What to look out for in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second legs

The reverse fixtures of Wednesday UEFA Champions League quarter-finals produced ten goals and almost as many topics for discussion with both ties still very much hanging in the balance.

UEFA.com picks out some key talking points ahead of the second set of second legs in European football's premier club competition.

Will Bayern thrive in adversity against Arsenal?

With Alphonso Davies suspended and Serge Gnabry seemingly out through injury, Bayern's left-side understudies may have their work cut out to contain Ben White and Bukayo Saka, who were quite the combination in the 2-2 first-leg draw in London. Will Raphaël Guerreiro and Kingsley Coman be the men called on to cover?

Bayern have had a challenging campaign domestically, yet have saved some of their best performances for the Champions League. Harry Kane has hogged the headlines, but team-mate Thomas Müller might be the centre of attention in Munich as he aspires to make his 150th appearance in the world's top club competition. Manuel Neuer is also aiming for a unique distinction: his next clean sheet in the competition would be a record-breaking 58th.

Man City and Madrid poised for another classic?

After a pulsating 3-3 first-leg draw, the return fixture has plenty to live up to. In last season's semi-finals, City drew 1-1 at Madrid then won 4-0 at home, and they have plenty of other positive omens: they have scored three goals in each of their nine Champions League games so far this season; have lost just one of their last 13 UEFA competition matches against Spanish opponents (W8 D4); and have a concealed weapon in Bernardo Silva, who has netted four times in City's last five games against Madrid.

However, Pep Guardiola is unlikely to take much comfort from statistics; in his post-match press conference, he said he expected Madrid to score at least once, and admitted that Carlo Ancelotti's decision to move Rodrygo to the left wing in the first leg had him scratching his head for a while. "I think we might have caught City out with that idea," said Ancelotti; does he have another tactical trump card to play in Manchester?

Further ahead

• The semi-final draw has already been made with the match schedule to be communicated on Thursday 18 April.
• Semi-final ties: Atlético de Madrid / Dortmund vs Paris / Barcelona, Arsenal / Bayern vs Real Madrid / Manchester City

Where is the Champions League final being played?

UEFA via Getty Images

The 2023/24 Champions League final will take place at Wembley Stadium in London on 1 June 2024.