UEFA Champions League quarter-finals: What to look out for in Wednesday's first legs

Paris and Barcelona will look to press home advantage as the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals continue.

UEFA.com previews all the action ahead of the remaining first legs on Wednesday 9 April.

All kick-off times are 21:00 CET.

Wednesday 9 April

Paris vs Aston Villa

After eliminating Liverpool on penalties at Anfield – a game which beaten coach Arne Slot admitted was "the best game of football I have ever been involved in" – Luis Enrique's Paris have the look of Champions League contenders. They will aim to underline that point in their first ever meeting with Aston Villa, who are a good distance behind Liverpool in the Premier League table but a formidable side on their day. "We’re in the quarter-finals and need to be ready for another difficult tie," said captain Marquinhos.

While Villa have never been to Paris before, their manager Unai Emery will be able to show them around Parc des Princes, having been in charge of the French club from 2016-18, winning a league title, two French Cups and two League Cups. Villa have lost in France already this season (1-0 at Monaco in the league phase) but the Champions League debutants continue to relish their European nights. "We are already looking ahead to Paris," defender Ian Maatsen said after their round of 16 success against Club Brugge. "They are a great team with great players, and we will have full respect for them. We're a great team too, though, so they will have to respect us, too."

Did you know: European Cup winners in 1982, Villa's last quarter-final in the world's top club competition was in 1983, when they lost 5-2 on aggregate to Juventus – their last games at Europe's top table for 41 years.

Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund

"We played well but lost to a very, very good team," said Dortmund midfielder Giovanni Reyna after his side lost 3-2 at home to Barcelona in this season's league phase. Some things have changed since that fixture in December, not least BVB coach Nuri Şahin making way for new boss Niko Kovač, who knows his opposite number Hansi Flick rather well from their time together at Bayern in 2018/19. "He was my assistant," remembered Kovač. "And now we're competing against each other."

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski knows Dortmund well – having played for the club from 2014-18, he regularly returned to haunt them during his subsequent spell at Bayern. However, the Polish international has been slightly overshadowed by team-mate Raphinha in this season's competition; the Brazilian is the top scorer in the 2024/25 Champions League with 11 goals; Lewandowski has hit nine, one fewer than Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy.

Did you know: Dortmund have yet to win in five games against the Blaugrana (D2 L3).

Where is the 2025 UEFA Champions League final being played?

UEFA via Getty Images

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League final will take place at the Munich Football Arena on 31 May.