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A new week of Champions League soccer will decide the final four teams of the 2024-25 season as the semifinals, which will take place on April 29-20 and May 6-7 before the much awaited final on May 31 at the Allianz Arena in Munich. While FC Barcelona and PSG are one step away from the semifinals, Real Madrid will try to conjure up another comeback at their home stadium in Madrid after losing 3-0 to Arsenal in the first leg last week. German giants Bayern Munich, despite key injuries that are affecting the side coached by Vincent Kompany, need to react after their 2-1 defeat last Tuesday in Munich against Inter, as Davide Frattesi's late goal gave Inter a big chance to end up in the top four again after the 2023 edition, when the Nerazzurri only lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the Istanbul final.
The second legs of the Champions League quarterfinals will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, (as always you can catch all the action on Paramount+ with additional coverage across CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network) with FC Barcelona visiting Borussia Dortmund after their 4-0 win in the first leg and Aston Villa facing PSG after their 3-1 defeat at the Parc de Princes on Tuesday, while Inter will host Bayern Munich and Real Madrid will face Arsenal at the Santiago Bernabeu in the second matchday of the week.
The winning team of the FC Barcelona vs. Borussia Dortmund quarterfinal will face either Inter or Bayern Munich, Arsenal or Real Madrid will face the winning team of the tie between PSG and Aston Villa. Let's now brake down each game to know what we can expect from them:
FC Barcelona have an easy job
FC Barcelona, have a much easier job compared to their league rivals Real Madrid (more on them below) as Hansi Flick's team won the first leg in Barcelona 4-0 last Wednesday and have more than one foot already in the semifinals where they will face the winning team of the quarterfinal between Inter and Bayern Munich. The Blaugrana will make a visit to Dortmund where Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski played from 2010 to 2014 before making the highly controversial move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014. If things go as planned, Barcelona will qualify for the semifinals for the first time since 2019 when they were knocked by Liverpool after one of the most epic comebacks in the history of the tournament.
PSG one step away from top four
After a strong 3-1 win at the Parc de Princes last week, PSG are now well positioned to face either Arsenal or Real Madrid in the semifinals of the Champions League. For the French side it would be the second semifinals in a row after losing surprisingly to Borussia Dortmund in the last edition of the tournament. Luis Enrique's team, after clinching the 2024-25 Ligue 1 title, are now focused on winning the Champions League as well for the first time in their history and that would be one of the most remarkable achievements in the career of the Spanish manager, who joined the French giants in the summer 2023 with the goal to bring European success
Will Real Madrid make another impossible comeback?
The most awaited match of the week is probably the one that will take place in Madrid as the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu where Real Madrid will host Arsenal after losing 3-0 to the side coached by Mikel Arteta at the Emirates Stadium in London last week. Carlo Ancelotti's side have made some of the most historic comebacks in the recent history of the competition, especially during the 2021-22 season when Real Madrid made three comebacks in a row against PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City before winning against Liverpool in the final in Paris. This time, things are much more difficult as Arsenal showed their strength and talent in the first leg, but also Madrid need to cope with some absences due to injuries. Real Madrid players and fans still believe the comeback is possible, because what has happened at the Bernabeu over the last years is too memorable not to think about it.
Inter to knock out Bayern?
Inter will host Bayern Munich at San Siro for what should be the most uncertain tie of the quarterfinals after the Nerazzurri won 2-1 in Munich last week. In case of success for the Italian giants, it would be a big setback for Bayern Munich but would also mean a big statement win for Inter after the Nerazzurri only lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the 2023 edition. Simone Inzaghi's side are probably one of the most experienced teams around Europe and winning the Champions League would be a phenomenal achievement for a team that only won it three times in their history. The last time it happened was during the 2009-10 season under Jose Mourinho's management, when Inter knocked out FC Barcelona in the semifinals before winning against the same Bayern Munich 1-0 in the Madrid final.
