da fezbet： The last eight will feature some real heavyweight clashes, including some eagerly-awaited rematches…
da betsul： The draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League has thrown up some fascinating fixtures, which is just as well, really, as the last 16 was largely devoid of real intrigue and intensity.
For the third successive season, holders Manchester City will face 14-time winners Real Madrid, whom the English outfit beat on their way to lifting the trophy last season, while Arsenal will take on Bayern Munich, meaning Harry Kane will be returning to north London (along with Eric Dier!).
Atletico Madrid's reward for eliminating Inter is a meeting with this season's surprise package, Borussia Dortmund, and the winner of that tie will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona, who have plenty of history on and off the field.
So, who are the big winners and losers of Friday morning's draw in Nyon? GOAL breaks it all down below…
Getty WINNER: Manchester City
City are in the tougher half of the draw, there's absolutely no doubt about that – but they were last season, too, and they still went on to claim their first European Cup. So, the reigning champions won't be the least bit intimidated by their path to Wembley, particularly as they will face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
City overwhelmed Los Blancos just over a year ago and while Jude Bellingham has since taken the Santiago Bernabeu by storm, Carlo Ancelotti's side are lucky to be in the last eight, after being outplayed in both legs of their last-16 clash with RB Leipzig.
A potential semi-final with Arsenal would be far from ideal for City, given the two sides are locked in a three-way battle with Liverpool for the Premier League title, but neither the Gunners nor Bayern, whom City also beat last year, will hold any fear for the tournament favourites.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Kane & Tuchel's trophy hopes
Bayern were hammered by RB Leipzig in the DFL-Supercup, dumped out of the DFB-Pokal by FC Saarbrucken and trail Bayer Leverkusen by 10 points in the Bundesliga. Fair to say, then, that they could have done with a decent draw in the Champions League in order to boost their hopes of avoiding a first trophy-less season since 2012. They didn't get one, though. Truth be told, things couldn't have gone much worse for Bayern, who will have to beat Arsenal and then either Manchester City or Real Madrid just to make it to Wembley.
As it stands, that looks well beyond a team that laboured to victory over Lazio in the last 16. Harry Kane is, at least, in absolutely sensational form and he will relish the chance to get one over on old rivals Arsenal, but his hopes of finally getting his hands on some silverware have unquestionably faded.
Indeed, it's now difficult to see Thomas Tuchel's tumultuous tenure at the Allianz Arena ending in anything other than further frustration.
GettyWINNER: Kylian Mbappe
Could Kylian Mbappe actually bring the curtain down on his Paris Saint-Germain career by ending his hometown club's agonising wait for Champions League glory? It's certainly not beyond the realms of possibility – not after Friday's draw.
Barcelona represent a tricky proposition for PSG. Despite their pedigree, the Catalans are happy to have made it this far, given their fluctuating form and injury issues. The pressure seems to have been lifted on Xavi since he announced his intention to step down this summer, while his La Masia starlets are shining brightly at the moment.
However, opportunity undeniably knocks for Mbappe and PSG. They already have Ligue 1 wrapped up, meaning Luis Enrique can rest key players whenever he wants, while the Spaniard obviously knows Barca inside-out.
As for Mbappe, he has plenty of happy memories of tearing a Blaugrana backline to shreds and will likely relish the opportunity to endear himself to Real Madrid ahead of his expected transfer to the Bernabeu. But the France forward will have his eyes on the ultimate prize now that PSG have been placed on the side of the draw. A second Champions League final appearance is there for the taking for Mbappe & Co.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Arsenal
Arsenal were rather bizarrely installed as second-favourites with some British bookmakers after the last 16 – but they've unsurprisingly drifted after the draw for the quarter-finals. Will Arsenal fear a Bayern Munich side that has been at war with itself for arguably well over a year? Absolutely not. The Gunners will also be looking forward to inflicting more misery on former Spurs striker Harry Kane.
But Bayern are not to be underestimated. Kane is breaking goalscoring records on a weekly basis and it's not as if he's doing it all by himself – he's surrounded by some incredibly dangerous dribblers, in Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala. The Bavarians also boast some quality operators who have seen and done it all, while the fact that the second leg is at the Allianz Arena is also an issue for Arsenal, who have been poor away from home in this season's Champions League, winning just one game, at struggling Sevilla.
What's more, even if Arsenal get by Bayern, they'll most likely have to face City in the semis and not only would they be unlikely to get the better over the champions over two legs, the tie would undoubtedly take an awful lot out of them at a time when they'll be fighting desperately to win the Premier League title.
The Gunners will obviously relish the challenge but there's no denying that the odds are now stacked against them in Europe.