FC Bayern secured progress to the last eight in Europe's premier club competition with an extremely convincing 7-1 win against FC Salzburg in the second leg of the Round of 16 tie in the Champions League. Who FCB will play in their twentieth quarter-finals – a record in the history of competition – will be decided on Friday at noon CET in Nyon: There are no seedings or country restrictions in the draw for the next Champions League grounds. fcbayern.com introduces our potential opponents.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid are in the Champions League quarter-finals for the eighteenth time. The team under former Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti knocked Paris Saint-Germain out in the Round of 16. A 1-0 defeat in Paris was overturned in the second leg. Real first went a goal down but the game was turned round with a hat-trick in 17 minutes from Karim Benzema to secure a 3-1 win. In the group stage, record champions Real finished top with five wins and one defeat ahead of Inter Milan, Sheriff Tiraspol and Shakhtar Donetsk. The team with former FCB player David Alaba currently lead La Liga by ten points ahead of Sevilla. Real Madrid and FC Bayern have already met 26 times in the European Cup and the Champions League. FCB have won twelve times, Real eleven and there have been three draws.
Liverpool
After a 2-0 win in the first leg in Milan, Liverpool went through to the last eight despite losing 1-0 at home to Inter in the second leg of the Round of 16 tie. The team including former Bayern player Thiago won all six group games to finish ahead of Atlético Madrid, Porto and AC Milan. After a 2-0 win at Arsenal on Wednesday night, the Reds are second in the Premier League one point behind league leaders Manchester City. Liverpool knocked Bayern out in the Round of 16 three years ago – and the other nine European clashes with Liverpool are a mixed bag (one win, five draws, three defeats).
Manchester City
Manchester City were on course for the last 16 after the first leg. The team under former FCB coach Pep Guardiola won 5-0 away to Sporting. That meant a goalless draw in the return match put them in the last four. The Citizens finished top of their group ahead of PSG, RB Leipzig and FC Brugge. City are looking to retain the Premier League title and are currently one point ahead of Liverpool. There have been six encounters with FC Bayern to date - all in the Champions League group stages. The record against the English side is evenly balanced with three wins each and a goal difference of 10-9 in favour of City.
Atlético Madrid
"Old Trafford – where dreams come true" was on the official Twitter account of Atlético Madrid. The team under longtime coach Diego Simeone won 1-0 at Manchester United on Tuesday at the "Theatre of Dreams", as the stadium in the North of England is called, to progress to the next round with the first leg being drawn 1-1. The team from the Spanish capital finished second in their group behind Liverpool and only secured their place in the Round of 16 on the final matchday with a 3-1 win away to Porto. The Rojiblancos are currently fourth in La Liga and are in a good position in the race to qualify for the Champions League again. The Simeone team have a score to settle with FC Bayern: FCB have won four out of the last eight meetings (two draws, two defeats).
Benfica
Friends reunited. That would probably be the reaction if FC Bayern draw the Portuguese record champions. The two big clubs met in the Champions League group stage this season with FCB winning 4-0 at the Estádio da Luz on the Atlantic coast and 5-2 in the second leg at the Allianz Arena. In their domestic league, Benfica are currently third behind local rivals Sporting and league leaders Porto. Julian Nagelsmann's term clearly have the upper hand in the games to date: Bayern have nine wins and three draws from the twelve previous meetings.
Chelsea
Off to London? Chelsea, coached by Thomas Tuchel, are also in the draw for the quarter-finals. The Blues, who beat Manchester City 1-0 in last season's final thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz, secured wins in the group stage against Malmö FF and Zenit St. Petersburg but finished second behind group winners Juventus. The reigning European champions including Germany internationals Havertz, Timo Werner and Antonio Rüdiger overcame Lille in the Round of 16 (2-0; 2-1). The previous duels between the team from Stamford Bridge and FC Bayern have been worth watching: Chelsea won the Champions League final in 2012 on penalties and FCB won the European Super Cup in the same way a year later. The other games ended in three wins for FCB and one for Chelsea.
Villarreal
Surprise in the Round of 16: Villarreal - current holders of the Europa League title – knocked Juventus out in the Round of 16. The goals in the 3-0 away win in Turin were scored by Pau, Gerard and Arnaut Danjuma for the team under Unai Emery. Villareal lost to Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals in 2006. The Yellow Submarine, as the club is called, are seventh in La Liga in striking distance of the European spots. FC Bayern and the club from Valencia have previously met twice: FCB won both matches in the Champions League group stages in 2011/12 (2-0; 3-1).
Last draw this season
Friday’s draw will determine the quarter-final ties plus the possible semi-final pairings as well as the home rights for the final at the Stade de France in Paris on 28 May. The first legs of the quarter-finals will be played on 5/6 April and the return matches a week later on 12/13 April. The semi-finals begin with the first legs on 26/ 27 April and the return matches are on 3/4 May.
Here are the key facts on Bayern's progress to the quarter-finals:
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