12 months? The Reds have faced criticism for a lack of effort from their players following their defeat in the FA Cup at the weekend. PSG ended Liverpool’s hopes in the last 16 12 months ago, but the Merseysiders will look to do well to prevent a repeat of that. Many top performers have experienced a significant drop in level, but none more so than Mohamed Salah. Liverpool’s only hope of winning trophies this season is in Europe, but that looks like an incredibly tall order.
6. Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone has led Atlético to back-to-back wins in this competition, but it has been nine years since he led his team to the semi-finals. You can’t expect much from a team that defeated Tottenham in the final round, and losing to coach Igor Tudor’s team in the second leg is certainly not something to be praised for. Atlético kicked Barcelona out of the Copa del Rey this season thanks to a 4-0 win over the Catalans, but they lost 3-0 in their return match and may struggle to stop their momentum in the last eight if they face each other in every La Liga game.
Federico Valverde is the star of the last 16 (Image: Getty Images)
5. Real Madrid
Los Blancos are the greatest European team in history and have an intangible ability to ensure results. In the final match, Federico Valverde defeated City without Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe. Alvaro Arbeloa is, as always, a man who is learning while working at this level. Losing to Real Mallorca at the weekend ended La Liga hopes and the Spanish giants will face one of Europe’s strongest teams.
4. Arsenal
Although they are the likely favorites in the bookmakers’ eyes and are not the most dangerous team in the competition having reached the last eight, Arsenal are a team with many doubts. How Manchester City defeated them in the Carabao Cup final will attract the attention of other strong teams.
Arsenal need to get back on track after consecutive cup defeats (Image: 2026 Catherine Ivill – AMA)
Mikel Arteta will be looking to his top performers to get his team back on track and the Gunners cannot afford to fall further behind. They have won all but one of their Champions League games, but they need to counter the narrative surrounding them at the moment.
3.PSG
The European champions have timed their runs to perfection, just as they did last season, and look like a force to come. They were far from sensational in the league, winning only four of their eight games. However, given the way they beat Chelsea in the last 16, the Parisians look set to pick up points. PSG have a sensational mix of gun-toting attackers and players who know how to control games, and Vicinha is the best example of this. Luis Enrique is looking to win his third European title in over 10 years and is preparing for a promising draw.
2. Barcelona
Lamine Yamal and his team were the best in terms of free goals the last time they played in Europe, outscoring Newcastle by seven points at the Camp Nou. If there’s one thing this team has in abundance, it’s goals. As well as Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford are also in the squad and will replace Raphinha, who will be out for the next few weeks. Barcelona are undoubtedly traumatized by their semi-final defeat 12 months ago and have coach Hansi Flick who knows what it takes to conquer Europe.
Bayern Munich and Harry Kane aim to win a seventh European Cup (Image: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
1. Bayern Munich
The German side have won the treble twice since 2013, and Vincent Kompany is firmly targeting a third. Bayern have maintained their dominance in the Bundesliga, winning an astonishing 37 of their 43 competitive games so far this season. Harry Kane is two goals shy of 50 goals by the start of April and the Englishman appears determined to add Europe’s top honor to his CV as he enjoys his best season to date. Bayern have the know-how, they have some natural winners in the squad and they will be hoping to end Real’s hopes over the next two weeks.
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