The last eight of the UEFA Champions League features some familiar ties, with all four pairs having been of teams who have met on the continental scene before. As such, we are almost guaranteed another enticing two weeks of football in Europe’s premier club competition.

Ahead of the round of play, The Deck previews the UCL quarterfinals, and predicts which four teams will progress from this stage.

UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich

The most common matchup in European football history takes centre stage, and is our pick for tie of the round. Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will face off for the 29th and 30th time in what is a budding rivalry with much on the line for both teams and for their nations.

Real, who has reached this stage for the sixth year running, currently leads the head-to-head 13 to 11 (four draws), and is unbeaten in the last nine. That stretches all the way back to 2011/12, the last time they failed to progress from a tie against their German opponent. Los Blancos were knocked out of the UCL in this round last term, losing both legs to Arsenal. Overall, the 15-time UCL winners have successfully negotiated their last eight two-legged ties versus Bundesliga sides, a run that has occurred since 2013/14.

Bayern has won all but one match of a strong UCL campaign, the only defeat coming in North London. Their last three clashes with LaLiga teams have not gone their way, having lost two of them. The Bavarians are in a seventh successive Champions League quarterfinal, having gotten past this round only twice in the last six campaigns. The most recent occasion came two years ago, when Real ended their run in the semifinals thanks to a late winner. Their 11 victories in European play over their Madrid-based opposition is the joint-most in the club’s history, alongside Barcelona

Prediction: Real Madrid

Sporting CP vs Arsenal

Two teams who have impressed in the UCL campaign face off as Sporting CP takes on Arsenal, the former looking for their first-ever win over the latter.

Although Sporting has never prevailed in normal time over the Gunners, they did stun them in the Europa League back in 2022/23 by winning a penalty shootout following two draws. Overall, Leões have an 11-8-12 against English opposition. They were well beaten by Arsenal in last season’s league phase, falling 5-1 at home. That remains their only defeat versus Premier League sides in their last seven encounters (2-4-1). Sporting’s last European Cup quarterfinal came in 1982/83, when Real Sociedad ended their run.

Arsenal has not only proven difficult to break down, but they have also had no problems in finding the back of the net. The 2005/06 finalists have scored multiple times in all but one match this term, the exception coming last round in their first leg draw at Bayer Leverkusen. In fact, the Gunners have won their last 11 European ties in which they have scored at least twice, with their last loss in such an occasion coming a decade ago. Should they progress, it would be the first time ever that Arsenal reached at least the semifinals of the UCL in consecutive seasons.

Prediction: Arsenal

Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid

For the third time, all in the UCL era, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid meet in the quarterfinals in what looks to be a juicy all-Spanish encounter.

The Catalans will be hoping to prevail at the third time of asking, having been knocked out on both previous ties. Since that 2015/16 battle, Barca has not met a fellow LaLiga team in a UEFA club competition. Curiously enough, the two times when Blaugrana got the better of a Spanish team in the European Cup/Champions League – both against Real Madrid – they went on to reach the final. This last happened in 2010/11, when they triumphed over Manchester United.

Atleti suffered defeat to Barcelona over the weekend in LaLiga, which was already their fourth meeting of the campaign. In fact, Los Colchoneros will want better luck than last season, when their city rivals Real took them out on penalties. Funny enough, the two seasons in which they eliminated Barca, they went on to lose the final to Real. That could end up being a possibility this term as well. Atleti has scored in their last 17 European home matches, with Club Brugge being the last team to hold them out in 2022/23.

Prediction: Barcelona

Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool

A year on from the pair doing battle in the round of 16, last season’s champion Paris Saint-Germain plays Liverpool.

The head-to-head between these two is dead even, with three wins apiece. PSG had the last laugh in 2024/25, overturning a 1-0 first leg deficit with the same scoreline in the return match at Anfield, going on to progress on penalties. Overall, PSG has had no problems with English teams of late, having won five of their last six since that previously mentioned first leg reverse (5-1-0). Les Parisiens have won the progressed from the two other ties in which they faced Liverpool, the other coming 29 years ago in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, when they reached the final.

The Reds cracked the top eight of the league phase for the second fall running, having come out on top in six of the eight matches. Recovering from a first leg shocker against Galatasaray last month, the Merseyside club has gotten to this point of the UCL for the first time since 2021/22, when the lost in the final to Real. There will likely be a winning team in each match, as Liverpool has not been involved in a stalemate in continental play in any of their last 41 games (29-0-12). They have won two of their last three matches on French soil.

Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain