Two of the most successful teams in the history of the Champions League clash when Real Madrid host Liverpool at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid, record winners of the competition with 13 titles, will look to hold a first leg advantage. It’s the first time they have reached the quarter finals in the last two years, and while they haven’t been all that impressive in the competition, they have won nine of their last 11 games in all competitions and moved within three points of leaders Atletico Madrid.
Real won their last encounter with the Reds 3-1, but the Reds will be up for a fight. They have won their last three games in a row and are on the back of a 3-0 thrashing of Arsenal at the weekend. It has been a hugely disappointing season for Jurgen Klopp’s men, and they now have their minds on winning the Champions League as well as a top four finish.
They have lost eight of their last 12 matches against Spanish opposition though. Can they improve on that streak today?
Manchester City will entertain Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium. The Citizens are inching ever closer to their first title of the season after beating Leicester 2-0 in the Premier League.
They are 17 points clear at the top and will be confirmed as Champions with four wins from their last seven matches.
Guardiola though will be having his eyes on an elusive first Champions League title with the Citizens, as their last three campaigns have ended with quarter final exits.
A 4-0 aggregate win over Borussia Monchengladbach ended that streak, and they have now kept seven Champions League clean sheets in a row. Dortmund, on the back of a 2-1 home loss to Eintracht Frankfurt, will look to return to winning ways.
That result leaves them seven points off a top four place, which makes winning the Champions League a necessity.
They haven’t progressed past the quarter final stage since the 2012-13 season, and while they barely made it past Sevilla in the round of 16, they are unbeaten in their last seven Champions League games. It is certainly one to watch, with City being the favorites.
