The 2022/23 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal and semifinal draw was held at Nyon, Switzerland on Friday, 17 March 2023. Eight clubs qualified from the Round of 16 stage of the competition were pitted against each for the quarterfinals. This time only two clubs from England, Chelsea and Manchester City made it to the last eight. Three clubs from Serie A, Inter and their rivals Milan and current league leaders Napoli for the very first time, entered the quarterfinals. Real Madrid of Spain and Bayern Munich of Germany are the only representatives from their nations at this stage.
Quarterfinal 1
Real Madrid vs Chelsea
Real Madrid and Chelsea will meet for the third consecutive season in the Champions League and for back-to-back years at the quarterfinal stage. The Blues won the 2020/21 tie in the semifinals on aggregate on their way to lifting their second trophy while the Los Blancos did a stunning comeback in the second leg last campaign for their run to a record-extending 14th competition honor. The first leg is at Santiago Bernabeu with the return leg scheduled in Stamford Bridge. Carlo Ancelotti’s men beat Liverpool 6-2 on aggregate in the last 16 while Graham Potter’s side overturned a 1-0 deficit against Borussia Dortmund to win 2-0 at home in the second leg.
Quarterfinal 2
Benfica vs Inter
Inter were paired with Benfica at home but then the match was shifted to Lisbon for the first leg due to both them and rivals Milan sharing the same home ground in San Siro. The Nerazzurri will meet the Eagles as a repeat of the 1964/65 European Cup final in which they won 1-0 for the second trophy in a row. Simeone Inzaghi’s men hung by their teeth to edge out FC Porto in the second leg to reach the quarterfinals after 11 years and will face another Portuguese opponent who thrashed Club Brugge 7-1 on aggregate.
Quarterfinal 3
Manchester City vs Bayern Munich
In the headlining clash of the quarter final draw, Premier League holders Manchester City will battle it out against Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich for a place in the semi-finals. Both teams are unbeaten in the competition with the German giants having won all of their games so far. There will be some interesting reunion in this battle with Bayern’s Leroy Sane facing his side and Joao Cancelo also getting the chance to face his parent club having been loaned by City in January. Both sides have faced each other six times in the Champions League with three wins each. The first leg is at Etihad whereas the Allianz Arena will host the second leg.
Quarterfinal 4
Milan vs Napoli
An all-Serie A clash for the last quarter final tie as Milan, at this stage for the first time since 2012, face last eight debutants Napoli to be in the semi-finals of the Champions league. This will be the first meeting between the pair in the Champions League. The Rossoneri eliminated Tottenham Hotspurs from the last 16 with a slender 1-0 margin on aggregate while the
Partenopei blew away Frankfurt by 5-0 over two legs to reach the quarter final stage. Milan got the advantage of having San Siro for the first leg in accordance with the UEFA rules for two or more clubs using the same stadium as their home ground.
Semifinal 1
Winner of QF 4 vs Winner of Q2
The winner between Milan and Napoli will get to play the home match in the first leg of the first semi-final against the winner between Benfica and Inter. The tantalizing prospect of the iconic Milan derby on the European stage is not ruled out while two goal-scoring machines in Benfica and Napoli could also shake hands in the last four instead.
Semifinal 2
Winner of QF 1 vs Winner of Q3
Real Madrid or Chelsea will take on either Manchester City or Bayern Munich in the second semifinal of the Champions League. Any of the teams qualifying for this stage will make this a mouth-watering matchup whether it be an all-English clash or a rivalry between two European football royalties.
Final
Winner of SF 2 vs Winner of SF 1
The final will be hosted in the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.
Fixtures
First Legs
Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Benfica vs Inter - Estádio da Luz, Lisbon (00:30)
Manchester City vs Bayern Munich - Etihad Stadium, Manchester (00:30)
Thursday, 13 April 2023
Milan vs Napoli - Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan (00:30)
Real Madrid vs Chelsea - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid (00:30)
Second Legs
Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Chelsea vs Real Madrid - Stamford Bridge, London (00:30)
Napoli vs Milan - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples (00:30)
Thursday, 20 April 2023
Inter vs Benfica - Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan (00:30)
Bayern Munich vs Manchester City - Allianz Arena, Munich (00:30)
Note: All timings are in Indian Standard Time (IST)
