The UEFA Champions League quarterfinals get underway this week as Europe’s elite begin their push to Budapest. Tuesday’s action sees Arsenal travel to Sporting CP, while Real Madrid and Bayern Munich renew their classic rivalry in a blockbuster last-eight clash.
Opta rate Arsenal as the standout favourites, giving the Gunners a 77.5 per cent chance of reaching the semifinals and a competition-high 28.8 per cent probability of lifting the 2025/26 trophy.
On Wednesday, Barcelona host Atlético Madrid just days after losing to Diego Simeone’s side in LaLiga, while reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain face Liverpool in the most evenly balanced tie of the round. According to the Opta Predictor, PSG hold a narrow edge at 54.9 per cent, with Liverpool close behind on 45.1 per cent.
Real Madrid v Bayern Munich
Real Madrid v Bayern Munich is already the most-played fixture in major European competition history. All 28 of their meetings have come in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, with 26 of them taking place in the knockout stages.
Bayern Munich are winless in their last nine games against Real Madrid (D2 L7); they haven’t gone 10+ matches without a win against an opponent across all competitions since the period between 1988 and 1993 versus Werder Bremen (a 12-game run).
Real Madrid (309) and Bayern Munich (248) are the two sides with the most wins in European Cup/UEFA Champions League history. Among teams with 50+ games played, they are also the two sides with the best win per centages, which are almost identical: Real Madrid (60.23 per cent - 309/513) and Bayern Munich (60.19 per cent - 248/412).
Real Madrid (22nd appearance) and Bayern Munich (24th) have reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League more than any other side. The Spanish giants have the best record at this stage, progressing to the semifinals on 17 occasions, while the German side have been eliminated at this stage more than anyone else (10).
Real Madrid have won all four of their UEFA Champions League knockout stage games this season, while Álvaro Arbeloa could become only the third manager to win his first five knockout matches in the competition, after Hansi Flick (5 in 2019-20 with Bayern Munich) and Luis Enrique (5 in 2014-15 with Barcelona).
Only in 2019-20 (3.9) and 1972-73 (3.7) have Bayern Munich averaged more goals in a European Cup/UEFA Champions League game than they have this season (3.2). Vincent Kompany’s side have already scored more goals in this edition (32 in 10 games) than in his first one in 2024-25 (31 in 14 games).
Kylian Mbappé has averaged a goal every 56 minutes for Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League this season (13 goals in nine games). Of players with 10+ goals in a single edition, only Erling Haaland in 2019-20 has ever done so while maintaining a better minutes per goal ratio (55).
Harry Kane is the only English player ever to score 10+ goals in consecutive European Cup/UEFA Champions League campaigns (11 in 2024-25, 10 in 2025-26) and has scored more goals in the competition than any other player since joining Bayern Munich (29 in 34 games).
Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior has made more runs in behind than any other player in the UEFA Champions League this season (133) – 20 of those came in his last appearance (v Manchester City), with no player making more in a knockout stage match in this edition.
Bayern Munich’s Aleksandar Pavlovic has completed 84.9 per cent of his forward passes made under high-intensity pressure in the UEFA Champions League this season (62/73); the highest success rate of any of the 182 players with 50+ attempted.
Sporting CP v Arsenal
Sporting CP have never beaten Arsenal in seven attempts (D4 L3), including a 5-1 home loss in last season’s UEFA Champions League. However, they did eliminate Arsenal from the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League via penalty shootout.
Arsenal have never won away against Portuguese opposition in the knockout stages of a major European competition before (D4 L2), most recently a 1-0 loss at FC Porto in the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League last 16.
This is just Sporting CP’s second appearance in the UEFA European Cup/Champions League quarterfinal stage, previously being eliminated by Real Sociedad in 1982-83.
Arsenal have been eliminated from five of their eight UEFA Champions League quarterfinal ties. However, they beat Real Madrid at this stage last season and are looking to reach the semifinals in consecutive campaigns for the first time.
Sporting CP have won all five of their home games in the UEFA Champions League this season, with this the longest home winning streak by a Portuguese side in the competition since FC Porto in December 1999 (6).
Arsenal have the lowest per game averages in the UEFA Champions League this season for goals conceded (0.5), xG against (0.75) and shots on target faced (2.7), while they have also trailed for the fewest minutes of any team in this edition (42:48, all in their round of 16 first leg v Bayer Leverkusen).
Luis Suárez has scored five goals for Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League this season, and could equal the club record for most goals in a single European Cup/Champions League campaign, set by Viktor Gyökeres in 2024-25 (6).
Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres scored six goals in eight appearances for Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League last season. He could become the first player to score both for and against the Portuguese side in the competition.
Sporting CP’s Gonçalo Inácio made 41 line-breaking passes across both games against Bodø/Glimt in the previous round (last 16); the most by any player in a knockout stage tie in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League so far.
Based on the xG of shots on target faced (excl. own goals), Arsenal’s David Raya has prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in the UEFA Champions League since the start of last season (+7.4 – 12 conceded from 19.4 xG on target).
