English interest in the Champions League may have come to an abrupt halt, but that won't detract much from the sense of anticipation ahead of tonight's first two quarter-finals.
While Juventus host Monaco in Turin, the neutral fan will be taking a keener interest in events in Madrid where Atletico welcome Real to the Vicente Calderon.
The local derby is a re-run of last season's Champions League final when Real triumphed 4-1 in extra-time to claim their tenth European crown. Since then, however, the sides have met six times and Atletico have dominated, triumphing over two legs to win the Spanish Super Cup, twice beating Real in La Liga, including a 4-0 thrashing in February, and dumping the Galaticos out of the King's Cup over two matches.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
So while Real right-back Dani Carvajal might have told the press on Monday that tonight's quarter-final clash is an "opportunity for revenge" for Atletico, the truth is that it's yet another opportunity for the city's less glamorous club to further embarrass Real.
The champions are sure to raise their game, however, as they chase a record-extending 11th European crown.
"It's a special objective we are aiming for, to win the Champions League again," confirmed Carvajal. "But first we have to take it step by step, play the first leg of the quarter-final at the Vicente Calderon, and try to get a good result to take into the home return."
At least there's one Briton still in Europe: Real Madrid midfielder Gareth Bale is expected to line-up against Atletico despite having failed to hit the heights this season that he did in his first year in Spain. The Welshman scored in the Champions League final win, and also found the net when Real beat Barcelona in the King's Cup final, but he's found goals hard to come by of late.
That's prompted criticism in some quarters from Real fans, with one attacking his car last month after the league defeat to Barcelona. But Real manager Carlo Ancelotti is confident Bale will come good in the business end of the season.
"Bale had a fantastic season last term and scored in both finals," said Ancelotti. "We hope to play more finals over the coming months and he will be important, like last year."
Asked how Real will approach tonight's game, Ancelotti replied: "We have to use our individual quality and all our weapons to play a game with speed and pace in attack." And he warned Atletico fans not to read too much into February's 4-0 league romp. "We come into this match in good shape," explained Ancelotti. "It's nothing like February. We're fresh and we can play with intensity and at a high tempo."
