Takeaways from the UCL quarterfinal draw

Arsenal vs. Bayern

Arsenal are having one of their best seasons in recent memory, as they're on top of the Premier League, and have reached a UCL quarterfinal for the first time in over a decade, but Bayern are at risk of a shocking trophyless season if they can't lift the UCL.

There's also some memorable UCL history between these two teams; back in 2017, Bayern famously won each leg of their Round of 16 matchup by a score of 5-1, for an aggregate score of 10-2.

There’s also the matchup between Arsenal and Bayern striker Harry Kane, who had spent the previous 11 seasons of his career with the Gunners' North London archrivals, Tottenham. Will Kane devastate his old foes once more, or will he remain cursed and allow Arsenal to keep marching forward on the quest for their first-ever UCL title?

Manchester City vs. Real Madrid

This matchup has been a semifinal each of the past two seasons. A year ago, City secured a spot in the final with an emphatic home win after drawing in Madrid for the first leg, and before that, Madrid pulled off a shocking, improbable and above all else unforgettable comeback to reach the 2022 final; both teams would go on to win that big next match and lift the trophy.

It's also arguably a clash between the world's best teams. Madrid have lost just once in league play as they sit comfortably atop the La Liga table, and while City are in third place in the Premier League, they've just recently regained health, and nobody doubts their ability to make it back to the top.

This clash has also become emblematic of the struggle between historically dominant clubs, and "new-money" teams rising to the top. We'll see which side ends up on top this time around, but either way, we should be in for another instant classic.

A look ahead to the semifinal 

The winners of the two matchups we've already discussed are slated to meet in a semifinal, making this side of the bracket by far the stronger and more interesting one. 

In years past, the Barcelona-PSG matchup on the other side would have been rife with storylines about Neymar and Lionel Messi's respective switches between the two clubs, or the generational clash between Kylian Mbappé and Messi, but now, only Mbappé remains in Europe.

On the tougher side of the bracket, the potential semifinal storylines are tremendous. Bayern vs. Madrid would be a clash between two of the most successful European clubs, City and Arsenal are currently locked in a dead-even Premier League race, Madrid vs. Arsenal would be the ultimate David and Goliath story and City against Bayern would be a clash between Pep Guardiola and his old club.

This absolutely brutal path will also throw a wrench into the Premier League race. The biggest winner of all might not be anyone in this competition; it's second-place Liverpool. The English teams left in this competition will likely have to throw their top players into extremely taxing matchups the rest of the way. It’s safe to say that If City want to complete the treble again, or if Arsenal want to get atop Europe for the first time, it's going to take everything they have, and it’s going to be fascinating to watch it all unfold.