With Real Madrid facing Juventus and Manchester City taking on Liverpool, there is hardly a weak link in the last eight in a way the old competition rarely achieved
Few are likely to complain about Uefa abandoning the principle of players moving between Champions League clubs in January being cup‑tied for the rest of the season – the transfer window itself already does quite a good job of keeping the leading contenders honest – though it was interesting to read in the small print the justification for the change.
In reality, it probably had something to do with Philippe Coutinho having to sit out the rest of Barcelona’s Champions League programme because some months ago he had appeared in earlier rounds for Liverpool, though this is what Uefa actually said: “A club may register up to three new eligible players without restrictions. This is in line with the existing regulatory situation in the different domestic leagues, which does not impose restrictions on eligibility for players registered for a new club during the winter transfer window.”
Related: Champions League quarter-finals: tie-by-tie analysis
Related: Champions League is for the elite few – and Uefa will struggle to change it | David Conn
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