Sports
UCL Quarter Finals: Arsenal face old nemesis Bayern Munich, Real Madrid take on Man City
North London side, Arsenal will face old nemesis, Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, with the winner of the tie to square off with the winner between Real Madrid and Manchester City in the semi-finals.
After topping Group B, the Gunners were drawn against FC Porto in the round of 16. Losing away 1-0 in the away leg was not enough to stop the Mikel Arteta side from advancing into the last eight thanks to two David Raya saves in the penalty shootout after a Leandro Trossard goal had levelled the tie.
The North London team were the first team out of Friday’s draw, with the north London club facing a familiar foe.
This will be the seventh time the Gunners have been paired with the Bavarian Giants in the competition, and out of 14 meetings, the Gunners have won three, drawn twice and lost seven.
Last three meetings: Arsenal vs Bayern
2016/17: Round of 16: Bayern 5-1 Arsenal (1st Leg)
Arsenal 1-5 Bayern (2nd Leg)
2015/16: Matchday 4: Bayern 5-1 Arsenal
The Gunners will host the first leg at the Emirates Stadium, which will see former Tottenham Hotspur talisman Kane — who has so far scored 36 goals in his first season at Bayern — return to London.
There is the prospect of an all-English semi-final, with the winners of the tie between Arsenal and Bayern facing either City or Real in the last four.
Real Madrid to face Man City, Barcelona against PSG, others
In other fixtures, Real Madrid will face defending champions Man City, while Paris Saint-Germain meet Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will take on Borussia Dortmund in the other ties.
Pep Guardiola’s City will travel to the Spanish capital for the first leg on April 6 or 7, with the return in Manchester a week later.
City beat Madrid in the semi-finals last season on the way to winning the Champions League for the first time, following a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu with a stunning 4-0 victory at home in the second leg.
Real came out on top when the teams met in the last four a year earlier, before going on to defeat Liverpool in the final.
The Spanish giants also won a semi-final clash between the teams in 2016, while City emerged victorious in the last 16 in 2020.
The draw threw up a set of mouthwatering ties with Arsenal being rewarded with a tie against German champions Bayern after beating Porto on penalties to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time since 2010.
There is the prospect of an all-English semi-final, with the winners of the tie between Arsenal and Bayern facing either City or Real in the last four.
PSG’s meeting with Barcelona will be the latest instalment in the rivalry between those sides, as the French club aim to win the Champions League for the first time in their final season before Kylian Mbappe departs when his contract expires in June.
Barcelona knocked PSG out in the quarter-finals in 2013 and 2015, before their spectacular victory in the last 16 in 2017, when they recovered from losing 4-0 away in the first leg with a 6-1 win in the return at the Camp Nou.
PSG avenged that defeat in the last 16 in 2021, when Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the away leg to help his side triumph 5-2 on aggregate.
Atletico will host Dortmund in the first leg of their quarter-final, with the winners of that taking on PSG or Barcelona in the last four.
This season’s Champions League final will take place at Wembley in London on June 1.
Quarter Final draw
Q4: Paris Saint Germain vs FC Barcelona
Q3: Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Q2: Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund
Q1: Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
Semi-final Pairing
Winners of Q2 vs Winners of Q4
Winners of Q1 vs Winners of Q3
