![[object Object] Logo](https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/2020/04/22/e9ceb731-8b3f-4c60-98fe-090ab66a2997/screen-shot-2020-04-22-at-11-04-56-am.png)
It is down to the last eight teams in the UEFA Champions League, who return to action this week live on Paramount+ as the group continues to map out their path to the May 31 final at Munich's Allianz Arena.
Real Madrid's tie with Arsenal is arguably the headlining act of the quarterfinals, though each matchup comes with its own compelling narratives. The reigning champions are technically on treble watch as are Barcelona, their competitor for all three titles who will face last season's Champions League finalists, Borussia Dortmund. Paris Saint-Germain and Inter are also in the hunt for the treble, though with very different tasks ahead of them. A young and exciting PSG take on Aston Villa, who are in the middle of a memorable season after four decades away from the Champions League, while Inter take on a Bayern Munich side that must prove their title-winning mettle after some ups and downs in European play.
The two-legged ties begin on Tuesday and run through April 16, with teams advancing based on the aggregate score. As always, extra time and penalties will come into play in the second legs as needed.
Start your day with the perfect blend of news and analysis from the world's game with the Morning Footy podcast. Download and follow Morning Footy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!
Here's what you need to know before another round of high-stakes Champions League matches.
How to watch
As usual, Paramount+ will serve as a one-stop shop for all Champions League coverage this week, with supplemental coverage on CBS Sports Network, CBS Sports Golazo Network and YouTube. The UEFA Champions League Today pre-match show will air on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network on both Tuesday and Wednesday, while Paramount+ will air all four games as well as The Golazo Show. Post-game coverage will air on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network, while CBS Sports Golazo Network and YouTube will have a new episode of The Champions Club. Each day's coverage rounds out with a new episode of CBS Sports Golazo Network.
Bracket
The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals are set 🌟 pic.twitter.com/CPZU4uqNmU
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 12, 2025
Quarterfinal TV schedule
All times U.S./Eastern
TUESDAY, APRIL 8 | TIME | HOW TO WATCH |
UEFA Champions League Today pre-match | 1:30 p.m. | Paramount+; CBS Sports Golazo Network from 1:45 p.m. |
The Golazo Show | 3 p.m. | |
Bayern Munich vs. Inter | 3 p.m. | |
Arsenal vs. Real Madrid | 3 p.m. | |
UEFA Champions League Today post-match | 5 p.m. | |
The Champions Club | 5 p.m. | |
Scoreline | 7 p.m. |
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9 | TIME | HOW TO WATCH |
UEFA Champions League Today pre-match | 2 p.m. | |
The Golazo Show | 3 p.m. | |
Barcelona vs. Borussia Dortmund | 3 p.m. | |
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Aston Villa | 3 p.m. | |
UEFA Champions League Today post-match | 5 p.m. | |
The Champions Club | 5 p.m. | |
Scoreline | 7 p.m. |
Storylines for the quarterfinals
1. Real Madrid, Arsenal meet amidst season of imperfections
Every Champions League week forces the same question: Which version of Real Madrid will turn up? This season has been far from straightforward from the reigning champions, especially during the league phase when they lost three times. Things have swung in their favor since, with Los Blancos beating Manchester City and Atletico Madrid en route to the quarterfinals. It creates an argument that Carlo Ancelotti's side are peaking at the right time, but this month's tie against Arsenal will put that theory to the test.
Real Madrid have not kept a clean sheet in their last eight and have exclusively been involved in games that were decided by one goal, minus one draw, during that stretch. They have been defensively vulnerable frequently and have needed the full might of their all-star attack to balance things out, though that has not always been a winning strategy – they lost 2-1 to Valencia on Saturday after Vinicius Junior missed a penalty. No one has the uncanny ability to survive underwhelming games quite like Real Madrid, though, which keeps them amongst the favorites to win the whole thing.
While Real Madrid seem to have charted out the hard way to the quarterfinals, Arsenal have taken the smoothest path to this round by finishing inside the top eight in the league phase and pummeling PSV in the round of 16. A matchup against Real Madrid will be the first real test of the Gunners' title-winning potential, though they will not be at full strength for these games. Though Bukayo Saka is back, but Gabriel and Jurien Timber will miss the quarterfinals through injury. It poses real questions about Arsenal's ability to pose a big enough test for Real Madrid, especially the Gunners are aiming to reach the Champions League semifinals in the first time in nearly two decades.
2. PSG, Aston Villa battle for a place in the semifinals
It may have been somewhat difficult to envision either Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa as a potential semifinalist of this competition once upon a time, but both sides have done the hard work to be on the cusp of a spot in the final four. They will have to get through each other first, though, setting up for one of the more fascinating ties on the schedule in the quarterfinals.
PSG outplayed Liverpool in the round of 16 and proved themselves to be one of the most entertaining teams in Europe along the way, demonstrating that Luis Enrique's post-Kylian Mbappe vision for the team is very much trending in the right direction. Villa, in theory, presents a less daunting task than Liverpool, but Unai Emery's side have improved since adding Marcus Rashford and Marco Ascensio to the fold in the winter. A competitive couple of weeks could be in store for these two teams, and that's without all the narrative involved – Emery and Ascencio are facing their former club (or parent club, in the latter's case), while Emery lost to Enrique's Barcelona in La Remontada in 2017, when Enrique's side came back from a 4-0 deficit to advance.
3. Inter, Bayern aim to prove their worth
Inter's clash with Bayern Munich carries the feeling of a classic Champions League matchup between two of the competition's most successful clubs, though this tie could reveal which one of these teams truly boasts that luster.
The Italian side have been the picture of consistency this season including in Europe, where they clinched a top eight spot in the league phase and handled their round of 16 tie against Feyenoord with relative ease. There's an argument to be made that this current group comes with the gravitas of the club's reputation and aspirations, especially since they are just two years removed from an appearance in the final. The onus is arguably on Bayern to hold up their end of the bargain – though they breezed past Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 and have a commanding Bundesliga lead, they have had an up-and-down Champions League campaign so far. This tie will be the perfect test for Vincent Kompany's team to prove how serious they are – or how much work needs to be done to address last year's failings.
