Lyon aim to join glory boys

Large leads
Indeed, the French side are yet to savour any sort of glory outside their native France, where they are 13 points clear and on the cusp of a fourth straight Ligue 1 title. Opponents PSV Eindhoven also boast a double-digit advantage, ten points, in the Eredivisie and are similarly destined for domestic success. However, dreams of a second European crown live on after the Dutch team finally reached the last eight of the Champions League at the ninth attempt.

Four wins
Liverpool FC are one of five clubs to have been champions of Europe on four or more occasions and are competing at this stage for the second time since the tournament was revamped. Their last quarter-final appearance was in the 2002 edition when they lost to Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Top table
Their opponents this time around, Juventus FC, are joint-leaders of Serie A along with AC Milan, while Liverpool are the only side of the last eight not in the top three of their league. Should the Reds fail to finish fourth or better in the Premiership, winning this trophy will be their only way back into the European élite next season. uefa.com looks at the form of tonight's four contenders.

Liverpool FC (ENG)
Qualified as: Fourth place in England
Premiership status: Fifth (P31 W15 D5 L11)
Group stage: Group A runners-up (P6 W3 D1 L2)
Round of 16: Beat Bayer 04 Leverkusen 6-2 on aggregate
Best performance: Winners (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984)
2003/04 Champions League: Did not qualify

Manager Rafael Benítez is having a frustrating first term at Liverpool, whose prospects have not been by long-term injuries to Djibril Cissé, Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Xabi Alonso. Milan Baroš has had to shoulder the striking burden with mixed success, while Fernando Morientes is cup-tied. Despite their generally erratic form (although they have won their last two Premiership fixtures) and injury problems, Liverpool are still capable of some excellent football as they showed in their emphatic Round of 16 victory against Leverkusen. Whether they can add to their four European Cups remains to be seen, but they will be no pushovers for Juventus, particularly at Anfield tonight.

Juventus FC (ITA)
Qualified as: Third place in Italy
Serie A status: Joint-top (P29 W20 D6 L3)
Group stage: Group C winners (P6 W5 D1 L0)
Round of 16: Beat Real Madrid CF 2-1 on aggregate (after extra time)
Best performance: Winners (1985, 1996)
2003/04 Champions League: First knockout round (lost 2-0 on aggregate to RC Deportivo La Coruña)

Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved is back from the treatment table for the quarter-finals - which will make Fabio Capello's side even harder to beat than they already are. Vast experience in every position, confidence boosted by knocking Madrid out in the previous round and the tightest defence in Serie A which has conceded just 16 goals in 29 matches suggest Juventus could go all the way this season. As well as having one eye on the Champions League, they are also level pegging with Milan in the Italian title race. They will be determined not to blink first.

Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
Qualified as: French champions
Ligue 1 status: First (P31 W18 D11 L2)
Group stage: Group D winners (P6 W4 D1 L1)
Round of 16: Beat Werder Bremen 10-2 on aggregate
Best performance: Quarter-finals (2004)
2003/04 Champions League: Quarter-finals (lost 4-2 on aggregate to FC Porto)

Lyon's 10-2 aggregate success against German champions Werder Bremen should serve as a warning to anyone bold enough to underestimate coach Paul Le Guen's exciting ensemble. Lyon have scored 27 goals in this Champions League campaign - more than any other team. They might not possess the star names or be accorded the praise their performances so far deserve, but Lyon look a stronger side than AS Monaco FC did last year - and Monaco made it to the final. Lyon, French champions for the first time in 2002, and their fans at least believe this can be doubled up with the European title.

PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Qualified as: Dutch runners-up
Eredivisie status: First (P27 W22 D4 L1)
Group stage: Group E runners-up (P6 W3 D1 L2)
Round of 16: Beat Monaco 3-0 on aggregate
Best performance: Winners (1988)
2003/04 Champions League: Group stage

When PSV won the European Cup in 1988, their team had a solid Dutch base with a sprinkling of foreigners adding attacking flair and defensive strength. But whereas 17 years ago the foreigners were from nearby European countries, PSV's 2005 intake stretches from Brazil to the Korean Republic, from the United States to Peru. Yet what the 1988 side have in common with today's is that Guus Hiddink is coach and would love to reclaim the trophy. One defeat in 27 Eredivisie matches all season, and a battling 2-0 aggregate victory against 2004 runners-up Monaco, should have given PSV the confidence to go further.