Champions League draw 2015: Quarterfinal preview

The UEFA Champions League has reached the quarterfinals, meaning we have just two rounds to go until the final in Berlin. Two rounds until we see a pair of teams go for glory. Two rounds of incredible action and high drama.

But first we have to have a draw to actually see who plays who in the quarterfinals.

The draw will be held on Friday at 7 a.m. ET (12 p.m. local) in Nyon, Switzerland. Eight teams are in the pot and can be selected openly with one another with no restrictions or limitations on the draw. The team drawn first plays the first leg at home, giving the second team the advantage of playing the decisive leg at its home stadium.

Three of last season’s four semifinalists are still in the competition, including title holders Real Madrid and their final opponents and cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid. Compared to this round a year ago, there are three new teams after Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund were eliminated in the round of 16 and Manchester United failed to qualify for this season’s Champions League.

Juventus return to the quarterfinal round after a year away thanks to their win over Dortmund in the last round, and they’ll hope for a kinder draw than they got in 2013. They were paired with Bayern Munich that year, and were trounced, 4-0, over two legs as the Germans barreled on towards their eventual Champions League title. Juventus, who haven’t won this competition since 1996, are currently running away with Serie A, looking as though they have a fourth straight Italian title well in hand.

AS Monaco aren’t doing as well in Ligue 1, trailing first-place Lyon in the French league by eight points. But they beat Arsenal on away goals in a 3-3 aggregate score after beating the Gunners 3-1 in London and just holding on in a 2-0 defeat at home. Their last trip to this round was all the way back in 2004, when they advanced past Real Madrid on away goals after a 5-5 result in the tie, eventually facing fellow 2015 quarterfinalist FC Porto in the final and losing, 3-0.

Speaking of Porto, this is their first trip to the quarterfinals in six years, last seen here losing, 3-2, to Manchester United in 2009. They have a winning streak in Liga Sagres, Portugal’s top division, that stretches back to January, but still trail league leaders Benfica by four points. That didn’t stop them from trouncing Basel, 5-1 on aggregate, in the round of 16, though history seems to be against them progressing further in the Champions League -- Porto have won only two quarterfinal ties, and have been knocked out at this stage four times.

Those three sides are joined by some of the usual suspects. Real Madrid won the Champions League after beating Dortmund at this stage a year ago, and will be doing everything they can to make it two in a row. Last year they beat Bayern Munich in the semifinals and kept the Germans from winning two in a row themselves, and you know Pep Guardiola’s team will try to correct that score at some point.

Guardiola’s old side Barcelona are here as well, and are looking vastly improved from the side that crashed out at this stage a year ago. With Lionel Messi in super-human form again and his supporting cast better than ever, whoever gets drawn against the Spaniards will have a tough fight. No one knows this better than last year’s runner-up Atletico Madrid, who have lost to Barcelona three times already this season, most recently losing in both legs of the Copa del Rey quarter final by an aggregate score of 4-2.

Then, of course, there’s Paris Saint-Germain, who gained revenge for last year’s quarterfinal defeat by beating Chelsea in the Round of 16 to get this far. They haven’t won Europe’s top competition since 1996 and fell in the quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons, so whoever they are drawn against will be facing a side determined to prove they have what it takes to leave their mark on this competition.

Only one thing is certain while we wait for the draw: These matches are going to be fun, because there are no bad teams left. It’s going to be one heck of a ride over the two legs of this round.