The UEFA Champions League returns with the quarter-finals and Europe's truly elite clubs taking centre stage. Our soccer expert previews the best of the games including Real Madrid against Manchester City and Arsenal hosting Bayern Munich.

 

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Arsenal vs Bayern Munich (Tuesday 20:00 UTC)

The Gunners welcome Stern des Südens to the Emirates Stadium, London for this highly anticipated quarter-final match. The hosts landed a spot in this stage after expelling their knockout demons from years past following a closely contested 1-1 match which ended in the Red & Whites’ favour following a penalty shootout. The Bavarians marshalled well under manager Thomas Tuchel in the 2nd leg of the last sixteen, to thwart Lazio's ambitions 3-1 on aggregate.

The last time the North London giants found themselves in the last eight of Europe's top competition was in 2010 when club legend Arsene Wenger rallied the side to trump Portuguese outfit Porto 5-0 on home soil, in coincidental fashion The hero of the hour for the sides most recent clash was goalkeeper David Raya who saved two from the spot in the shootout. Since joining from Brentford last summer, the Spaniard has had a great 23/24 season and has 23 clean sheets across all competitions.

Arsenal fans can now dream of reaching the final once more, as the 2006 2-1 final loss to Barcelona fades to memory and hopes of a new dawn under manager Mikel Arteta blossom. However, there are trials yet to pass and the thought remains that two of their last three quarter-final appearances in the Champions League have ended in elimination. There is a buzz about the club lately as they hustle with Man City and Liverpool for the domestic title and with a solid 3-0 victory over Brighton at the weekend compliments of Saka, Havertz and Trossard the trophy is still within reach. Arsenal Team Total - Match - Over 1.5 at 1.746.

The club is now on par to keep five consecutive away clean sheets in the Premier League this season, also they now return to their home arena off the back of six consecutive wins at the Emirates in all competitions, and promisingly they have won all four of their UCL clashes at home this season without conceding a single goal. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz will be walking a thin line this game, as one more booking could see them omitted from the 2nd leg in Munich. Correct Score 2:1 at 9.05.

Overly familiar with the away opposition here will be ex-Tottenham hitman Harry Kane, who once again scored in the Bundesliga last weekend to bring his domestic league tally to 32, across all competitions the number grows to 38 with 12 assists to boot. His and Serge Gnabry's goals seemingly put the game to bed in the 1st half, however, 10th-placed Heidenheim rallied voraciously in the 2nd to end the game 3-2 in their favour. His form against his old rivals has been great, scoring 14 goals from 19 Derbys. Bayern to Score? Yes at 1.46.

The title is now realistically out of reach as Xavi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen only need three points from their last six matches to secure total victory. Die Roten now contends with Stuttgart, Leipzig and Dortmund for the remaining three top-four spots, currently, they are 2nd with 60 points and just ahead of VFB due to a better goal difference. Bayern Munich Handicap - +0.5 at 2.13.

Akin to their future opponents, Bayern had to rally back from a 1-0 deficit in the round of 16's 1st leg to secure progression into the quarterfinals for the fifth season running, though fans will be biting their nails watching this and the next game knowing all too well that they have been knocked out at these stage three years running. Tuchel has to juggle selection for this bout, as prolific German internationals Manuel Neuer and Leroy Sane are just a few of the injuries on the squad roster.

Arsenal's star rises as their opposition seemingly wanes ahead of this fixture, though it can hardly be called a done deal as the visitors still have plenty of potency to offer up in their ranks and as this is now Bayern's only credible chance at silverware this season, we can expect them to throw everything against the Arsenal defences to silence the naysayers.

1x2 1.757 4.01 4.45

 

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Real Madrid vs Manchester City (Tuesday 20:00 UTC)

Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium will once again host modern rivals and current champions Manchester City in what will be one of the biggest matches of the season thus far. 14-time UCL winners Real Madrid were decimated 5-1 over two fixtures to storm into the final last year, with the Citizens running rampant at the Etihad. Both teams roll into European affairs with domestic victories in tow, with the Citizens besting Crystal Palace 4-2 and Los Blancos trumping 2024 Copa del Rey winners Athletic Club Bilbao 2-0 at the end of last month.

Real Madrid will be going into this fixture with a grudge to settle after last year's embarrassment, though with a run of unparalleled form in a La Liga campaign where they have only lost a single match and sit astride the table with 75 points. This puts them eight points clear of 2nd place rivals Barcelona, thus Carlo Ancelotti's Merengues will be full of confidence that his side can prevail over the Sky Blues. Tragedy befell the side when they were knocked out of the domestic cup by capital rivals Atlético in January, but they have steadied themselves and now boast a 13-match unbeaten streak across all competitions. Total - Match Under 2.5 at 2.08.

Though a shaky and slightly unconvincing victory over RB Leipzig in the Champions League last 16 2-1, will leave many to question if they can stand up to more world-class opposition. Though it is prudent to remember this is the 4th season running they have reached the last eight, and it has been 20 years since Real have been last knocked out of the continent's premier competition at this stage. Los Blancos will now have to dig deep to extend their incredible streak without defeat at home - which now stands at 26 matches since Villarreal's saw them off in the 3-2 triumph in April 2023. Stalwarts Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba will be omitted in this fixture due to injury. Correct Score 1:1 at 6.61.

Manchester City made a good show against Danish Superliga champions FC København in the last 16 with 3-1 successes both home and away. These results mean that Pep Guardiola's men have impressively scored three goals in each of their eight Champions League matches so far in 2023-24. Not since last year's 1-1 Bernabeu draw have City failed to win in Europe's top tournament - and now enjoy the second-longest winning streak in the history of the UCL with 10 matches - and their overall unbeaten streak in the competition stands at a remarkable 21 games since a 3-1 loss away to none other than Real Madrid back in 2022. Both Teams to Score? Yes at 1.581.

The club's latest accolade was in the Premier League where they banished Crystal Palace 4-2 in a stern affair. Kevin De Bruyne, arguably one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, put on a masterclass of footballing genius contributing two goals and an assist, with goals from Rodri and Rico Lewis sealing the affray. This match provided a few landmarks for him it was his 250th Premier League appearance for Man City, his 100th career goal for Man City and his 25th Premier League match with a goal and assist.

Pep Guardiola's men remain well in the thick of the title race with rivals Arsenal and Liverpool and arrive at the Bernabeu being astoundingly undefeated in each of their last 25 games in all competitions, while importantly winning 11 of their last 12 away from the Etihad. Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake are confirmed unavailable for this match, being injured still. Manchester City Handicap - Match +0.5 at 1.44.

The hosts here have only won a single one of their last six games with the current holders. However, only one of Madrid's encounters with the Citizens on home turf has seen the Spaniards finish with a loss and extending that statistic will be crucial once these teams meet in the 2nd leg next week at Manchester.

1x2 2.92 3.36 2.50

 

Champions League - Quarter Final First Leg Fixtures (UTC)

Tuesday 9th April 

Arsenal vs Bayern Munich (20:00)

Real Madrid vs Manchester City (20:00)

 

Wednesday 10th April

PSG vs Barcelona (20:00)

Atlético de Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund (20:00)

 

**Odds are subject to change. Odds accurate as of 10:00 UTC Tuesday 9th April**

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