The scene is prepared for the second leg matches of the UEFA Champions League and UCL quarterfinals.
Only four of the eight clubs will advance to the Champions League semi-final stage following the conclusion of the matches, therefore, the second leg matches, which are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, are anticipated to be a “judgement day fight to finish.”
According to The Intercept, the first leg matches took place on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week.
Eight clubs are presently competing in the quarterfinals of the Champions League: Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, and Aston Villa.
Here are the fixtures for the Champions League last-8 second-leg games:
Tuesday
PSG against Aston Villa Villa Park will host this game by 8:00 p.m. Last week, Unai Emery’s team lost the first leg to PSG 3-1. In order for the Premier League team to defeat PSG, they will need to perform well.
Barcelona vs. Dortmund Germany is where this game will be played. Last week, Barcelona crushed Dortmund 4-0 at Camp Nou in the first leg. It will undoubtedly take a miracle for the Bundesliga team to defeat Hansi Flick’s team.
Wednesday
Arsenal against Real Madrid The Santiago Bernabeu will host this game. Last week, the Los Blancos suffered a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in the first leg. It will truly take a miracle for Carlo Ancelotti’s team to defeat the Gunners in Spain. Prior to the return leg match, Mikel Arteta’s team had already received warnings from a few Real Madrid players, including Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Rodrygo.
Bayern Munich vs. Inter Milan, Italy is where this game will be played. The only team that went out and won last week was Inter Milan. Last week, in Germany, the Serie A powerhouses upset Bayern 2-1 in the first leg. To exact revenge on Inter at San Siro, the Bundesliga powerhouses will have to put on a spectacular performance.
Ibrahim Lawal, a media consultant and football development expert, shared his thoughts on the Champions League quarterfinal second-leg matches with The Intercept.
Lawal said: “The Champions League knockout stages have always been highly competitive and unpredictable, though, on paper, it is expected that the more experienced clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern and PSG will record easy victories over their opponents.
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“But sometimes it doesn’t turn up that way, the big one being Madrid losing to Arsenal by 3 goals to nothing, it was a little understandable considering Madrid’s recent loss of form in the La Liga.
“The goal margin against Madrid may have been more if not for the heroics of Courtois. Considering Madrid’s Champions League experience, having won the competition a record 15 times and having won it 3 times back-to-back, one cannot rule out a comeback win for the Spanish giants.
“For Aston Villa, they are seen as the underdogs, playing a seemingly revamped PSG who seem determined to go all out and win the Champions League this season, after beating Liverpool in the Round of 16. Aston Villa may have a good comeback against PSG, but they are not good enough to qualify for the semi-finals.
“For Inter Milan, the Nerazzurri are known for their defensive and counter tactics this season. They will surely work a tight midfield that will frustrate Bayern, who have quick attackers and will want to hit the ground running with quick goals.
“Inter winning away at Bayern Munich is less surprising considering their recent good form both in domestic and European competitions.
“As for Dortmund, they lack the tactical discipline to match the young Barcelona side who were able to craft out incredible quick and counter moves that gave them an easy first leg victory at home.
“However, the second leg may not be different, it certainly will be a cracker, judgement day fight to finish, but the teams that lost the first leg will have to dig deeper to come up with wins against their opponents.”
When asked to pick the four teams that could make it to the Champions League semi-final, Lawal simply said: “Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and PSG.”
