UEFA Champions League 2026 Quarterfinal Picks and Match Previews
Eight of Europe's elite clubs resume their quest for the UEFA Champions League glory this week.
Will a struggling Liverpool side be able to avenge their defeat from last season against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain? Can Real Madrid salvage their season against Bayern Munich?
The B/R Football team of Calum Rogers, Leo Collis and Nick Akerman provides the answers to those questions and more as we present our staff predictions for the 2026 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
Got your own thoughts about the last eight? Submit your picks now in the comments section of the B/R app.
Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich
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While it would be unreasonable to expect a repeat of Real Madrid's last-16 victory over Manchester City, which was effectively sealed by a 3-0 first-leg win, the situation is eerily similar.
Like Pep Guardiola's side, Bayern Munich will aim to dominate possession in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu—where City had 58 percent of the ball—and their aggressiveness in doing so could be exploited by the pace of Federico Valverde, Vinícius Júnior and the returning Kylian Mbappé.
Real may even have the perfect foil for their opponents' own star forward, Harry Kane.
According to StatMuse, Kane found the back of the net just once in seven encounters against Real defender Antonio Rüdiger during their respective stints with Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. While Kane did score for Bayern against Rüdiger and Real in the 2023/24 Champions League semifinals, it came from the penalty spot.
Bayern have been making a credible case for being truly back among Europe's elite this season with dominant performances domestically and on the continent, but there are warning signs galore here.
Prediction: Real Madrid win a high-scoring game at home and earn a draw in the second leg to progress.
-Calum Rogers
I'm always fearful of going against Real Madrid in the Champions League, even after the potentially La Liga-ending defeat to Mallorca. However, I think Bayern will trigger the credits on Los Blancos' time in this season's competition.
The 5-1 aggregate victory over Manchester City was a stunning return to form in Europe for a side that made difficult work of Benfica in the previous round. Guardiola got his tactics completely wrong in the first leg that essentially put City to sleep. Madrid were more than prepared to take advantage.
Vincent Kompany and Bayern won't do the same. I'm particularly intrigued by how Madrid will deal with Michael Olise and Luis Diaz, two players who cover so much of the pitch with and without possession.
Alvaro Arbeloa's side looks vulnerable at full-back. It may take two players on each side to stop the ball-carrying skills of the aforementioned players, but then you're leaving Kane dangerously free (if he's fit).
Madrid's counter-attacking quality should make this a great showdown across 180 minutes. I don't like to go against Real, but right now, it feels like a watershed moment for Kompany could be on the horizon.
Prediction: Bayern narrowly win the tie across two legs.
-Nick Akerman
What was expected to be a hard-fought contest between Real Madrid and Manchester City in the previous round ended up being a bit of a whitewash.
But that result was close compared to Bayern's 10-2 aggregate crushing of Atalanta, albeit the Bavarians were up against weaker opponents.
It would be brilliant to see another high-scoring contest featuring those two victors, and there is every chance we get it.
While neither back line is especially flimsy, each defensive unit will have to compete against world-class strikers, with both Mbappe and Kane expected to be fit for Real and Bayern, respectively. Even if that pair is kept quiet, there are plenty of other attacking threats to exploit the gaps that those two stars open up.
With neither side known for sitting back and taking punishment before unleashing on the counter, that could result in an open, tit-for-tat game that delivers goals in bunches.
That chaos could benefit Real, who have been much more accustomed to dealing with drama this season than their German counterparts.
Prediction: Real creep through after a thrilling set of games.
-Leo Collis
Sporting CP vs. Arsenal
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Arsenal's quadruple dreams have turned into something of a nightmare over their last two games.
The Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City raised questions for a team gaining a reputation for narrowly coming up short, and a defeat to Championship side Southampton in the FA Cup quarterfinals on Saturday should have nerves jangling in north London.
Injury concerns over Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Magalhães could further test the Gunners' resolve, although the former pair seem likely to feature vs. Sporting.
