UCL bracket: Man City-Real Madrid rematch headlines loaded QF stage
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The eight teams still standing in the Champions League learned their respective routes to this season’s final at Wembley Stadium during Friday’s draw for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.
A tantalizing meeting between reigning champions Manchester City and 14-time winners Real Madrid headlines the quarterfinals. The clash will be a rematch of last season’s semifinal, where Pep Guardiola’s team secured one of its most famous victories with a stunning 4-0 triumph in the second leg before going on to hoist the big-eared trophy for the first time.
This will be the third consecutive campaign in which the two heavyweights have locked horns in the Champions League.
Elsewhere, Arsenal welcome a familiar foe back to north London when they battle Harry Kane and Bayern Munich. Not to be outdone, a tilt between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona offers several intriguing subplots of its own, not the least of which being Kylian Mbappe taking on a Barca side that he’ll see plenty of if, as expected, he moves to Real Madrid this summer.
Quarterfinal matchups
- Quarterfinal 1: Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich
- Quarterfinal 2: Atletico Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund
- Quarterfinal 3: Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
- Quarterfinal 4: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Barcelona
The clubs listed first in each matchup will play their respective first legs at home. Those fixtures are scheduled for April 9 and 10, with the decisive return legs slated for April 16 and 17.
In sticking with its protocol from recent years, UEFA also filled out the complete knockout bracket for the remaining teams, teeing up the final four.
Semifinal matchups
- Winner of quarterfinal 2 vs. winner of quarterfinal 4
- Winner of quarterfinal 1 vs. winner of quarterfinal 3
The semifinal first legs will take place on April 30 and May 1, while the second legs are locked in for May 7 and 8.
This season’s Champions League final, to be staged at Wembley Stadium in London, is scheduled for June 1.
