Of the final 8 teams that made it into the quarterfinals in the 2012-2013 Champions League, we have 3 teams from Spain (Barcelona, Malaga, Real Madrid), 2 from Germany (Bayern, Dortmund), 1 from Turkey (Galatasaray), 1 from Italy (Juventus) and 1 from France (Paris Saint-Germain).
The quarterfinals will be played on four separate dates: The first legs will be played on 2 and 3 April, and the second legs will be played on 9 and 10 April. The draw will be made on Friday, March 15.
FC Barcelona
Despite all the rumors of the demise of the dynasty, it turns out things are a little bit different outside of the written world universe. Barcelona won their knockout stage against Milan 4-2 on aggregate with a 4-0 win in the second leg to erase their terrible first. They finished first in the group stage, ahead of Celtic, Benfica and Spartak Moscow, and are also comfortable leading the Spanish La Liga. Lionel Messi is their top scorer in the competition with 7 goals. This is their sixth straight appearance in the QF.
Bayern Munich
The knockout stage seemed to be as good as done after the 3-1 win in London against Arsenal in the first leg, but eventually, they only went through on away goals with a 3-3 aggregate score. Bayern finished first in their group, ahead of Valencia, Lille and BATE. They are also leading the Bundesliga quite comfortably with a 20 point margin. Thomas Muller with 4 goals is the team’s top scorer in the Champions League. It’s their fourth QF appearance in the last five season.
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund won’t be winning a third Bundesliga title, trailing Bayern by 20 points in the league, but they’re still undefeated in the Champions League, getting past Shakhtar with a 5-2 aggregate score, including a 3-0 win in the second leg. They finished first in their group, leaving Real Madrid, Ajax and Manchester City behind. Robert Lewandowski, with 5 goals, is their top scorer in the competition. They haven’t been at this stage in the competition since 1998.
Galatasaray
Maybe the biggest surprise at this stage, but Galatasaray played well in the second leg against Schalke, winning 3-2 on the day and 4-3 on aggregate. They finished second in their group behind Manchester United but ahead of Cluj and Braga. Burak Yilmaz is the team’s, and the competition’s (along with Cristiano Ronaldo) top scorer so far with 8 goals. Gala are also in the lead in Turkey. They haven’t been to the quarterfinals since 2001, when they lost to Real Madrid.
Juventus
Probably had the easiest of time among those who made it through, being the only team not to concede a goal in the knockout stage with a 3-0 and 2-0 win double over Celtic. Juve also finished first in the group stage, ahead of Shakhtar, Chelsea and Nordsjælland. Fabio Quagliarella, with 4 goals, is the team’s top scorer in the UCL this season. In the league, like many others, they’re quite comfortable ahead with a 9 point lead. They haven’t been to the quarterfinals since 2006, when they lost to Arsenal.
Malaga
Malaga are in the Champions League for the first time, and made it through past Porto 2-1 on aggregate, winning 2-0 at home after a 1-0 loss in Portugal. They finished first in their group, ahead of Zenit, Milan and Anderlecht. They’re currently 4th in the Spanish League, fighting to claim another Champions League spot. Eliseu and Isco are the team’s top scorers in the competition with 3 goals each.
Paris Saint-Germain
The new rising European force isn’t stopping on its first season in the Champions League, finishing first in their group, ahead of Porto, Dynamo Kyiv and Dinamo Zagreb, while beating Valencia 3-2 on aggregate in the knockout stage. Ezequiel Lavezzi is their top scorer in the competition with 5 goals so far. PSG are leading the league with a 4 point lead over Lyon. They haven’t been to the quarterfinals of the competition since 1995.
Real Madrid
Faced Manchester United and despite a 1-1 draw in Madrid, came away with a 2-1 win at the Old Trafford, also thanks to a controversial red card decision against Nani. Real finished second in the group stage, behind Dortmund but ahead of Ajax and Manchester City. Cristiano Ronaldo is leading all scorers in the competition (joint at the top with Yilmaz), scoring 8 goals so far. In the league, Real Madrid are a distant second behind Barcelona. This is their third consecutive time in the quarterfinals.