Barcelona v Atlético Madrid
Barcelona and Atlético Madrid will meet for a fifth time in European competition, with all five coming at the quarterfinal stage of the UEFA Champions League (2013-14 and 2015-16 previously).
Atlético Madrid have only lost one of their previous four UEFA Champions League games against Barcelona (W2 D1), and have eliminated the Catalan side in both of their previous knockout stage ties (2-1 on aggregate in 2013-14 and 3-2 in 2015-16). Only Paris SG (3) have eliminated Barcelona more times in the knockout stages of the European Cup/Champions League.
Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 25 games against Atlético Madrid at the Camp Nou across all competitions (W17 D8), with their last defeat coming in February 2006, when Atlético were managed by Pepe Murcia (1-3 defeat in LaLiga).
Atlético Madrid have never won a UEFA Champions League away match against a fellow Spanish opponent, losing four of the five they have played (D1). Diego Simeone’s side are also winless in their last six away games in the knockout stages of the competition (D1 L5), with their last victory coming at Old Trafford against Manchester United in March 2022 (1-0).
Barcelona have scored more UEFA Champions League goals (73) than any other team since Hansi Flick took charge of them. However, they haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last 13 games, which is already their longest ever run without one in major European competition.
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has the best win per centage by any manager with 10+ games in the UEFA Champions League (73.8 per cent - 31/42), as well as the best win per centage in knockout stage matches (min. 10 games) in the competition (70.6 per cent - 12/17).
Raphinha has been directly involved in 33 goals in 33 UEFA Champions League appearances for Barcelona (19 goals, 14 assists), while he leads all players for goal involvements in knockout stage matches since the start of the 2023-24 season (17 - 10 goals, 7 assists).
Julián Alvarez has scored more goals (8), made more assists (4) and created more chances (29) than any other Atlético Madrid player in the UEFA Champions League this season, while also applying more high-intensity pressures than any other player (all teams) in the 2025-26 edition (702).
Lamine Yamal has five goals and four assists in eight UEFA Champions League appearances this season. Should he score or assist in this game, he will become the youngest player to record 10+ goal involvements in a single edition (18y 269d), with the current youngest being Erling Haaland (19y 212d – 10 goals, one assist in 2019-2020).
Pablo Barrios has made more line-breaking passes in the final third than any other Atlético Madrid player in the UEFA Champions League this season (42). As a team, Atlético have averaged 32.6 per game in this edition when Barrios has been in the starting XI (8 games), compared to just 22.5 when he hasn’t started (4 games).
Paris SG v Liverpool
Paris SG and Liverpool have met on six previous occasions in European competition, with both sides registering three wins each. Their most recent meetings came in the UEFA Champions League last season, where both won 1-0 away from home in the round of 16, before the Parisians won on a penalty shootout at Anfield to progress (4-1).
In last season’s round of 16 tie between these two sides, Liverpool averaged just 38.6 per cent possession and had 14 fewer shots on target than opponents Paris SG across the two legs (4 for, 18 against); their biggest negative shot on target differential in a UEFA Champions League knockout stage tie on record (since 2003-04).
Paris SG are unbeaten in their last six UEFA Champions League games against English sides (W5 D1), and have progressed from all four of their knockout stage ties against English opponents since the start of last season (v Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal & Chelsea).
In four of the last five UEFA Champions League editions, the holders have been eliminated at the quarterfinal stage (Bayern Munich 2020-21, Chelsea 2021-22, Manchester City 2023-24 and Real Madrid 2024-25), with only Real Madrid in 2022-23 managing to progress to the semifinals.
Paris SG are unbeaten in their last seven knockout stage matches in the UEFA Champions League (W6 D1), and could equal the longest run by a French side in the competition (8 by Lyon – April 2004-March 2006).
Up to the start of this quarterfinal round, Paris SG (90) and Liverpool (85) were the two teams with the most shots on target in the UEFA Champions League this season. However, Paris SG have scored 34 goals from 25.2 xG this term (+8.8), while Liverpool have netted just 24 times from 27.7 xG (-3.7). See page 9
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been directly involved in 11 goals in 11 games in the UEFA Champions League this season (7 goals, 4 assists), already the joint-second most by a Paris SG player in a single edition (level with Kylian Mbappé from 2020-21), and trailing only Ousmane Dembélé from last season (14 in 15 games).
Dominik Szoboszlai leads all Liverpool players in the UEFA Champions League this season for goals (5), assists (4), progressive carries (85), possession won (69) and high-intensity pressures (414).
Achraf Hakimi has five assists in nine UEFA Champions League games for Paris SG this season. The Moroccan is now the only defender in the competition’s history to assist 5+ goals in multiple editions, and has achieved that in back-to-back campaigns (5 in 2024-25).
Florian Wirtz has created 27 chances from open play in nine UEFA Champions League games for Liverpool. The most by a player in their first 10 games for a club in the competition (on record since 2003-04) is 32 by Mesut Özil for Real Madrid, while Wirtz’s total is already the most on record by a player for an English club through 10 appearances.
By:Opta