Real Madrid potential opponents in Champions League quarter-finals

Real Madrid are once again marching into the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League after they dispatched of Liverpool, predominantly due to their commanding 5-2 win at Anfield.

Los Blancos have not been having the best season domestically as they have ground to make up on Barcelona at the top of La Liga and are behind in their two-legged Copa del Rey tie against the Blaugrana.

The defending European champions are into the quarter-finals and there are plenty of sides Real Madrid fans will feel confident about facing. Here’s a look at their Champions League journey and who they could come up against next.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side predictably topped their group which contained Celtic, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk. It was viewed as a tricky group but one they should win, and that is how the fixtures panned out.

They won 3-0 in Glasgow and 2-0 and 2-1 at home against Leipzig and Shakhtar respectively in the first three games to grab full control of the group, but that was followed by a draw at Shakhtar and defeat in Germany to Leipzig.

While their progression to the last 16 was already secured, they needed to get a result against Celtic in Madrid on Matchday 6 to ensure they topped the group. They won 5-1 to finish first by one point despite Leipzig beating Shakhtar 4-0.

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Real were then handed a last-16 tie against a Liverpool side they beat in the final last season but not at the peak of their powers. The visitors were 2-0 down at Anfield inside 15 minutes but rallied to win 5-2, all but winning the tie.

They wrapped things up with a calm 1-0 win at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu to make it 6-2 on aggregate.

There are no limitations in the upcoming quarter final and semi final draws, meaning Real can be paired with any team still standing. Of the eight teams left in the tournament, there is a fairly clear 50/50 split on the quality.

Real Madrid, Napoli, Manchester City and Bayern Munich look like the heavy favourites with Chelsea, Benfica, Inter and AC Milan the teams less likely to go deep into the competition, depending on how the draw goes.

Even if Real Madrid are now nine points behind Barcelona in La Liga, they are just a different beast in the Champions League, particularly as the season wears on. Nobody will want to play them and they will back themselves against anyone.

The favourable opponents have to be either of the Milan sides, who have struggled to impress in Serie A this season and hardly stormed past Porto and Tottenham in the round of 16. Benfica are another side Real Madrid would like to face, although Roger Schmidt has his side playing some great football and they could be a surprise package.

Here is a list of Real Madrid’s potential Champions League quarter-final opponents: