There are only eight teams left in the running. The draw for the Europa League, Friday March 15 (1 p.m.) in Nyon (Switzerland), follows that of the Champions League, which allowed PSG to know its destiny in the quarter-finals (first leg April 9-10 , return match April 16-17) which will pass by FC Barcelona with the first match at the Parc des Princes.
In the Europa League, there too, it will be a little moment of history since OM will challenge Benfica, but with a first leg in Portugal and the return to the Vélodrome. Finally, the last French representative, Lille, will be opposed to one of the big names in the Europa Conference League, Aston Villa, the return match will be played in Villeneuve-d’Ascq.
The reunion between PSG and FC Barcelona in the Champions League
PSG facing FC Barcelona feels like déjà vu. A first leg at the Parc des Princes, the return to the Camp Nou inevitably brings to mind the famous “remontada”, which left so many traces in Parisian minds. But seven years have passed, the players have changed, and so have the dynamics. By inheriting the Catalan club in the quarter-finals, Paris was rather varnished during this draw, especially with a rather lenient road to the final.
Real Madrid-Manchester City, the huge shock
The reigning European champion facing the record holder for victories in the competition. This is what this quarter-final offers, which promises a lot, with magnificent duels in all positions (Pep Guardiola-Carlo Ancelotti on the bench, Erling Haaland-Vinicius Jr in attack…). This is the fourth time in the last five seasons that the two clubs have faced each other in the elimination phase.
OM against Benfica, Lille against Aston Villa
The day after their qualification for the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the Europa Conference League respectively, Marseille and Lille saw their destiny materialize. OM will face Benfica in the quarter-finals, before challenging, in the event of qualification, the winner of the match between Liverpool and Atalanta, the first leg taking place in Marseille. Losc took out the big team from the quarter-finals, Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League. If the Northerners were to win, they would play the winner of the match between Olympiakos and Fenerbahçe in the semi-final.