7 out of 8. This is the result of the teams qualified in first place in their group who managed to advance to the round of 16. The only exception is Paris Saint-Germain, who had the lucky hand in the previous draw by inheriting Real Sociedad. The capital club, often unhappy in the round of 16 draw, did not miss the opportunity to join the European elite to claim its first quarter-final in 3 years.
Which opponent awaits him now? Well it will be FC Barcelona! For a new prestigious clash between the two clubs, obviously eagerly awaited since the comeback of 2017. PSG had already taken great revenge by defeating Barça in 2021, notably with a brilliant hat-trick from Kylian Mbappé during the first leg at Camp Nou. The Catalan club looks like a relatively affordable draw since they are not going through their best season, with their coach Xavi already deciding to leave the club at the end of the season. However, we will obviously have to be wary of Barcelona’s many assets, the latest revelations from La Masia (Yamal, Cubarsi) and key players (Lewandowski, De Jong etc).
A relatively open table for PSG
PSG, if it were to overcome the Barcelona obstacle, would inherit in the semi-final the winner of the quarter-final between Atlético de Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. He would therefore avoid three main pitfalls, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich, who find themselves in the same part of the table, with Arsenal. You will have understood, the immense shock which looms for the quarter-finals will pit Real Madrid against Manchester City. The revenge of last season, where the English dismissed the Spaniards in the semi-final.
Arsenal, back at this stage of the competition, will have a hard time facing Bayern Munich, even if the dynamics have reversed this season. The Gunners are currently leaders of the Premier League, while Bayern are second in the Bundesliga behind Bayer Leverkusen. Finally, the last quarter appears to be the most open, between Atlético de Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. So where do we find the future opponent of PSG or Barça…
The draw for the quarter-finals:
- Arsenal (ENG) – Bayern Munich (GER)
- Atletico Madrid (ESP) – Borussia Dortmund (GER)
- Real Madrid (ESP) – Manchester City (ENG)
- Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) – Barcelona (ESP)
The draw for the semi-finals:
- Atlético de Madrid (ESP) – Borussia Dortmund (GER) vs Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) – Barcelona (ESP)
- Arsenal (ENG) – Bayern Munich (GER) vs Real Madrid (ESP) – Manchester City (ENG)
Quarter-final first leg: April 9 and 10, 2024
Quarter-final return: April 16 and 17, 2024
Semi-finals first leg: April 30 and May 1
Semi-finals return: May 7 and 8, 2024
