It’s that time of the year again: after a lengthy break, a winter World Cup and the return of domestic action around Europe and the world, the UEFA Champions League is back.
This week sees the round of 16 get under way, with eight tantalising two-legged ties between some of Europe’s big hitters.
Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are the leading contenders to lift the famous trophy, but will they even be in the quarterfinals when they roll around?
The Sporting News looks ahead to the last eight, the draw and the teams who will be contesting the quarterfinals this season.
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When is Champions League quarterfinal draw 2023?
The draw for the quarterfinals, semifinals and final of the UEFA Champions League for 2022/23 will take place on Friday, March 17 at 12 p.m. CET in Nyon, Switzerland. Here’s how that time translates to other time zones around the world:
| Location | Date | Time |
| UK | March 17 | 11:00 GMT |
| Australia | March 17 | 22:00 AEDT |
| Canada | March 17 | 06:00 ET |
| New Zealand | March 18 | 00:00 NZDT |
| USA | March 17 | 06:00 ET |
| India | March 17 | 16:30 IST |
| Singapore | March 17 | 19:00 SGT |
| Malaysia | March 17 | 19:00 MYT |
| Hong Kong | March 17 | 19:00 HKT |
The nature of the draw means that we will know teams’ potential paths to the final in Istanbul from March 17. And it’s an open draw — unlike the one that was done following the group stages —meaning there’s no seeding from the round of 16 winners and teams can be drawn against rivals from the same country.
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Champions League quarterfinal schedule 2023
The first legs of the quarterfinals will be played on April 11 and 12 with the second legs on April 18 and 19, meaning a very quick turnaround between the home and away matches for the teams.
The semifinal first legs will take place on May 9 and 10, with the return legs on May 16 and 17, before the showpiece final on June 10.
Back next week 😀#UCL pic.twitter.com/V3QNPoX5IL
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 10, 2023
Champions League quarterfinal teams qualified
Below are the 16 teams to have made it beyond the group stages, each with a shot of making the quarterfinals:
RB Leipzig, Manchester City, Club Brugge, Benfica, Liverpool, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, Eintracht Frankfurt, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Inter Milan, FC Porto, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
And here’s how the round of 16 draw looks (all games kick off at 15:00 ET, first team stated plays the first leg at home):
| Round of 16 tie | First leg date | Second leg date |
| RB Leipzig vs Manchester City | Weds 22 Feb | Tues 14 March |
| Club Brugge vs Benfica | Weds 15 Feb | Tues 7 March |
| Liverpool vs Real Madrid | Tues 21 Feb | Weds 15 March |
| AC Milan vs Tottenham Hotspur | Tues 14 Feb | Weds 8 March |
| Frankfurt vs Napoli | Tues 21 Feb | Weds 15 March |
| Borussia Dortmund vs Chelsea | Weds 15 Feb | Tues 7 March |
| Inter Milan vs Porto | Weds 22 Feb | Tues 14 March |
| PSG vs Bayern Munich | Tues 14 Feb | Weds 8 March |
Who made 2021/22 Champions League quarterfinals?
Benfica, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid will be looking to do what they did last season and book a spot in the Champions League last eight.
Spanish duo Villarreal and Atletico Madrid were the other sides in the quarterfinal draw a year ago, with Villarreal stunning Bayern over two legs and Atletico being edged out by Man City.
City, of course, fell to eventual winners Real Madrid in a dramatic semifinal second leg. Pep Guardiola’s side are looking to win the trophy for the first time in their history, amid a backdrop of financial charges by the Premier League. Madrid are looking to defend their crown and stretch their record to 15 trophy wins.
Credit: sportingnews.com