da bet vitoria： There were no real shocks in a relatively boring last-16 draw but the quarter-finals are now stacked with potential winners…
da betcris： We're down to just eight teams in the 2023-24 Champions League! Truth be told, the last 16 failed to really catch fire but, with the favourites progressing from nearly every single tie, we're now set for some heavyweight clashes in the quarter-finals.
The 'big three' in Spain – Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid – all survived tough contests, while Paris Saint-Germain kept the French flag flying by eliminating the other Liga side, Real Sociedad, with the minimum of fuss.
England will have two teams in the quarters, with Manchester City cruising past Copenhagen and Arsenal showing some bottle in beating Porto on penalties. Despite all of the turmoil surrounding Thomas Tuchel at the Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich are still in the hunt, along with fellow Germans Borussia Dortmund, the surprise stars of this season's tournament.
So, who's going to go all the way to Wembley? GOAL ranks the remaining participants below…
(C)Getty Images8Arsenal ⬇️
Let's face it, Arsenal were surprisingly underwhelming in both games against Porto, only scraping through on penalties in the end. Not that the Gunners were bothered, of course. On the contrary, they understandably took plenty of positives out of the second leg. Firstly, they proved their mettle in the shootout. Secondly, they ended a run of seven consecutive last-16 eliminations since last reaching the quarter-finals in 2010.
Can a hopefully liberated Arsenal now go on to win a first Champions League? It still seems unlikely, as they're presently engaged in a titanic three-way tussle at the top of the Premier League that could drain them of valuable energy – and have now been given a most arduous path to Wembley.
Mikel Arteta's men will have to beat Bayern Munich in the quarters and then overcome either Manchester City or Real Madrid in the last four just to give themselves a chance of lifting the trophy. Arsenal have a terrific young team but this kind of challenge looks beyond them right now, given their lack of European experience.
AdvertisementGetty Images7Bayern Munich ⬇️
Thomas Tuchel's tenure has unravelled and he will leave the Allianz Arena at the end of the season – but could he bow out by claiming his second Champions League title? It's not impossible, especially as Harry Kane is scoring goals for fun.
The prolific England striker stepped up again in the last-16 second leg against Lazio to save Bayern's season and the Bavarians definitely have sufficient talent to eliminate Arsenal in the quarters. It's the kind of tie that could go either way, of course, but the fact that the second leg is at the Allianz Arena could prove decisive.
Nonetheless, it's hard to shake the feeling that the obvious lack of togetherness at the club will eventually catch up with Tuchel's team.
Getty6Real Madrid ⬇️
The Blancos are blessed to still be in contention. They were second-best in both legs of their last-16 tie with RB Leipzig, who knew full well that they had blown a glorious chance to eliminate Madrid – hence Xavi Simons' tears at the full-time whistle at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, this is Madrid we're talking about here. They've won several Champions Leagues without being remotely close to the best team in Europe. Conquering Europe is just what they do. They always find a way to win, and having players capable of moments of magic like Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior helps. For that reason alone, they remain a serious threat but, on current form, it's just so hard to see them getting past City. A repeat of last season's painful exit at the Etihad looks inevitable right now.
(C)Getty Images5Borussia Dortmund ⬆️
As expected, BVB beat PSV to progress to the quarter-finals – but they made seriously hard work of it. Dortmund were sensational during the first half hour of the second leg at Signal Iduna Park, full value for the lead given to them by Jadon Sancho, but they were awful after the interval and would have been taken to extra-time had it not been for a shocking late miss from Luuk de Jong.
Still, just reaching the last eight represents an amazing achievement for Dortmund, who, lest anyone should forget, topped this season's group of death. They'll be underdogs once again in the quarter-finals, against Atletico, and that should suit Edin Terzic's team right down to the ground, as they have already proven against the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle.
Dortmund still have it all to do but they can dare to dream after a draw that could have gone a hell of a lot worse.