The Champions League is coming to its most exciting stages. There are only eight teams left in the competition now and the quarterfinals draw was held on Friday. As the teams came in, soccer fans around the globe rejoiced in the incredible matchups we are about to see. The two most exciting ones are definitely the rematch of the 2020-21 semifinals between Chelsea and Real Madrid, and the match between Atletico Madrid and Manchester City. As the dust settles from this event, here are three takeaways from the Champions League quarterfinals draw.

Champions League quarterfinals draw takeaways 

Real Madrid has a chance for revenge

Last season, Chelsea survived a 1-1 draw in Madrid and then completely destroyed Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. While the 2-0 scoreline does not suggest it, the state on the field spoke for itself and the 13-time Champions League winners were utterly demolished. Now, a year later almost, the Spaniards have a chance for revenge on the London Blues. This is not the Real Madrid of 2021, which fell short in all competitions. This is a Real Madrid with a rejuvenated Vinicius Jr, a stable backline, some new young blood in the midfield, and a Real Madrid with a 10-point lead in the domestic league, which is a luxury they did not have last year. Also, it is a Real Madrid that has no major injuries, apart from a Benzema knock which should be resolved by their first leg versus Chelsea.

On the other hand, Champions League has been Chelsea's bright spot this season. Amidst a disappointing domestic campaign where Liverpool and Manchester City ran away with the title race, Chelsea will turn around to the competition they won last season. Unfortunately for Chelsea and their fans, outside consequences have been hitting them, as they will have no ticket sales for their game versus Real Madrid due to sanctions imposed on their owner, Roman Abramovich. Season ticket-holders will be allowed in, but it will be a significant gap in terms of fans. This should be an exciting tie and it has some history in it, and it will definitely not be anything close to what happened in their two legs last season.

Total football versus non-football

One phrase to describe the Champions League clash of Atletico Madrid and Manchester City is the one you see above – Pep Guardiola's total football versus Diego Cholo Simeone's non-football. The UCL, interestingly enough, already had a similar clash of football philosophies, in the 2010 semifinal, when Jose Mourinho's ultra-defensive tactic in the second leg versus Guardiola's Barcelona pushed his Inter to the final, which they won. Now, if anyone can take Mourinho's defensive tactics to the extreme, it is Simeone, who used eight defensive-minded players in his lineup versus Manchester United in the first leg. Obviously, everyone is entitled to play any tactic they want, but any neutral Champions League fans will likely stay away from this one.

That is really a shame since on the other side, led by Guardiola, is a Manchester City side that is absolutely fantastic. Their link-up play and the inclusion of rotating wingers, combined with a false nine, make them play similar to how Barcelona played around the early 2010s. It is really the essence of how Champions League football should be played – a ton of goals, beautiful sequences of play, and passes that really frustrate the opposition. Unfortunately, it will be incredibly difficult for this team to bring out the Atleti backline further up the pitch since they sit in two very deep blocks. It will be a lot of Manchester City attacks, a lot of Atletico Madrid defending, and altogether it will be a very tough matchup to see.

Bayern Munich versus Liverpool should be absolutely amazing 

With three massive favorites left in the Champions League, we knew that we will have at least one amazing matchup before the final. It seems like Manchester City got lucky, as their path to the final does not include Bayern Munich or Liverpool. However, these two teams should make a semifinal very exciting. Now, they both have to play the quarters first, but with all due respect to Benfica and Villarreal, they do not stand a chance against these teams, not this year. Bayern Munich are absolutely devouring opponents and they dismantled a clearly overmatched RB Salzburg squad 7-1 in the second leg. Liverpool had to conserve some of their strength for a tough battle with Manchester City in the EPL, so they were a bit less convincing against Inter, winning 2-1 in two legs.

If everything goes according to common reason, we are going to get an amazing semifinal. Both Bayern and Liverpool are stable teams across the board and pinpointing a fault in their squads is almost impossible. That is especially true for Liverpool, who have been on a roll since the calendar turned to 2022. Bayern has had some disappointing results, especially in the Bundesliga, but they have shown in the second leg of their round of 16 matchup that they can explode against anyone. To be realistic, this is likely going to be the final before the final, as they both have a massive chance of winning if they advance to the ultimate game. The quarters for these two teams should be a formality, so we can look forward to the Bayern Munich versus Liverpool matchup in the Champions League semifinals.