The fixtures for the Champions League quarter-finals have been drawn, with several enticing fixtures.
Manchester City were the first side out of the pot, coming up against Borussia Dortmund, while Porto got drawn against Chelsea.
The final two fixtures see repeats of recent finals, with Bayern Munich facing Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid playing Liverpool.
In anticipation of the next round of European games, here is a look back at some of the best clashes between these sides.
Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund
Rather surprisingly, this is only the second time that these two sides have been drawn up against each other. The first came in the group stages of the 2012/13 season.
It was a very different Borussia Dortmund team back then. Managed by Jurgen Klopp, the side featured the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze, Ivan Perisic, and Ilkay Gundogan.
Many players have moved on since then, but one who hasn’t is midfielder Marco Reus – and it was the German who netted the opening goal when the Black and Yellows last visited the Etihad. However, they were pegged back in the 90th minute by a Mario Balotelli penalty.
The reverse fixture ended better for the Bundesliga side. Julian Schieber tapped home in the 57th minute for the only goal of the game, ensuring that BVB finished top of the group.
Klopp’s men finished as runners up that season, losing to Bayern Munich in the final. In contrast, Man City crashed out early, ending the group stages in fourth place having failed to win a single game.
Porto vs Chelsea
Porto and Chelsea have met each other eight times in the past, with the English side coming out on top on five occasions, losing twice.
The most important meeting between the two came in the 2006/07 season, when they were drawn against each other in the round of 16.
The Blues, managed by former Porto boss Jose Mourinho, came off the back of two successive Premier League titles – one of which they achieved a then-record 95 points. Having already dominated domestically, Mourinho was looking to bring some European silverware to Stamford Bridge.
The Londoners were strong favourites, but Porto did not make it easy for them. Future Chelsea man Raul Meireles put the Dragons ahead in the home leg, but Andriy Shevchenko equalised to take a 1-1 draw back to London.
In the return leg, it was another future Chelsea player that gave them a scare. Ricardo Quaresma netted in the 15th minute to put the Portuguese club ahead on the tie. However, second-half goals from Arjen Robben and Michael Ballack took Mourinho’s men through to the quarter-finals.
Chelsea later reached the semi-finals, before being eliminated by Liverpool on penalties.
Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain
No need for long memories here.
The most recent Champions League final saw these two go head-to-head. Bayern Munich had torn through Chelsea, Barcelona, and Lyon to get there, while Thomas Tuchel’s PSG were just one game off winning the quadruple.
It was a tense first half, with Kylian Mbappe spurning the best chance of the opening 45 by firing straight at Manuel Neuer.
The deadlock was eventually broken in the 59th minute. Joshua Kimmich’s back-post cross was nodded in by Kingsley Coman, putting the Bavarians in front and on course for the treble.
Les Parisiens were unable to find an equaliser, extending their wait for a Champions League title. They will be hungry for revenge this time around.
Real Madrid vs Liverpool
Despite these two clubs’ long and glorious history in European football, they have only faced each other on six occasions. The most recent – and the most memorable – of these six meetings came in the 2018 final in Kyiv.
Yet to win a trophy in England, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool faced up against a Real Madrid side that were looking to lift their third successive Champions League trophy. There was no doubt that the Reds were the underdogs.
Their job was made a lot harder in the first half, when 44-goal man Mohamed Salah was substituted with an injury following a challenge by Sergio Ramos.
Strongly up against it, the last thing Liverpool needed was a horror show from goalkeeper Loris Karius in the second half. It began in the 51st minute, when the German’s throw was blocked by Karim Benzema, who diverted the ball into the back of the net.
This wasn’t the end of the road for the Reds, who drew level when Sadio Mane tapped home from Dejan Lovren’s header. But they were powerless to stop the moment of magic that followed soon after.
Substitute Gareth Bale put the La Liga giants back in the lead with arguably the greatest ever Champions League goal. Left-back Marcelo swung in a cross for the winger, who pulled out a breathtaking bicycle kick into the top corner.
But the Welshman wasn’t finished there, and notched his second of the night thanks to some more calamitous goalkeeping by Karius. This time, Bale’s hopeful long-range strike slipped through the arms of the former Mainz man, effectively ending Liverpool’s hopes of coming back.
A lot has changed since that night. Cristiano Ronaldo has moved on, Bale is now back at Tottenham Hotspur, Karius has been upgraded to the far more reliable Alisson, and Klopp finally has some silverware in the cabinet at Anfield.
The older generation of Liverpool supporters will have happier memories of European finals against Real Madrid. The third of their six European Cups came against the Spaniards in 1981 in Paris, thanks to a goal by left-back Alan Kennedy.
Also Read:
Champions League Quarter-Final Draw: Dates, Fixtures & Teams
Europa League Quarter-Final Draw: Dates, Fixtures & Teams
