In which phase of the Champions League could Barça and Real Madrid meet?

FC Barcelona was the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. The Blaugrana secured their ticket to the next round after defeating Benfica at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (3-1), making it to the top 8 teams in the continent for the second consecutive season.

Once their passage to the next round was sealed, the Blaugrana are already awaiting their rival, which will come from the clash between Lille and Borussia Dortmund. The return match between the French and Germans will take place this Wednesday at 18:45 at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium and promises to be a high-tension duel, as both teams drew in the first leg held at Signal Iduna Park (1-1).

On the same day, March 12, at 21:00, Real Madrid will visit Atlético de Madrid to capitalize on the advantage gained in the first leg played at the Santiago Bernabéu (2-1) and secure their qualification to the quarter-finals. If they manage to secure their ticket to the next phase, the whites would almost certainly face Arsenal, who crushed PSV Eindhoven at home in the first leg (1-7).

Could there be a Clásico in the Champions League?

Thanks to the draw held by UEFA on February 21, which defined the tournament bracket up to the final, all clubs know which rivals they could face in the upcoming rounds of the competition. The quarter-finals will be played between April 8/9 (first leg) and April 15/16 (return); the semi-finals, between April 29/30 (first leg) and May 6/7 (return), and the grand final on May 31 at the Allianz Arena.

In this regard, the doubts about a possible European Clásico have skyrocketed, as both teams are well on track in the competition. However, Barça and Madrid could only meet in a hypothetical final, as the draw placed both clubs on opposite sides of the bracket.

If they overcome the quarter-final clash against Dortmund or Benfica, the culés would face the winner of the clash between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich in a hypothetical semi-final. Real Madrid, on the other hand, must first defeat Atlético to know if they will face Arsenal or PSV in the quarter-finals. Should they successfully navigate both ties, the merengues could meet in the semi-finals with the winner of the tie between Paris Saint-Germain and Bruges/Aston Villa, who will also be fighting for their ticket to the next round this Wednesday.

If both culés and madridistas successfully advance in all their ties, football will witness a historic event, as both teams have never faced each other in a European final. In fact, they have only met twice in the history of the Champions League in its current format, both in the semi-finals, with a record of 1 victory for each team and 2 draws. Will the next encounter be in Munich?