Champions League
Wolfsburg v Real Madrid
Bayern Munich v Benfica
Barcelona v Atlético Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain v Manchester City
Wolfsburg v Real Madrid
Wolfsburg overcame Gent in the last round in what was the battle of the big outsiders. Gent to their credit in the first leg fought back but Wolfsburg's higher quality paid off in the end. Real Madrid saw off Roma in the last round. However this tie is a bye for Real Madrid. I can't see Wolfsburg doing anything to threaten Madrid and as much as I would love to see the wolves get through I think this will be a stroll for Madrid.
Bayern Munich v Benfica
Bayern Munich survived an epic two legged tie with Juventus to reach this stage. The second leg saw them rescue their champions league campaign with a stoppage time equaliser and then saw off the Italians in extra-time. Benfica were victorious over two legs against a Zenit side lacking match sharpness. However this won't be a competitive tie. Bayern to do the business and seal the tie in the first leg.
Barcelona v Atlético Madrid
For the third season running Atlético Madrid will meet a fellow La Liga side at this stage. Barcelona were comfortable against Arsenal while Atlético were pushed all the way by PSV Eindhoven. As much as it would be terrific to see Atlético get through I think the potential loss of Diego Godín swings this tie Barcelona's way.
Paris Saint-Germain v Manchester City
The battle of the nouveau riche clubs. PSG overcame English opposition in Chelsea while Manchester City overcame a Dynamo Kyiv side lacking match sharpness in the last 16. A tie that could go either way but I'll back Zlatan's boys in this one.
Europa League
Borussia Dortmund v Liverpool
Athletic Bilbao v Sevilla
Villarreal v Sparta Praha
SC Braga v Shakhtar Donetsk
Borussia Dortmund v Liverpool
Well what can be said about this tie. Klopp goes back to his old stomping ground while England's last hope in the competition faces what are most people's favorites for the competition. Dortmund eased past Tottenham while Liverpool overcame the charged clash with Manchester United in the last round to set up what is probably the tie of the round. Not an easy one to predict but I fancy this in-form Dortmund side to get through.
Athletic Bilbao v Sevilla
Athletic's reward for knocking out La Liga side Valencia was to get another La Liga side, this time the twice in a row defending champions Sevilla. Sevilla overcame a tricky assignment with Basel with relative ease in the end to get to this stage. Now this is a tie that is hard to predict. I'm going to be bold and say an Aritz Aduriz inspired Athletic to get through, just.
Villarreal v Sparta Praha
Villarreal are my dark horse for the tournament outright and while on paper they may have got Sparta they have themselves a potentialy dangerous opponent. Sparta were not expected to get past Lazio but it wasn't the fact that they got past them that shocked people, it was how they did it. Sparta put Lazio to the sword in Rome winning 3-0. This will not be easy for the yellow submarine. Villarreal overcame Bayer Leverkusen in the last round and I'm going to go their way for this one.
SC Braga v Shakhtar Donetsk
Two of the outsiders clash in the last quarter-final. However both have made the final of this competition in the last seven years. Braga in 2011 and Shakhtar 2009 when it was in the UEFA cup format. A tricky tie to predict but I think after careful consideration I'm going to side with Braga but only just and possibly on away goals.
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