The UEFA Champions League quarterfinals will come to a close this week as the tournament continues moving toward the May 28 final at the Stade de France, just outside Paris.
After an entertaining Round of 16 featuring Real Madrid's comeback win over PSG, Atletico Madrid knocking out Manchester United, and Benfica shocking Ajax, the knockout drama has continued into the quarterfinals.
By April 13 we'll know all four semifinalists of the competition and the matchups that are in store for the semifinals. Those pairings were already established before the quarterfinals kicked off. When UEFA conducted the Champions League quarterfinal draw, it also held the semifinal draw to establish the bracket all the way through to the final.
Depending on the quarterfinal results, the bracket could gift fans a rematch of last year's final with Manchester City and Chelsea on track to face each other once again, this time at the semifinal stage. But Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid is also a semifinal option.
There are teams from four different nations on the other side of the bracket with Liverpool and Bayern Munich projected to meet in the other semifinal. Benfica and Villarreal will be looking to spring the upset.
These are the eight possible semifinals we could see in the next round:
Semifinal #1
- Manchester City vs. Chelsea
- Manchester City vs. Real Madrid
- Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid
- Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea
Semifinal #2
- Liverpool vs. Villarreal
- Liverpool vs. Bayern Munich
- Benfica vs. Villarreal
- Benfica vs. Bayern Munich
Champions League semifinal dates and times
Both legs of the Champions League semifinals will be held over the span of a week between the end of April and the start of May.
UEFA has yet to determine which match which will played on Tuesday and which will be held on Wednesday.
1st Legs
| Date | Match | Time (ET) |
| April 26-27 | Benfica/Liverpool vs. Villarreal/Bayern Munich | 3 p.m. |
| April 26-27 | Man City/Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea/Real Madrid | 3 p.m. |
2nd Legs
| Date | Match | Time (ET) |
| May 3-4 | Villarreal/Bayern Munich vs. Benfica/Liverpool | 3 p.m. |
| May 3-4 | Chelsea/Real Madrid vs. Man City/Atletico Madrid | 3 p.m. |
Home teams for Champions League semifinals
The last UEFA Champions League draw of the season previously determined the home team for the first leg and second leg of the semifinals.
Semifinal #1
The winners of the Manchester City vs. Atletico Madrid will get to host the first match on April 26-27. The second leg will be held at the Santiago Bernabeu (Real Madrid) or Stamford Bridge (Chelsea), and that's where one of the two finalists will celebrate their qualification to the final.
Semifinal #2
The other semifinal will kick off at Anfield (Liverpool) or the Estadio da Luz (Benfica) in Lisbon, Portugal. That guarantees that the second leg will take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich, or the the Estadio de la Ceramica in Villarreal, Spain.
If Liverpool go head-to-head with Bayern Munich it would mark a repeat of the Round of 16 clash from the 2018-19 season. During that series, after a 0-0 draw at Anfield, Liverpool exploded for a 3-1 road result in Munich with two of the goals scored by Sadio Mane.
Plot the road to the final by picking the winner of each tie 👇#UCL
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 2, 2022
Premier League clubs in Champions League semifinals
In recent years, English sides have been a force in Europe; Liverpool and Chelsea have both won the competition (2019 and 2021) and have regularly featured in the latter stages. On both occasions, they faced another English side, with Chelsea beating Manchester City and Liverpool triumphant over Tottenham.
Manchester City under Pep Guardiola have been a regular presence in the late stages in recent years, but haven't been able to conquer to competition as of yet. They've lost out to Liverpool, Lyon and Tottenham in the knockout stages in recent years, as City hunt for their first Champions League trophy.
Liverpool and Tottenham played out two of the greatest semifinal matches of all time in the 2018-19 season, as Liverpool came back from the brink against Barcelona, overturning a 3-0 deficit at Anfield. Tottenham scored three second half goals, including a 96th minute winner to overcome Ajax in Amsterdam.
If all three remaining English clubs move on to the Champions League semifinals, it will be the first time that three sides from England have been in the semi-finals since the 2007-08 season when Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea achieved the feat.
| Season | Total English clubs in semis | English semifinalists |
| 2020-21 | 2 | Chelsea, Manchester City |
| 2019-20 | 1 | Manchester City |
| 2018-19 | 2 | Liverpool, Tottenham |
| 2017-18 | 1 | Liverpool |
| 2016-17 | — | — |
| 2015-16 | 1 | Manchester City |
| 2014-15 | — | — |
| 2013-14 | 1 | Chelsea |
| 2012-13 | — | — |
| 2011-12 | 1 | Chelsea |