With the thrilling round of 16 seeing European giants such as Atlético de Madrid and Liverpool eliminated from the Champions League, there is no telling what may happen in the quarterfinals with some very interesting matchups yet to be played. A Champions League favorite will come up against one of last year’s Champions League finalists. An English team that is currently placed ninth in the Premier League will come up against the French, who knocked out the team that is presently first. The teams at the top of the German and Italian leagues, respectively, will clash, and the team with the most Champions League titles will come up against a team with zero. The narratives at hand will make the quarterfinals an unpredictable yet sensationally enjoyable eight fútbol matches.

First, one of the highest-quality matchups is between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, as both sides looked dominant this year. Twenty-six matches into the Bundesliga, Bayern stands eight points clear of second place, whereas Inter Milan holds a three-point lead over Napoli FC in a much tighter race for the title with nine games to go. That being said, all factors considered, Inter Milan looks to be the stronger side. Inter Milan has looked formidable in the group stages, finishing fourth in the new group format and winning six of their eight games.

Bayern, on the other hand, didn’t achieve direct qualification and had to scrape past Celtic to even qualify for the Round of 16. Nonetheless, Bayern did comfortably beat their title rivals Bayer Leverkusen in the Round of 16 and is still a world-class team, as they do have players such as Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala. However, Inter Milan is more balanced on the pitch, and Inzaghi’s management skills appear to be far superior to Vincent Kompany’s.

Another great fixture will be between FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, the two teams with some of the largest fanbases in European football. Even so, it looks like FC Barcelona will win the tie fairly comfortably, as they look to be the best European team as of right now. With wunderkind Lamine Yamal and Ballon D’or contender Raphinha on the wings, along with the mastermind Pedri in midfield and a solid defense with both youth and experience, there aren’t many teams that look like they will be able to match Barcelona’s quality right now. Dortmund, despite their underdog journey to the final last year, looks much weaker this year, sitting at 11th in the Bundesliga, having lost eleven games out of twenty-six played. Still, as seen last season, Dortmund has the potential to overcome the odds, even when they are stacked against them. Players such as Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt and Gregor Kobel could be the difference for Dortmund, but it looks extremely unlikely that they will outclass the currently unstoppable FC Barcelona over the two legs.

Just five years ago, Aston Villa escaped relegation by one point in the Premier League. Now, they gear up to face Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. That said, their likelihood of getting past PSG is thin, but certainly not impossible. Aston Villa was shockingly far better than PSG in the tournament’s group stages, even beating teams such as Bayern Munich. They have one of the finest goalkeepers in the world, Emiliano Martinez, and a midfield and an attack could certainly pose a threat to PSG. However, PSG currently looks formidable, given their recent victory over Liverpool at Anfield in the Round of 16. Former wunderkind Ousmane Dembélé has finally hit form in a side with quality players such as Désiré Doué and Vitinha. Months ago, PSG looked to be a certain exit in the early stages of the knockouts, but now it wouldn’t be outlandish to say that they could win the entire tournament. PSG is certainly the favorite in this game, but Villa is an underdog threat that could snap them back in to reality.

Finally, 15-time Champions League winners, Real Madrid, squares up against zero-time Champions League winners Arsenal. However, the two sides are closer in quality than statistics may suggest. Arsenal may have an injury crisis, but it isn’t stopping them from being rampant in Europe, netting nine goals in the Round of 16 with no real attack. The defensive pairing of Saliba and Gabriel, along with players such as Bukayo Saka, who are set to return by early April, may turn out to be a threat to Real Madrid’s defending of the trophy after their win over Dortmund last year. Real Madrid had a weak group stage phase, losing to the likes of Lille, Liverpool and Milan. Despite their form, they do have a world-class roster and always have the habit of getting the job done, no matter how ugly. This tie will certainly be a test of how Ancelotti and Arteta are able to manipulate their defensive tactics, and while Real Madrid does look likely to win, a strong Arsenal squad could very well progress to the semi-finals too.