The Portuguese side overturned a 3-0 deficit in the second leg against Bodo/Glimt in the last 16 to secure their place here, so they shouldn't be looked at as pushovers. Manager Rui Borges' men also beat holders Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the league phase with just 31 percent of possession, so they're capable of troubling elite teams as underdogs.
Arsenal's combination of high-level quality and physicality will make them an incredibly tough matchup, though. And over two legs, it's hard to see this tie becoming part of a wider tailspin for the Gunners.
Prediction: A close game in Lisbon leaves the tie in the balance before Arsenal secure victory and a clean sheet at home.
-Calum Rogers
Bayer Leverkusen gave it a good go in the Round of 32, yet they still couldn't dent an Arsenal side that is in pretty poor form right now.
The Gunners had built a season of getting the job done without putting together too many classic performances, until meeting Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and Southampton in the FA Cup.
It's clear the quality has dipped, and in the blink of an eye, outlandish quadruple talk has switched to nervous double chatter.
Now's the time for Mikel Arteta to get Arsenal back on track. He's complicated things too much recently, and fans may be asking themselves if he really needed to rotate the team as he did at Southampton, especially after an international break that largely rested the squad.
Sporting have it in them to be dangerous, but Arsenal's best XI, when focused, shouldn't have too much trouble. Key word: shouldn't.
Prediction: Arsenal to win both legs.
-Nick Akerman
Sporting CP are perhaps the embodiment of "it's never over until it's over."
With seconds remaining in their final League Phase game against Athletic Club, Alisson Santos scored a vital, match-winning goal that sealed progression to the round of 16 and bypassed the knockout playoff round.
After a 3-0 defeat in the first leg of the last-16 matchup with Bodo/Glimt, the Leoes scored three in the first 90 minutes of the home meeting before adding another two in extra-time to seal a dramatic comeback and extend their stay in the competition.
Arsenal will have to account for that stubbornness.
The Premier League leaders are the bookies' pick for progression, according to Oddschecker. However, after some recent hiccups, including a less-than-convincing 3-1 aggregate victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the previous UCL round and an FA Cup quarterfinal exit to Southampton, the Gunners can't go into this game with a lack of ammunition.
If Sporting can sneak a home win, an increasingly tense Arsenal fanbase could make the atmosphere at the Emirates unbearable. That will play right into the Portuguese side's hands (or feet).
Prediction: Sporting's never-say-die attitude causes the shock of the round.
-Leo Collis
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Liverpool
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Liverpool have been completely stripped of the aura of invincibility that carried them to last season's Premier League title. They've already conceded more league goals than they did all of last season, and those defensive vulnerabilities could be exploited by a free-scoring PSG team.
Strange as it might sound, the reigning European champions didn't look entirely convincing in their 8-2 last-16 aggregate victory over Liverpool's fellow Premier League underperformers, Chelsea. The English side actually recorded a higher expected goals tally in both games and created more big chances, per FotMob.
However, a team that wins by six goals across two games despite arguably not being at its best is essentially the opposite of this Liverpool side. With his impending departure now confirmed, perhaps forward Mohamed Salah can inspire his team to another thrilling victory at Anfield in the second leg, but it feels extremely unlikely.
Prediction: PSG scores at least twice, both home and away, to eliminate Liverpool.
-Calum Rogers
PSG's dominance over Chelsea answered a ton of questions last time out. Luis Enrique's side grew into the competition last year, laying down a terrific aggregate win over their upcoming opponents to become everyone's new favorite team. There are signs that form is returning for the defending champions.
While PSG aren't as defensively solid as last year, they're facing a Liverpool team that is seriously weaker than it was 12 months ago.
Enrique just has so much firepower at his disposal. Versatile stars like Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who will put the Reds' defense on the back foot, an occurrence that may have Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate on the brink of being caught out.
Liverpool's 4-0 weekend loss to Man City puts Arne Slot under great pressure. This is his last chance at silverware this season. If Liverpool doesn't get beyond PSG, we may well see the end of Slot's cycle after what has been a dismal Year 2.
Prediction: PSG to win on aggregate.
