After a 4-1 victory in Rome three weeks ago, Bayern left no stone unturned in the Champions League round of 16 second leg against Lazio and advanced to the quarters with a commanding 2-1 (1-0) victory at the Allianz Arena. Who the defending champions will meet in their 19th appearance in the quarter-finals - a record - will be decided noon this Friday in Nyon, Switzerland. In the draw for the next Champions League rounds, there are no longer any seed lists or country restrictions - and from a rematch of last year's final match to another Der Klassiker, anything lies in wait for the German record champions. Here's the low-down on the possible opponents Bayern could draw.
FC Porto
FC Porto somewhat surprisingly beat Juventus in the last 16: After a 2-1 home win in Porto, Sérgio Conceição's team advanced past Juve in a dramatic second leg despite losing 3-2 on the night (AET). In Portugal's domestic top flight, Liga Nos, the reigning league champions are currently second - but lagging quite behind leaders Sporting Lisbon. Bayern and Porto have met seven times in the Champions League and the European Cup Winners' Cup. With three wins, two draws and two defeats, FCB have the edge over the Portuguese.
Borussia Dortmund
Will Der Klassiker have a fourth act this season? Bayern and Dortmund have already met three times in competitive matches this season - and three times Bayern were victorious! On the continental stage, however, the side currently fifth in the Bundesliga remain unscathed, after a 3-2 away win and a 2-2 draw at home against Sevilla FC. Dortmund have made it back into the eight best teams in Europe for the first time since 2016/17. So far, the only two German clubs to win the Champions League have met three times in the competition: in 1997/98, BVB narrowly prevailing in the quarter-finals (0-0; 1-0 AET), while in 2013 the Munich side triumphed 2-1 in the UCL final at Wembley.
Liverpool FC
Domestically, the Reds are currently struggling, but in the top flight they are on fire! Two commanding 2-0 wins over RB Leipzig to start their knockout stage campaign - with both games played in Budapest due to the pandemic - means Liverpool FC are back in the quarter-finals for the first time since winning the trophy in 2019. Given the fact that they're sixth in the Premier League and knocked out of both English cup competitions, the Champions League appears to be their last chance at picking up a trophy this year for Jürgen Klopp's team. Two years ago, LFC eliminated Bayern in the last 16 en route to the final - and Bayern's record against Liverpool in ten European Cup matches with Liverpool is checkered (one win, five draws, four defeats).
Paris Saint-Germain
Will it be a rematch of the Lisbon final last year? Paris Saint-Germain famously lost 1-0 to FC Bayern in last August's Champions League final and are now embarking on their next attempt at capturing a trophy that has proved elusive for them. With a 4-1 away win and a 1-1 draw in the second leg against FC Barcelona, PSG's presence in the last eight has already attracted attention - even if the holding French double winners no longer exude their domestic dominance seen in recent years, lying second in the Ligue 1 table. Including the final almost seven months ago, FCB and PSG have met nine times in the UCL, with the side from the French capital having a slight advantage over Bayern (five PSG wins, four FCB wins).
Manchester City
Borussia Mönchengladbach failed to pull off a footballing rabbit out of the hat. After a 2-0 defeat in the first leg, the Foals were also beaten 2-0 by Manchester City in the second leg and were thus eliminated in the last 16. Former Bayern coach Pep Guardiola's team, on the other hand, reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the fourth time in a row. The Cityzens remained unbeaten in their eighth consecutive UCL match (seven wins) and kept a clean sheet for the seventh game in a row. In total, Manchester have won 24 of their last 25 competitive matches and are currently 14 points clear of local rivals Manchester United in the Premier League. There have been six encounters with FC Bayern and City so far - all in the Champions League group stage. With three wins each and 9:10 goals in favour of the English side, the balance is even.
Real Madrid
For the 17th time, Real Madrid have made it into the quarter-finals of the Champions League. After a 1-0 victory in the first leg at Atalanta, the Spanish record champions won the second leg 3-1 and entered the last eight after a two-year absence. Karim Benzema's 70th goal in the UCL gave the Spanish side the lead, with Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio scoring the other goals for Madrid, with Luis Muriel only managing what turned out to be a consolation goal via a stunning free-kick. Record champions Real celebrated their fifth win in their last six UCL games (one defeat) and now look ahead to the draw on Friday. The Madrilenians have already crossed swords with FC Bayern 26 times, all of them in the European Cup Winners' Cup or the Champions League. Twelve Munich victories are offset by three draws and eleven Real wins.
FC Chelsea
Chelsea FC became the third English team to book their spot in the quarter-finals on Wednesday evening. After a 1-0 win in the first leg at Atlético Madrid, the Londoners won 2-0 in the second leg at Stamford Bridge, giving coach Thomas Tuchel a place in the history books: the German is the first Chelsea coach to go unbeaten in his first 13 matches as boss (nine wins, four draws). In the Premier League, the Blues are fighting to earn a Champions League spot for next year and lie fourth in the table. FC Bayern and Chelsea have met five times so far (three FCB wins, two Chelsea wins). The last time the teams met was in the UCL round of 16 last year, with Bayern coming out on top (3-0 in the first leg, 4-1 in the second leg).
Last draw of the season
In addition to the quarter-final matches, the draw on Friday will also draw possible semi-final pairings as well as who will have the 'home' advantage in the final on 29 May in Istanbul's Atatürk Stadium. The first legs of the quarter-finals will be played on 6/7 April, with the second legs taking place a week later on 13/14 April. The semi-finals will then begin with the first legs on 27/28 April, before the second legs on 4/5 May.
Read the match report as Bayern eased past Lazio:
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