UEFA Champions League draw 2016, Quarterfinals: Results and analysis

However, it’s clear that City can’t afford to take them lightly. Zlatan Ibrahimović is still scoring hatfuls of goals, Di María’s creating almost as many, and Lucas Moura has sufficient pace to comfortably beat any fullback in the tournament in a one-on-one. Against a defense that looks as shaky as City’s has recently, the Parisians will be heading into this tie in confident spirits.

Key player: Zlatan Ibrahimović

While everyone would have loved to have seen two editions of El Clásico or the Madrid Derby in the Champions League quarterfinals, this might be the best matchup of two Spanish teams possible. Barcelona and Atlético Madrid sit on top of the table, with Atléti four points ahead of these teams’ other big rival, Real Madrid.

Fernando Torres struck first in their August clash, but goals from Neymar and Lionel Messi fired the Blaugrana to a 2-1 win at Camp Nou. The score was the same at Estadio Vicente Calderon in January, and the game went the exact same way. Koke put the first goal on the board, but Messi and Suarez each found the back of the net in a comeback win. That game got a bit messy, with Atléti picking up two red cards.

At the beginning of the tournament, the idea of Wolfsburg in the quarterfinals would have seemed like a long shot. But fortune threw them some kindly draws -- a group stage against a mess of a Manchester United side, then a last-16 tie against Belgian side Gent -- and they took advantage. A stylish 3-2 win over United was the signature performance in the groups, and they saw off the Belgians without too much difficulty.

All that said, their domestic form has been mixed. Eighth in the Bundesliga, they look unlikely to re-qualify for the Champions League next season and have been particularly vulnerable away from home. So, they’ll want to do as much as possible in the first leg: if they go to the Bernabeu needing anything too daunting, they might be in trouble.

Bayern Munich are widely -- and perhaps correctly -- regarded as one of the two best teams on the planet at the moment, with only Barcelona being able to claim a more superior squad than the German giants. That, however, didn’t stop Bayern being given a scare by Juventus in the last round, with only a couple of last-gasp goals taking the second leg into extra time, where they scored twice more.

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski is undoubtedly one of the top forwards on the planet, with perhaps only Luis Suárez able to rival him as a pure No. 9. Lewa has netted eight times in as many matches in the Champions League so far this season, and should be able to add to his tally against Benfica.

The Champions League draw is upon us, with the matchups for the quarterfinal round set to be announced. Eight teams remain in the top club competition in Europe, and with a shot at the final in Milan on the line all eyes will be on the draw pots as we eagerly learn who is going to play who.

One thing is for sure, this is going to be a fun round of football.

The Champions League quarterfinal draw will be held in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday, and you lucky people can catch all of the action. Remember, at this stage of the competition anyone can be drawn against anyone else, and it’s fair to say we’re likely to get at least one or two spectacular ties.

Those in the United States will be able to catch the draw at 7 a.m. ET on FS1, or online through the Fox Sports Go app. For those in the United Kingdom, BT Sport and Eurosport 1 will be showing the draw (at 11 a.m. GMT) through their television and online services. Everyone else, never fear: UEFA will, as ever, be providing a live stream through their website.

The Champions League is a competition of the elite of the elite, and with the quarter final round at hand there’s only eight teams left in their battle for dominance. We’re two and a half months from the final in Milan, and in order to figure out who’s going to get there we need to figure out who plays who in the next round.

That brings us to Friday’s draw, and all the pomp and circumstance it brings as everyone meets in Nyon, Switzerland to determine the matchups for the quarterfinal round. The draw procedure is the same as we usually see -- teams drawn one at a time to be placed against one another, with the side drawn first playing the first leg at home. The draw is completely open, meaning that there’s no restrictions against teams from the same country playing one another, meaning we may see El Classico between Barcelona or Real Madrid crop up, which would be a must-watch battle to be sure.