Champions League: A closer look at quarter-finalists including Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City

Holders Chelsea will lead a trio of Premier League clubs into the Champions League quarter-finals as Europe’s elite battle it out for the continent’s biggest club prize.

The world champions, last season’s beaten finalists Manchester City and 2019 winners Liverpool will battle it out with European aristocrats Real Madrid and Bayern Munich among a field which also includes Portugal’s Benfica.

Here, we take a look at the quarter-finalists ahead of Friday’s draw.

Six-times winners Liverpool signalled their intent with a perfect six wins out of six to top Group B and disposed of Serie A champions Inter Milan in the last 16 following an impressive 2-0 first leg victory at the San Siro. The 1-0 reverse in the return at Anfield is their only defeat in 18 matches in all competitions dating back to the turn of the year, and Wednesday night’s 2-0 win at Arsenal, in which Diogo Jota scored his 13th Premier League goal of the campaign – a tally bettered only by team-mate Mohamed Salah – took them to within a point of leaders Manchester City.

Like the Reds, Bayern have been crowned European champions on six occasions, most recently in 2020, and their progression to the last 16 from Group E was similarly flawless and yielded 22 goals, nine of them from star striker Robert Lewandowski. The Poland international helped himself to a hat-trick in an 8-2 aggregate win over RB Salzburg in the last 16 which was secured by a 7-1 second-leg victory for the Bundesliga leaders.

Tuesday: Robert Lewandowski hat-trick ⚽️⚽️⚽️

Wednesday: Karim Benzema hat-trick ⚽️⚽️⚽️#UCL

No club has lifted the trophy on more occasions than Real Madrid, and although it is four years since their 13th triumph, their current run of form suggests they are in the mood to