Champions League quarterfinal draw preview: Who are the best possible opponents for Bayern Munich? (Updated)

Bayern Munich are through to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, which means that we once again get to speculate on who the Bavarians will face in the upcoming rounds of Europe’s premier club competition.

When the draw takes place on Friday, we won’t just find out who our next opponents will be, but the whole bracket — quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final. Therefore, it’s time to have some fun discussing who the best and worst possible matchups for Bayern Munich would be, before they become set in stone.

In part one of our draw preview series, we cover the best possible draws. Before you continue, you should also check out our newest podcast episode, which covers this topic in much more detail, including a breakdown of each and every team left in the competition. Listen to it below or on Spotify.

Without further ado, here are the three best possible opponents for Bayern — as it stands.

Option #1: Borussia Dortmund

Assuming they qualify for the next round, BVB would probably be Bayern’s best potential matchup left in the Champions League. Despite mounting a title challenge last season, Edin Terzic’s side are no real match for Bayern Munich on paper, and recent head to head results between the two teams bear this out.

From Thomas Tuchel’s perspective, Borussia Dortmund seem to be the only team he can consistently beat without breaking a sweat. He’d probably appreciate being drawn against them, so he can put his feet up and let his team do its thing.

Of course, BVB could still crash out of the competition before they even make it to the quarters, which would see PSV Eindhoven replace them in Europe’s final eight. Eindhoven are in almost the same boat — they’re a team that Bayern Munich overwhelmingly outclass — but they have a greater surprise factor that would make them a more challenging opponent, should they knock out BVB.

Update: A couple of days after this story was published, Borussia Dortmund beat PSV 3-1 on aggregate to advance to the QFs.

Option #2: FC Barcelona

Another team that has yet to qualify for the QFs, FC Barcelona are probably one loss away from filing a restraining order against Bayern Munich.

Since 2020, the aggregate scoreline between the two FCBs reads 19-2 in 5 games, an average of over three goals a game, which includes the infamous 8-2 scoreline that has become the stuff of football legend.

In fact, Barca have an abysmally poor overall head to head record vs Bayern, only winning twice in their entire history, and being on the end of some incredibly humiliating defeats. With Pedri and Frenkie de Jong currently injured, the Catalans have an uphill battle to qualify to the quarters — should they make it that far, their journey will almost certainly end there.

Of course, Napoli could take Barca’s place, which would see them replace the Catalans in this part of our hypothetical ranking. This current Napoli team are nowhere near the one that won Serie A last season, and they sit only two points above Lazio (Bayern’s Ro16 opponents) in the domestic league table. While they have threatening players like Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bayern Munich would still be considered favorites in a tie pitting these two teams against each other.

Update: A day after this story was published, FC Barcelona beat Napoli 4-2 on aggregate to advance to the QFs.

Option #3: FC Porto

Porto are a tough team to place, since they’re not even 1st in their domestic league this season. Yet, they currently lead EPL leaders Arsenal FC 1-0 on aggregate. Arsenal are likely to overturn the deficit in the second leg, but assuming that they can’t — Porto would probably be the third best team for Bayern to face in the CL quarterfinals.

This is not to underestimate FC Porto. Any team that can make it to the last eight deserves their due respect. As we saw with Lazio, it doesn’t take much to knock this Bayern team off balance. While the Bavarians would still be considered overwhelming favorites, the Portuguese giants would surely make it a hard-fought tie.

Update: A day after this story was published, Arsenal beat Porto on penalties to advance to the QFs.

Honorable mention: Paris Saint-Germain

Are PSG good? Yes. Are PSG great? Ehhhh.

They certainly made short work of Real Sociedad in the Ro16, but that doesn’t tell us anything. They are definitely a tougher draw than the other teams listed above, but probably not as tough as some of the sides we’ll cover in the second part of this preview.

PSG are a “could be worse” type of draw. You don’t want to face them, but you can’t complain if you do. After all, this IS the Champions League we’re talking about.