15th April 2026
April 15 – The UEEFA Champions League quarter finals close tonight with two finely poised second legs, as four more of Europe’s heavyweights gear up for do-or-die contests to stay in the competition.
At the Allianz Arena this evening, Bayern Munich hold a narrow edge over Real Madrid after last week’s 2-1 win at the Bernabéu. Goals from Harry Kane and Luis Diaz gave Bayern control of the tie, though Kylian Mbappe’s second-half strike keeps Madrid firmly in contention.
Bayern will start as favourites on home soil, not least after Manuel Neuer’s nine-save performance in the first leg. But Madrid’s pedigree in this competition remains hard to ignore.
“We don’t need to achieve a miracle here,” said Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa. “We’re ready to fight, to continue writing history and to make up ground. We are prepared for the atmosphere. We have to enjoy playing in a stadium like this.”
Ahead of tonight’s clash, Neuer struck a cautious note despite Bayern’s advantage. “The advantage is that we won the first leg, but it’s just one goal. It can go either way,” he said. “Real Madrid are a tough one, but we’ve got a slight advantage. And we also have the advantage that our crowd at home will be really up for an evening like tomorrow.”
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany added: “One of the key things, no doubt, is that we have a great deal of respect for Real. We felt that way even before the game at the Bernabéu, and we still do. We’re preparing for the best version of Real, which is what we saw against Manchester City. Their recent results don’t reflect the talent they possess. They’re still one of the best teams in Europe.”
The winner will meet Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals after the holders comfortably saw off Liverpool 4-0 on aggregate and looked every part the dangerous team that won last season’s title.
Also tonight, Arsenal take a 1-0 lead into their second leg against Sporting CP at the Emirates. Kai Havertz’s late goal in Lisbon gave Mikel Arteta’s side the advantage, though Sporting’s recovery from 3-0 down against Bodø/Glimt in the round of 16 offers a reminder of their taste for a dramatic comeback.
“It’s the second time that we are three years in a row in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. For other clubs, that’s the daily meal. For us, no,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. “We have the opportunity tomorrow to go to the semi-finals… we know the difficulty of that, but the beauty of it is that it’s difficult.”
The winner of that clash will meet Atletico Madrid in the semi finals after they saw off FC Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [moc.l1776252912labto1776252912ofdlr1776252912owedi1776252912sni@g1776252912niwe.1776252912yrrah1776252912](javascript:;)