LONDON: Two English clubs stand in the way of a stellar Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid with Kylian Mbappé and his long-time former side Paris St Germain.

Mbappe and Real are at Arsenal on Tuesday for the first leg of their quarter-final. The return game is on April 16.

PSG, fresh from winning the Ligue 1 title with an unbeaten record for coach Luis Enrique, host Aston Villa on Wednesday.

The new Champions League format with a tennis-style seeded knockout bracket set through to the final put those four teams in the same half of the draw.

Real had already won six of the past 11 Champions League titles before adding Mbappe for this season when his contract in Paris expired.

PSG have never been European champions — and reached just one final in seven seasons with Mbappe — yet looked the most impressive team in the round of 16, eliminating Liverpool, the likely champions of England.

The bottom half of the draw has three domestic league leaders and one team struggling in eighth place in the standings.

Bayern Munich host Inter Milan on Tuesday in the stadium that stages the final on May 31.

Barcelona start heavily favorued on Wednesday at home to Borussia Dortmund, who might need to win this Champions League just to get an entry into the next one.

‘BIGGEST NIGHT OF CAREER’

Arsenal have not made it past the Champions League semi-finals since 2009, but manager Mikel Arteta wants his side to write their own history at the Emirates on the “biggest night” of his career as his side continue their hunt for a first crown.

The two sides have met only twice in European competition, in the last 16 of the 2005/06 Champions League where Arsenal came out on top.

“It is 100 percent the biggest night of my career,” Arteta, in charge at the Emirates since 2019, told reporters on Monday. “That’s why I came into football, and that’s why I came into management and especially to this football club.

“It’s been 20 years since we had this type of game and for us, it’s a great opportunity to build our own story and this is what we’re here for. The excitement around the club, the people, and the magnitude of this match. This is the stage we want to be at, and where Arsenal has to be consistently. We are very proud to be there, and now be very ready tomorrow to deliver.

“At 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) tomorrow night, 11 players, 60,000 fans, I am really super-convinced that we are ready to win and to beat them. That’s the mindset that I want.”

LUIS ENRIQUE’S REVOLUTION

For a long time PSG were a collection of superstars, but now under Luis Enrique they are a team with a clear identity and appear stronger as a result of the job done by their Spanish coach.

PSG won a French league and cup double and reached the Champions League semi-finals last season, in Luis Enrique’s first campaign, with Kylian Mbappe scoring 44 goals.

Yet while many wondered how PSG could overcome losing their talisman, Luis Enrique continued to insist the future would be brighter.

PSG’s record since placing 15th in the league phase in January — the lowest of any of the quarter-finalists — is 16 wins in 17 games across all competitions as they welcome another of Europe’s hottest teams: Villa have won seven straight for coach Unai Emery coming into the first game at this stage of the competition for 42 years.

BAYERN’S INJURY CRISIS

Bayern will be missing several key players when they meet Inter in a rematch of the final from 2010 where two goals by Diego Milito helped complete a trophy treble for coach the Italians.

Already without goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defenders Hiroki Ito, Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano, and forward Kingsley Coman, Bayern lost midfielder Jamal Musiala to a thigh injury on the weekend.

“We’re looking forward and expecting the guys who will be playing tomorrow to perform and get the results for us,” Bayern coach Vincent Kom­pany told reporters on Monday.

“We can’t forget that the guys who will play tomorrow have all been part of our journey to where we are now. I don’t want to complain and I don’t want to change our goal or my strategies. My thoughts are only on what can happen if we perform at our best.”

WAVE OF OPTIMISM

Ahead of their showdown with Barca, Dortmund are enjoying a notable shift in momentum.

Back-to-back Bundesliga victories have sparked renewed optimism that last season’s Champions League finalist can not only close the gap domestically but also challenge the La Liga leaders.

“There are a lot of opportunities for us. We have a gigantic chance in the Champions League and can act without any pressure,” said goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2025