After a short hiatus, the UEFA Champions League returned to action this month with a memorable start to the knockout phase that was wild and full of entertainment value.
The wheat began to be separated from the chaff during the round of 16 of European club soccer’s most prestigious tournament, as eight pretenders bit the dust and legitimate title contenders emerged.
What will the quarter-final round bring? We rank the eight remaining teams.
1. FC BARCELONA
Round of 16 result: 4-1 aggregate win vs. Benfica.
Quarter-final opponent: Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona has barely put a foot wrong in this season’s Champions League, finishing in second place among 32 teams during the league phase of the competition. Their lone loss was a 2-1 defeat to AS Monaco on matchday 1. Since then, the Catalan giants have brushed aside everybody in their path, winning eight of their nine games. Brazilian forward Raphinha has scored a tournament-high 11 goals, including three vs. Benfica in the round of 16. With Liverpool eliminated, the Spanish giants are the highest seed remaining.
2. ARSENAL
Round of 16 result: 9-3 aggregate win vs. PSV Eindhoven.
Quarter-final opponent: Real Madrid
Arsenal has been the model of consistency in the Champions League, finishing third in the league table with a 6-1-1 record. The Gunners didn’t score very often during that initial phase, but they only conceded three times. The London-based club turned things on in the first leg vs. PSV, registering a 7-1 win in the Netherlands in a game where six different players scored for the Premier League club. Mikel Arteta’s side has looked unbeatable, but now they face their stiffest challenge in the quarter-finals: reigning European champions Real Madrid.
3. INTER MILAN
Path to the knockout stage: 4-1 aggregate win vs. Feyenoord
Quarter-final opponent: Bayern Munich
Inter Milan has proudly carried the banner for Serie A as the only Italian club to have made it to the round of 16. The Nerazzurri only gave up one goal in the league phase, winning six of their eight matches along the way. The Italians’ defensive prowess was on display again in the round of 16 when they recorded their eighth clean sheet in a 2-0 win in the first leg away to Feyenoord. French international Benjamin Pavard and Stefan de Vrij of the Netherlands have been outstanding in anchoring a defence that has been virtually impenetrable.
4. ASTON VILLA
Round of 16 result: 6-1 aggregate win vs. Club Brugge.
Quarter-final opponent: Paris Saint-Germain
Not enough people are talking about Aston Villa, who fully deserve to be among the eight remaining teams. The Premier League side was one of the eight clubs who automatically qualified for the round of 16 after winning five of their games in the league phase. They followed that up with a dominant showing against Club Brugge in the round of 16 where Spanish winger Marco Asensio scored three goals. Villa have only given up seven goals, and they’ll have to continue to be defensively resolute when they face PSG in the next round.
5. PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
Round of 16 result: Penalty shootout win vs. Liverpool.
Quarter-final opponent: Aston Villa
After an underwhelming league phase, PSG put the hammer down in the knockout playoffs when they blasted fellow French club Brest 10-0 on aggregate. Few pundits gave the Ligue 1 team much hope against Liverpool in the round of 16 after the Premier League outfit finished first in the league table. But PSG overcame a 1-0 home loss to win in a penalty shootout at Anfield, justifiably securing a place in the quarter-finals. French international Ousmane Dembélé ranks among the top scorers in this season’s tournament with seven goals.
6. REAL MADRID
Round of 16 result: Penalty shootout win vs. Atlético Madrid.
Quarter-final opponent: Arsenal
A somewhat controversial penalty shootout win over Atlético Madrid in the second leg of the round of 16 was enough to keep Real Madrid’s hopes of repeating as European champions alive. While Los Blancos have laboured to get to the quarter-finals, they still boast a high-powered attack that can easily overwhelm opponents. Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé have each scored seven times for a Real Madrid side that has bagged 28 goals in this year’s competition.
7. BAYERN MUNICH
Round of 16 result: 5-0 aggregate win vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Quarter-final opponent: Inter Milan
After a somewhat mediocre league phase and a slender playoff series win vs. Celtic, the Bavarian giants finally came alive in the round of 16. A 5-0 win over fellow German outfit Bayer Leverkusen reminded everybody that Bayern still ranks among the true heavyweights of the European club game. Canadian Alphonso Davies is in top gear (he scored in the second leg vs. Leverkusen) and England international Harry Kane has 10 goals, tied for second place in the tournament’s scoring race. But can they score against the ultra-defensive Inter Milan in the quarter-finals?
8. BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Round of 16 result: 3-2 aggregate win vs. Lille
Quarter-final opponent: FC Barcelona
Last season’s runners-up in the Champions League are still kicking around following a come-from-behind win in the second leg after Canadian Jonathan David gave Lille an early lead. Dortmund’s achievement to get to the quarter-finals is all the more amazing when you consider that Niko Kovač is the third coach to take charge of the Bundesliga club in the Champions League this season. Die Schwarzgelben (The Black and Yellow) have punched above their weight class, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can continue to do so in the next round.
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
