The draw is set for the final eight, and some clear favorites are emerging to make it to Paris on May 28. We pick our winners for every game.
The path to the Champions League final in Paris on May 28 is now clear following the draw for the last eight and semifinals of the competition. The prospect of a heavyweight clash at the Stade de France remains alive, with favourites Liverpool and Manchester City, and Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, kept apart en route to the final. – Full UCL draw: Chelsea get Real Madrid Despite three English teams and three Spanish clubs reaching the last eight, no Premier League or La Liga clash came out of the pots for next month’s quarterfinals. Holders Chelsea will face Real Madrid for the second successive season, while City must overcome Manchester United ’s Round of 16 conquerors Atletico Madrid to maintain their hopes of a first-ever Champions League title. Six-time winners Liverpool face Benfica, while Bayern have been paired with Villarreal following the Spanish club’s surprise 4-1 aggregate win against Juventus in the last round. There promises to be a true clash of the titans in the semis, however, with the winners of Chelsea and Real drawn to face City or Atletico, while the other semifinal will see Liverpool take on Bayern if they win their quarterfinal ties. So how will the quarterfinals play out, and who is most likely to meet in the semis and the final? (All odds listed below are from Caesars Sportsbook) Chelsea -125, Real Madrid -105 to advance First up is a repeat of last season’s semifinal, which Chelsea won 3-1 on aggregate on the way to beating Manchester City in the final to win the Champions League for the second time. That success extended Chelsea’s record of never having lost against Real: in five meetings, the English club has won three and drawn twice. This is perhaps the most closely-matched tie of the quarterfinals. Although Chelsea have struggled to keep pace with Liverpool and City in the Premier League, they are comfortable in third position and cruised past Lille in the last round. The off-field uncertainty surrounding the club following UK government sanctions against owner Roman Abramovich, who is attempting to sell the team, have not impacted on results for Thomas Tuchel’s side and last season’s success against Real will ensure they go into this tie with the belief that they can progress again. Meanwhile, Real will be buoyed by their dramatic Round of 16 fightback against Paris Saint-Germain and, sitting 10 points clear at the top of La Liga, Carlo Ancelotti’s team will regarded themselves as favourites. Karim Benzema is displaying Ballon d’Or-winning form for Real this season and midfielder Luka Modric is also enjoying a renaissance at the age of 36. Real’s midfield is certainly ageing, but with Chelsea lacking a box-to-box midfielder to exploit their lack of mobility, Real have the edge. Chelsea can always rely on Kai Havertz to make it count in a big game, but there are too many question marks over Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, so if Havertz doesn’t perform, Chelsea will have problems.
