Champions League 2024/25 predictions: Quarter-final first legs | OneFootball

Sunday's dire Manchester Derby manifested the very worst of caution and risk-aversion, with many deriding the overall quality of this season's Premier League.

The slander was fair, but the Champions League is back to remind you that this sport isn't so bad after all. This competition has perpetually entertained, with the grand sense of occasion on big European nights facilitating some of modern football's most dramatic moments.

Now, typically the melodrama is saved for the return legs, and there's no doubt that these four quarter-final ties will eventually supply what the neutral craves in abundance. The first legs operate as mere teasers for what's to come, but that's not to say Tuesday and Wednesday night's action will be lifeless. Far from it.

Here's how 90min projects the 2024/25 Champions League quarter-final first legs to pan out.

Bukayo Saka is back for the Gunners as they face Real Madrid for the first time in 19 years / Shaun Botterill/GettyImages

Arsenal's Premier League title hopes aren't dead yet, but their season boils down to these two fixtures with the perennial Champions League victors. The Gunners meet Real Madrid for the first time competitively in almost 20 years, and this is Madrid's first visit to the Emirates.

The north Londoners stunned the 'Galacticos' on their way to the final in 2005/06, and the returning Bukayo Saka will hope to evoke the spirit of Thierry Henry as they take on a star-studded but vulnerable Madrid outfit.

Arsenal will feel they have to get a result in N5 to have a chance of progressing, and Madrid's synonymity with this competition renders this duel incredibly tough from their perspective.

An image of Diego Milito wheeling away in euphoric glee comes to mind when you think of Bayern Munich vs Inter, with the Argentine's brace at the Bernabeu sealing Champions League glory for the Nerazzurri in 2010.

Two of Europe's most esteemed clubs have met several times since, but this is their first knockout duel since 2011. Both teams lead their respective divisions, with Inter aiming to retain the Scudetto and Bayern on course to regain their Bundesliga crown.

Tuesday's hosts have been hit hard by injuries in recent weeks, and a coaching mismatch on the sidelines could work to Inter's advantage when it's all said and done.

Wednesday 9 April

Can Aston Villa upset this great PSG team? / Julian Finney/GettyImages

Barcelona have already faced off against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League this season, with a 3-2 victory for Hansi Flick's side helping them towards a second-place finish in the league phase table.

After bypassing Benfica, Barca are now aiming to secure their first semi-final berth in this competition since 2019. They've succumbed in this round on three occasions since their unforgettable collapse at Anfield.

Niko Kovac is the man tasked with taming this divine Barca outfit, although Real Betis halted their winning momentum at the weekend. Dortmund impressively beat Lille in the round of 16 and have shown signs of improvement under the new manager. They'll hope to still be in the tie heading into the second leg at home.

Paris Saint-Germain were confirmed as French champions at the weekend, and Luis Enrique is hoping to break the club's Champions League duck. They've never won this competition but are regarded by many as the best team on the continent right now.

PSG overcame a mighty challenge in the last 16, beating Liverpool on penalties, but this quarter-final tie could be a banana skin. Former manager Unai Emery is the master of knockout competition, and he'll be desperate to topple the favoured Parisiens over two legs.

Aston Villa travel to the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night after beating Club Brugge home and away in the round of 16.