B/R Football Staff Predictions for UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals Bracket

The quarterfinals of the 2025 UEFA Champions League will feature some of the heavyweights of European football.

Fresh off their dramatic round-of-16 victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid will face Arsenal for only the second time in the Champions League.

Borussia Dortmund take on old friend Robert Lewandowski and resurgent FC Barcelona.

Inter Milan face FC Bayern Munich in a tie featuring the leaders of the Italian and German leagues, respectively, in a repeat of the 2010 final.

Paris Saint-Germain look to build on their triumph over Liverpool with another match against English opposition, Aston Villa.

B/R Football's Leo Collis and Nick Akerman provided their predictions for each tie.

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This is a big one for the Mikel Arteta doubters.

It will be "same old story" if Arsenal crumble against the defending champions. Another season of promise let down without the elusive Premier League or Champions League trophies added to the cabinet.

The recent injury crisis is subsiding slowly in what remains a gargantuan task to overcome Madrid across at least 180 minutes.

Los Blancos are resilient and usually find an answer even if they aren't playing particularly well, as we saw with their ridiculous Copa del Rey semifinal comeback against Real Sociedad last week.

They have a clear advantage when it comes to potential match-winners, with Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappé, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham all buzzing around the box to make a difference.

Arsenal don't have such a luxury and will be hoping Bukayo Saka maintains his goalscoring touch after he netted upon his return from injury against Fulham last week.

It's fair to say the Gunners boasted, arguably, the best centre-back pairing in the world with Gabriel and William Saliba, but their defence will need to stand up and putting Jakub Kiwior in Gabriel's place will be a major disadvantage.

Sometimes, individuals have the type of game that people will refer to for many years to come, like Roy Keane against Juventus en route to Manchester United’s 1999 treble. A bit of that energy would go a long way.

Ultimately, I think Madrid will battle hard and get through this one, adding another chapter to each club's history books that have played out many times before.

Prediction: Madrid to advance

- Nick Akerman

The paths of Arsenal and Real Madrid to the quarterfinal stage have been starkly contrasting.

The Gunners cruised to a third-place finish in the League Phase, while Los Blancos landed in a disappointing 11th, requiring a trek through the knockout playoffs.

There, Real handily dispatched Manchester City, giving them a round-of-16 meeting with Atletico. The historically more successful Madrid side won that matchup over a gruelling 210 minutes, but only thanks to a successful penalty shootout.

Arsenal, meanwhile, had their feet up for the knockout playoff and secured a comfortable 9-3 aggregate win over PSV in the round of 16. 

While Los Blancos have stuttered and stumbled through the competition, the Gunners have coasted. 

In the grand scheme of things, though, does that mean anything? Probably not. 

On paper, even if Arsenal's injury woes are solved over the next couple of weeks, Real boast the stronger, deeper and more talented squad. 

Better yet for Los Blancos, the Gunners' defense will be down to the bare bones barring a miracle, and the former's cadre of attacking talent will be looking to feast. 

Throw in the Spanish side's European pedigree, and it's difficult to look past them. 

Prediction: Madrid to advance

-Leo Collis

I’m really looking forward to this one.

Both teams are incredibly difficult to beat and have enjoyed excellent domestic campaigns. Vincent Kompany also stepped up when he was expected to be out-thought by Xabi Alonso in the last round against Bayer Leverkusen.

The former Manchester City defender now gets to test himself against another manager who poses a conundrum in Simone Inzaghi.

These teams are pretty even. In such a situation, I usually turn to narrative to guide my predictions. Bayern are fighting to get to the final in their backyard. They've got a ton of players people doubt, reinforced by a manager who needs to continue showing he’s more than the shouty man from the Burnley documentary. There's a ton of incentive here.

Harry Kane and Lautaro Martinez on the same pitch is an exciting prospect, providing the latter is fit.

However, a lot of the damage will be done down the wings in this one. Bayern need to pounce and exploit Inter's strange full-back rotation, which should leave gaps if they are brave enough to go for it.

I will pick Kane to lead Bayern through, albeit in a matchup that will be incredibly close until the end.

Prediction: Bayern to advance

- Nick Akerman

This might be the most evenly matched meeting in the quarterfinals.

Both teams sit atop their domestic leagues, although Bayern have the more comfortable gap to the team in second in their title bid. 

Inter, though, had the more serene path to this stage of the competition and will host the Bundesliga side in the second leg, giving them a notable advantage. 