-Nick Akerman
Liverpool might have earned a reputation for big UCL performances on home turf, but at present, this looks like a team that is psychologically beaten before it has even kicked a ball.
A habit of conceding both early and late has resulted in the Reds dropping points in plenty of games they were favored to win this season. With a brutal run of fixtures coming up, starting with a 4-0 humiliation in the FA Cup quarterfinal against Manchester City, and with the fans turning on manager Arne Slot, they simply don't have the mental fortitude to deal with the challenges they are set to face in quick succession.
In last year's Round of 16, PSG were the underdogs against a Liverpool side that had just topped the League Phase. With the benefit of hindsight, that label looks ridiculous.
In the quarterfinals this time around, PSG will be the favorites, and that's definitely not a mislabeling. Les Parisiens crushed Chelsea in the last 16, and they truly kicked into top gear at this stage of the campaign last season.
With a cabal of lightning-fast attacking talent ready to feast on a wobbly Reds backline, the reigning UCL champions will heighten the misery of Liverpool's season.
Not even Anfield can save the Merseysiders.
Prediction: PSG win comfortably against an incoherent Liverpool side
-Leo Collis
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Atlético Madrid vs. FC Barcelona
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We don't have to look back too far to see how a two-legged tie between these sides could play out.
In February's first leg of the Copa Del Rey semifinal at Atleti's Wanda Metropolitano, Diego Simeone's men took a stunning 4-0 lead into the half-time break after a ruthless counterattacking performance, and they held that lead until full-time.
In the second leg, Barcelona were perhaps unfortunate not to come all the way back in a 3-0 victory that saw them dominate possession and chances.
The key difference between the two games may well have been Pedri. The Barcelona midfielder is crucial to manager Hansi Flick's high press, and his absence in the first leg because of a hamstring injury may partly explain how consistently Atleti were able to find passes behind their opponents' defense.
With Pedri back and the first leg of this tie in Barcelona, the hosts should be able to take a lead to Madrid and force Atleti to chase the game at home, which could prove too big a challenge for a team more comfortable counterpunching.
Prediction: Barcelona do enough in the first leg to win the tie.
-Calum Rogers
Saturday's La Liga showdown between these two was a hell of a first course.
Atletico pushed the soon-to-be Spanish champs all the way and proved once again that there are few easy matches against a Diego Simeone team, even when they're down to 10 men.
Robert Lewandowski's late winner was a tad fortunate, and a reminder that Barca have the quality of firepower that can make things happen just by being in the right position.
Results continue to fluctuate when these teams meet. The weekend's close call comes after a 4-0 win for Atletico and a 3-0 win for Barca in their Copa del Rey double-legger.
Such a discrepancy suggests this one is up for grabs more than many would expect. Atletico showed how devastating they can be against Spurs in the last round and won't go into this one feeling intimidated or second best.
All the pressure is on Barca. Although I think the Camp Nou side will get the job done, Atletico have more than enough all-round quality and experience to make it a real battle against Hansi Flick's side.
Prediction: Barcelona to narrowly get through.
-Nick Akerman
These two will be sick of each other come mid-April. At the conclusion of the UCL quarterfinals, they will have faced off six times this season.
For those keeping score, it's three wins for Barcelona and one win for Atleti in four games, with a combined scoreline of 8-6 in favor of the Blaugrana.
It's clear we should expect goals in this all-Spanish encounter, but picking a winner is a lot trickier.
Atleti's league campaign has been disappointing, now 19 points behind the league-leading Catalans. But the Rojiblancos are in the Copa del Rey final and have got to this point in Europe, so there's plenty of positives to take from their cup performances.
Meanwhile, Barca are top of La Liga and have so far cruised in Europe, but they've still stumbled against Atleti in knockout circumstances.
Both teams' UCL last-16 matchups delivered high-scoring affairs, with each performing much better at home than on the road. That should hold true here, with Barca scoring enough at the Camp Nou to edge through.
Prediction: Barcelona qualify for the semifinal.
-Leo Collis
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