The quarterfinal draw for the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League was made on Friday, 17th of March 2023, at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
As expected, there were blockbuster clashes as holders Real Madrid will face Chelsea. The biggest tie of the round pitted up Manchester City against Bayern Munich.
There will be an all-Italian affair between AC Milan and Napoli, while Inter Milan will slug it out with Benfica.
2022/23 Champions League quarter-final draw:
¶Real Madrid vs Chelsea
¶Inter Milan vs Benfica
¶Man City vs Bayern Munich
¶AC Milan vs Napoli
The semi-final draw was also made as the winner between AC Milan and Napoli will come up versus the winner between Inter and Benfica.
The victor between Real Madrid and Chelsea will face the winner between Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
In this article, FootballOrbit looks at the winners and losers from the just concluded 2022/23 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal draw.
Winners: Napoli
Napoli are on fire this season! They blistered through their group, topping it, and currently lead Serie A by 18 points.
The best team in Europe this season have been handed a very favourable quarterfinal draw in the form of Serie A rivals, AC Milan.
Napoli are playing in the quarterfinals for the first time ever, but they have already beaten AC Milan 2-1 at the San Siro in the league this season.
Furthermore, they have been given a huge chance of reaching an historic first ever Champions League final as they cannot meet Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Chelsea or Real Madrid until the final.
Loser: Graham Potter
In what will be a repeat of last season’s quarterfinal, Chelsea will face Real Madrid.
It was a very close affair last year, which Madrid were lucky to have won — eventually going on to win the trophy.
This season, Chelsea have been terrible under new manager, Graham Potter.
Recently, Potter seems to be resuscitating the Blues, but he has now been handed a nightmare opponent in the only competition that offers Chelsea a chance of winning silverware in 2022/23.
Winners: Benfica
Benfica were phenomenal last season were they reached the quarterfinals, before getting eliminated by Liverpool.
They have been even better this term as they amazingly topped their group ahead of giants, Juventus and PSG.
In the round of 16, Benfica dismantled Club Brugge 7-1 on aggregate and now have to face Inter Milan.
Inter only managed to defeat Benfica’s domestic rivals, FC Porto, 1-0 on aggregate in the round of 16. Meaning, the Eagles have a good chance of upsetting the Nerazzuri.
Benfica and Goncalo Ramos are firmly on course to reach the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time since 1990.
Losers: Manchester City
Manchester City’s ultimate dream is to win the UEFA Champions League.
Pep Guardiola’s men crushed RB Leipzig 8-1 in the last round and seemed on course to finally lay their hands on the much-coveted trophy.
But they have drawn against Bayern Munich, the team that everyone wanted to avoid.
Bayern defeated a Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe-led PSG with relative ease in the round of 16, and now stand in the way of City.
Worse still, if Guardiola’s side managed to go through, they will face either Chelsea or Real Madrid in the semifinals — both teams that broke their hearts in the competition in the last two seasons respectively.
Winners: Neutrals
For neutral football lovers, they will be excited by the games coming up in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Man City and Bayern Munich —two of the tournament favourites — are set for an epic battle to get a place in the last four.
Also, reigning champions Real Madrid will once again face Chelsea and neutrals will hope that the tie will be just as dramatic as last season’s quarterfinal blockbuster.
Losers: Premier League
English Premier League clubs have reached the UEFA Champions League final in 4 of the last 5 seasons. They were all-English finals in 2018/19 (Liverpool vs Tottenham) and 2020/21 (Chelsea vs Manchester City).
The chance of a Premier League team reaching the final this year is very slim as the two remaining sides, Chelsea and Man City, face Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals respectively.
Winners: Serie A
Despite still struggling financially, the Italian Serie A has relatively improved in the last few seasons and its representatives are doing well in continental competitions.
Remember, Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma won the inaugural UEFA Conference League last season.
Serie A will be guaranteed at least one side in the 2022/23 Champions League semifinal as Napoli have been drawn against AC Milan.
Moreso, despite their struggles, Inter Milan have a decent chance of eliminating Benfica to face either Napoli or AC Milan in the semis.
Thus, there could be an Italian side in the final.
When are the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal matches?
The first leg of the quarterfinals will take place on the 11th and 12th of April, while the return leg will be played a week later on the 18th and 19th of April.
The semifinals first leg will be played on the 9th and 10th of May and the second leg will be on the 16th and 17th of May.
When is the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League final?
The 2022/23 Champions League final will be played at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on the 10th of June 2023.