It's easy to go back and forth on this one. Unfortunately, the tie might be defined by who is not available. Martinez has had a hamstring injury and Denzel Dumfries is out for Inter, while Bayern's back line is depleted with injuries to Dayot Upamecano and Alphonso Davies. 

But Bayern still present a formidable forward line that will be tough for Inter to handle. Michael Olise has been fantastic in his debut season for the Bavarians, Jamal Musiala continues to elevate his rising-star status, and Kane is as deadly as ever. 

The match might only be settled by a goal across both legs, but it will go the Bundesliga side's way.

Prediction: Bayern to advance

-Leo Collis

This should be a ton of fun.

Both teams play with tremendous energy and naturally put their focus on scoring rather than keeping the opposition out.

Barcelona are so close to having an excellent season that is well ahead of what many would have expected from them at this point under Hansi Flick.

Raphinha is a sheer joy, Robert Lewandowski will be itching to dump out his former club and Lamine Yamal will fancy tormenting a Dortmund side that is in danger of getting destroyed in the opening leg in Spain.

The nature of Dortmund's talent means they are likely to produce some exciting moments in what should be two games of end-to-end chances, but I don't see this squad digging in and getting a result across so much football.

Barca will want to wrap this up before the trip to Germany. Leaving Dortmund with any kind of hope could make that a really intense experience, so taking advantage of the first match should set them well on their way.

Prediction: Barcelona to advance

- Nick Akerman

Credit to Borussia Dortmund for getting this far. They had to topple tough opponents in the knockout playoffs and round of 16—defeating Sporting CP and Lille, respectively—but this is where the journey ends.

Barcelona haven't tasted defeat since December and are scoring for fun at the moment, with 35 goals in their last 11 games. 

Top of La Liga, playing exquisite football and with perhaps two of the most exciting players on the planet in Raphinha and Lamine Yamal—not to mention the evergreen Lewandowski—they just look too impressive.

The Schwarzgelben might have to curb their attacking instincts to stay in this one, leading to a potential "training ground exercise" of defense versus attack. 

Dortmund will hope to nick a goal on the break through the pace and directness of Karim Adeyemi and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. Serhou Guirassy might be isolated at times, but if he can occupy the Barca back line and pounce when an opportunity presents itself, he could at least give the Blaugrana a moment of pause. 

Still, that's assuming Dortmund can silence that fearsome frontline. That doesn't look likely. 

Prediction: Barcelona to advance

-Leo Collis

Paris Saint-Germain surprised everyone with their brilliant takedown of Liverpool in the last round.

They played without pressure and expectation in both legs, the turnaround at Anfield cementing Luis Enrique's side as everyone's new favourite team to watch.

Some even have the impressive youngsters as competition favourites; a tag that is perhaps a little hasty with the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich still knocking around.

The victory over Liverpool does add a little extra pressure for the Ligue 1 club, though. The old PSG didn't deal with expectations well. They are firmly expected to eliminate Aston Villa across two legs, but there are bubbling storylines that will mean they must remain fully focused, not least that Villa are helmed by former PSG manager Unai Emery.

The Spaniard is a solid tactician in cup games. He also has the players to hurt PSG, some of whom have a history with the French side. Marcus Rashford has knocked them out before, and Marco Asensio will be itching to prove a point against his parent club. There’s real danger here.

However, I still expect PSG to win. Villa's midfield has had issues without the ball at times this season, and Enrique will be confident of controlling the games in the middle, providing time for Ousmane Dembele to get beyond his nearest man and into a scoring position.

Prediction: PSG to advance

- Nick Akerman

Despite the fear of being boring while going in the same direction as my esteemed colleague, I'm rounding off my predictions with another matching pick.

PSG were fantastic in the round of 16 against Liverpool, playing with urgency, industry and verticality to throw the Reds off balance at home and away.

Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are, frankly, terrifying up front. With Vitinha and João Neves doing the dirty work in the middle while keeping play ticking over, it's so difficult to establish control over the Ligue 1 side, as Liverpool found out.

Villa, meanwhile, have been a little erratic in the Premier League, but their European form has been exemplary, and they've also reached their first FA Cup semifinal since 2015.

The signings of Rashford and Asensio have proved to be masterstrokes, giving the English side an extra dimension after becoming a little predictable. 

However, that's not nearly enough to compete with a Paris Saint-Germain team that is cruising to another Ligue 1 title and has put the Champions League on notice with recent performances.

Prediction: PSG to advance

-Leo Collis