Real Madrid are set to play Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 quarterfinals. The first leg between the two sides takes place at The Emirates on Tuesday, April 8. The second leg, meanwhile, is set for April 16.
It’s a high-profile showdown between two top European sides. They have faced each other only once in the UCL before, coming to blows in the 2005-06 UCL Round of 16.
Both sides had some legendary names in their ranks with players like Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Iker Casillas, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Ramos and more on the pitch.
The first leg ended goalless as neither side was able to find the opening despite a plethora of talent on the pitch.
Arsenal went through to the final that season, only to lose to Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona. This remains Arsenal’s finest UEFA Champions League campaign in recent memory.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, are the undisputed kings of the UCL with 15 titles. Since their last meeting with Arsenal, Los Blancos have won the competition six more times, including last season.
However, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham sent a message on social media after the recent defeat against Valencia and he wants to see the team improve before facing the Gunners. He wrote on his Instagram story: ‘Nowhere near good enough from us. Must change for Tuesday!’
Meanwhile, nearly 15 years on from locking horns in the 2009-10 Champions League final, Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich and Serie A champions Inter Milan square off for a place in this year’s semi-finals, starting with Tuesday’s quarter-final first leg at the Allianz Arena.
Fifty per cent of Bayern’s revenge mission over Leverkusen is now complete; as well as holding an unassailable lead over Xabi Alonso’s 2023-24 Invincibles at the top of the Bundesliga table, the Munich mammoths ended Die Werkself’s hopes of Champions League supremacy a few weeks ago.
By easing to a 5-0 aggregate victory over the German champions in the last 16 – following up a 3-0 home triumph with a 2-0 away victory – Bayern Munich advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for a record 23rd time in their history, and for the sixth season running.
In fact, the Bavarians are the only team to have progressed to the last eight in every tournament since 2019-20 – coincidentally the year of their last European success – thanks in no small part to an astounding home record, going unbeaten in their last 22 UCL games at the Allianz Arena.
Still on course for a domestic and European double, Bayern emerged 3-1 winners from their trip to Augsburg on Friday night, meaning that they remain six points clear of Leverkusen could reclaim their rightful Bundesliga title in just three games’ time.
However, the hosts’ latest Bundesliga triumph came at a serious cost, as prolific playmaker Jamal Musiala suffered a torn muscle that will likely sideline him for the remainder of the season, a devastating blow to Bayern’s chances of breaking down a dogged Inter defence.
While Bayern’s tally of 28 goals in the 2024-25 Champions League is second only to Barcelona’s 32, Simone Inzaghi’s Inter have produced many a rearguard masterclass, conceding a mere two goals in their 10 tournament games so far this term.
One of those efforts shipped did come in the second leg of their last-16 contest with Feyenoord, but Jakub Moder’s penalty proved inconsequential, as Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu’s strikes propelled the Italian champions to a resounding 4-1 aggregate victory.
Inter are long overdue another slice of success on the continental stage, having won their third and most recent Champions League title against none other than Bayern in 2010, but their aforementioned defensive prowess failed them in Saturday’s league meeting with Parma.
Indeed, Inzaghi’s side let a 2-0 lead slip in a 2-2 stalemate with the bottom-half battlers, meaning that their lead at the top of the Serie A table could be cut down to just one point if closest challengers Napoli get the better of Bologna on Monday evening.
Throwing away a healthy advantage at Parma continued a trend for Inter on their travels, as the Serie A champions have now only won two of their last eight away matches across all competitions, and recent memories of facing Bayern are not fond either.
The 2009-10 finalists last locked horns in the 2022-23 group stage, where Bayern prevailed 2-0 home and away, and the Germans can look forward to a semi-final bout with Barcelona or Borussia Dortmund if they can repeat the trick over the next fortnight.
