Looking at the field for the last eight in the UEFA Women's Champions League, it was obvious there would be no easy route to the final for any of those still in the competition, but some may still feel that they got the short end of the straw.
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So let's break down the ties, the key players in each and pick who might advance.
The quarter final first legs will be played over 21-22 March and second legs over 29-30 March.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Wolfsburg
Wobbling all season under new coach Gérard Prêcheur, we have yet to see the sumptuous football of seasons past from PSG as they continue to fine-tune their attacking line. Having signed the dynamic forward Amalie Vangsgaard off the back of the most profitable season of her career -- 22 goals in 25 games for Swedish side Linkoping -- the Parisiennes have time to work on finding the rhythm with the Dane leading the line in hopes of putting up a good fight against their German opponents.
Conversely, Wolfsburg have rarely faltered this season, using their attacking might to dictate games both domestically and in Europe... except for their 1-1 draw in Rome during the group stage of this competition. A team stack from top to bottom with goalscorers, the biggest challenge any opposition face is keeping the Wolves out -- with the likes of Ewa Pajor, the Polish attacking sensation, in plumb form, the PSG defence may not prove strong enough. However, they're more than just a forward line: expect Wolfsburg midfielder Lena Oberdorf, whom many will remember impressing at the Euros, is likely to drop a little deeper to disrupt the French attack to stop the flow of the ball to Kadidiatou Diani.
Wolfsburg, a former Champions League winner that's repeatedly come undone against PSG's league rivals, Lyon, will feel confident they've got what it takes to get to the last four and are the favourites for the tie.
Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal
The prize for the winners of the first quarterfinal is a date with Bayern or Arsenal in the final four. What a prize.
Far removed from the team who went to the Parc OL and thumped five goals past Lyon back in October, Arsenal's biggest struggle in the last month has been converting their chances. Indeed, despite all the players they have who are capable of finding the net, Arsenal have struggled for fluency and stumbled when it's come to taking their chances. (It's also been difficult to weather the long-term injuries to Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema.) The good news for the once UEFA Women's Cup (the precursor to the UWCL) winners is they have six weeks to get their new attacking signings -- midfielder Victoria Pelova, forward Kathrine Moller-Kuhl -- on the same page and scoring before facing off against the Bavarians.
As they're still adjusting to how Alexander Straus wants them to play, we've seen the good, the bad and the less-than-beautiful from Bayern this season, but the Bavarians have routinely found a way to get the better of any opponent. Even after being humbled by Barcelona at the Camp Nou, the Frauen-Bundesliga team recalibrated for the home leg and served the Catalans a rare loss at the Allianz Arena. It's this strength in adaptability and understanding of the players that's given Straus such firm footing at Munich and with Sarah Zadrazil neutralising the Arsenal midfield, there will be room for the likes of Klara Bühl and Lea Schüller to shine in front of goal.
On current form, Munich look like the sure winners, thereby teeing up a semi against Wolfsburg.
Chelsea vs. Lyon
In European competition, Chelsea have come a long way from the team that could never seem to avoid Wolfsburg, crashing out to the Germans almost every time they met.
Since dispatching with the current German champions en route to their first final in 2020-21, Chelsea haven't quite kicked on as some would have hoped, failing to make it out of the group stage last season -- having lost to Wolfsburg, among other things -- and this season they've get to really hit top form in Europe. In flying form, Guro Reiten and Erin Cuthbert will again need to put in big performances for the Blues if they're to get through.
A shambles against Arsenal, Lyon have once again found stability, benefiting from a raft of players returning from injury with another couple of key attackers on the horizon. Suffering not just a historic loss at home to Arsenal but struggling against Juventus as well, Lyon -- staring down an infamously bad Champions League campaign -- dragged themselves out of the group stage and will be determined to show their better football after their near miss.
The combination of proving themselves as a force to be reckoned with and the key players returning to the matchday teams -- notably midfield maestro, Dzsenifer Marozsán -- may possibly just tip this tie in the favour of the current champions, but it is too close to call with any confidence.
AS Roma vs. Barcelona
In their debut Champions League season, Roma have been one of the surprises of the competition, but having hit the ground running this season under manager Alessandro Spugna, the team has simply done in Europe what it's done in Serie A. The particularly exciting brand of attacking football has seen the Giallorosse build a strong lead in Italy as well as delighting in the group stage, with attackers Valentina Giacinti and Benedetta Glionna delighting at every turn as well as Norwegian veteran, Emilie Haavi, enjoying one of the best spells of her career in Rome.
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Had they drawn any team other than the unrelenting former champions, Roma could have pulled off yet another surprise this season, however the tie looks to be a hurdle they will not make it over, not least in their first season in the competition.
Since losing the Champions League final last season, Barcelona have lost just one competitive game: away to Bayern Munich in December. Preaching the Barcelona style of football once the team fall into step, they are near impossible to beat thanks to midfielders like Aitana Bonmatí, Patri Guijarro and Clàudia Pina, who balance the entire team out and allow them to control matches without breaking a sweat.
Against a Roma team forging new ground and likely to suddenly feel the pressure of their first ever UWCL knock-out games, it's hard to see an upset on the cards; instead, it's much more likely we'll see two attacking masterclasses that highlight their collective prowess.