Current holders of the UEFA Champions League title, Real Madrid will have to welcome West Londoners, Chelsea to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu for the third consecutive season following the conclusion of the draws for the quarter final stage of Europe's premier club football competition on Friday.
The 14-time winners had made light work of another English giants, Liverpool in the Round of 16 stage with a 6-1 aggregate win, while the two-time winners overturned a 0-1 first leg deficit to German side, Borussia Dortmund to win 2-1 on aggregate after a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge three weeks ago.
Los Blancos exerted revenge on the Blues last season with a 5-4 aggregate win last season at the same stage (quarter finals), after they were dumped out by the Premier League side the season before at the semi finals en route to the then Thomas Tuchel-led side winning the tournament in 2021.
In another heavyweight clash, Pep Guardiola will return to the Allianz Arena to trade tackles with his old side as Manchester City will face Bayern Munich.
The Bavarians who comfortably dispatched French side, Paris Saint-Germain will be looking to get one over Pep Guardiola and his Cityzens side who were ruthless in their demolition of RB Leipzig in the previous round with a staggering 8-1 aggregate win, fueling belief that their hunt for a maiden Champions League crown could come to an end this season.
Pep Guardiola led Bayern to a semi final place at best during his three seasons in the German capital with Bayern Munich before leaving for the the City of Manchester stadium in 2016.
The 52-year-old Spaniard admitted before their second leg clash with German side, RB Leipzig that "We will be judged on our Champions League record."
He guided the side to their first and only appearance in the final of the competition where they lost 1-0 to Chelsea in 2021.
Other quarter final ties will see an all-Italian affair as run away Serie A leaders Napoli - led by the irrepressible Victor Osimhen - take on seven-time winners AC Milan.
The 22-year old Nigerian scored twice as the Neapolitans eased to a 3-0 win at the Estadio Armando Maradona against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday in the previous round to win 5-0 on aggregate. He's now bagged four goals in the competition this season and 23 in 28 games in total this season.
The last of the quarter final ties pitches another Serie A side Inter Milan attempt to put out the only standing Portuguese side, Benfica to reach the semis.
