A look at this week's Champions League quarter final match-ups

After patiently waiting for a month, the Champions League is back on! Eight teams are left since the start of the competition in June, keeping football fans on edge and ready for 90 minutes of thrilling football.

The Champions League is one of the world's most renowned football competitions for its unique structure and challenging nature. The competition was formed in Paris in 1955, originally named the European Champions Club’s Cup, also known as the European Cup.

In its present format, the Champions League begins in late June with preliminary elimination rounds. Six surviving teams will later enter the group stages, joining 26 teams that qualified in advance. There is a total of 32 teams drawn into eight groups of four, later the eight runners-up proceed to the knockout phase until the final match in May.

Starting off on Tuesday, April 11th, we will have two nail-biting fixtures between Benfica vs. Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan) and Manchester City vs. Bayern Munich. On Wednesday, April 12th, Real Madrid vs. Chelsea and AC Milan vs. Napoli. All games are scheduled to start at 9 pm CEST (8pm BST).

Sport Lisboa e Benfica, commonly known as Benfica, is a professional football club based in Lisbon, Portugal. The club was founded in 1904 and is known as one of Portugal's “big three”. They stand first in the ‘Primeira Liga’ (Portuguese national league) and have displayed a series of talents over the years. Great talents include Joao Felix, David Luiz, Angel Di Maria, and Ruben Diaz.

F.C. Internazionale Milano, also known as Inter Milan, is a professional football club based in Milan, Italy. The club was founded in 1908 and is considered one of Europe's giant clubs. This current season, Inter has been less consistent with their results on the pitch which caused them to drop down to 5th behind their derby rivals A.C. Milan. The Italian team did well in their Champions League run, knocking out Oporto last month.

When looking at the betting houses, bookies are leaning towards Benfica due to their excellent form in recent games compared to Inter Milan. Benfica 6/5 and Inter Milan 11/4. The Portuguese team will have to capitalize on its home advantage and give it its best shot to remedy the return game in San Siro.

Manchester City Football Club is one of England's giant clubs, known for its innovative football and financial superiority. The club was founded in 1880 and began competing in top-tier British football in 1892. The ‘Citizens’ has enjoyed a remarkable transformation under Guardiola and is a clear contender for the Champions League final. Haaland has his eyes set on Bayern Munich, and will be looking to tap a couple into the net!

Bayern Munich was founded in 1900 by Franz John and since then, the German club is one of the most successful football clubs in the world. Bayern is the most successful club in Germain football history, having won a total of 32 national titles! The German giant has won 10 consecutively titles since 2013, making them one of Europe's most efficient winners.

The Bavarians have been under some pressure the past couple of months after former coach Julian Nagelsmann went on a witch hunt for an alleged mole in the dressing room. As such, the German side looked had been looking shaky in recent weeks, having dropped to the number two spot in the Bundesliga, but have just moved back into the top – highlighting their resilience going into this match up.

This match-up is arguably one of the most exciting fixtures this year. The clash of two major football entities is always a spectacle! The bookies are leaning towards Manchester City offering 3/4 in comparison to Munich’s 7/2. The game is set to kick off at 9:00 pm CEST.

The Spanish football giant was founded in 1902, with the honorific title ‘real’ as for “royal”, a title bestowed to the club by the Kind Alfonso XIII in 1920. The great whites are currently the kings of the Champions League, being the only club to win 14 Champions League titles. Everyone knows when April and May come along, Real Madrid mutates into a football monster, becoming unstoppable.

The ‘Blues’ is one of London's most renowned teams, dating back to 1905. Chelsea is currently experiencing a turbulent journey this season. The current situation at the club is rather fragile.

The club is transitioning after Graham Potter was sacked in early April, but need to put on a solid performance at the Bernabeu if they want to stay alive in the Champions League. Chelsea has resigned Lampard as their 5th coach in four years, hoping he can steer the team back in the right direction.

Both clubs have plenty of experience in the Champions League and have proven to be worthy contenders. Last year, both clubs also met in the quarter-finals, where Real Madrid passed on to the next round after a frenetic set of games. The bookies are leaning towards Real Madrid at 7/10 in comparison to Chelsea’s 5/6 odds. Both teams have great talent, and the match will probably deliver some fantastic football.

A.C. Milan, also commonly known as Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy. The club was founded in 1899, making it one of the oldest football clubs in Europe. The Italian club experienced a golden era during the 2000s, with top talents like Cafu, Pirlo, Gattuso, and Kaka. Milan competes in top-tier competitions but fails every year to achieve competitive results. They currently stand in 4th place in Serie A.

‘Societa Sportiva Calcio Napoli’, commonly referred to as Napoli is an Italian club based in Naples and plays for top-flight Italian football. The club was formed in 1926 following a merger of two local clubs. During the last decade, Napoli has climbed up in the ranks and has proven to be a leading Seria A team. Napoli currently stands 1st in the league with 74 points, holding a comfortable lead over second-place Lazio.

Milan will have to hold down San Siro like a fortress and hope Napoli has an off-day. Napli has been one of the most critical finishers in the Italian league scoring a total of 66 goals so far this season. It will be a thrilling match for sure!