Hasan Salihamidzic believes Bayern Munich will be ready to face Manchester City after being paired with the "strongest possible opponent" in Friday's Champions League quarter-final draw.

City recovered from a shaky first leg against RB Leipzig to thump them 7-0 at home and secure their place in the last eight with an 8-1 aggregate victory.

Bayern, meanwhile, impressively eased past French champions Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 on aggregate to set them up for a tie against City which will see Pep Guardiola return to the club he coached between 2013 and 2016.

Bayern sporting director Salihamidzic is relishing the opportunity to face off against one of the favourites, telling reporters: "I like playing against the good teams.

"Our boys are very focused and this is a top tie. It's a tough opponent, the strongest possible in my opinion.

"So this is another little final. After Paris, this is again a group we have to play that has a lot of quality.

"They won very convincingly against Leipzig. We will see Pep Guardiola again and I'm looking forward to the games."

Prolific striker Erling Haaland has scored 39 goals in all competitions since signing for City, including five against Leipzig in City's second-leg rout on Tuesday.

But while Salihamidzic acknowledged the quality Haaland and City possess, he has confidence in his team's defence to hold up against such a formidable attacking force.

"Haaland is one of the best strikers in the world," Salihamidzic added. "He does it very, very well.

"But we defended very well against Paris. I believe that we perform best against the best teams.

"These are also the highlights of the season for the fans. This is a top pairing. I'm looking forward to it."

Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn feels games against the likes of City are a great litmus test for whether the Bavarian side have what it takes to go on and lift their seventh Champions League.

Like Salihamidzic, he appeared to be relishing the challenge.

"Manchester City are an absolute top team, but we are Bayern Munich," Kahn said.

"We must and will be ready for this big opponent. If you want to win the Champions League, you have to beat the best.

"That's the challenge - and we're happy to take it on."

Manchester City's bid to finally win the Champions League will take Pep Guardiola to former club Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

City have not faced Bayern since Guardiola left the Bundesliga giants for the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola was twice drawn into the same group as City while Bayern coach.

Guardiola and City have repeatedly come up short in European competition despite dominating domestic competitions in England.

They could scarcely have been handed a tougher test this time, taking on a Bayern side who eliminated Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16. The second leg will be played in Germany, too.

It will not get any easier for City if they advance through to the semi-finals either, with reigning European champions Real Madrid potentially in their path.

The semi-final draw, which was also conducted on Friday, pitted the winners of the City-Bayern tie against either Madrid or Chelsea.

Madrid dramatically beat Chelsea in the quarter-finals last season en route to a 14th European crown.

The other side of the draw is wide open and includes a mouthwatering all-Italian tie between Serie A frontrunners Napoli and last year's Scudetto winners Milan.

There could then be another all-Italian match-up in the last four, with Milan's rivals Inter facing Benfica for the opportunity to take on one of their Serie A foes.

Champions League quarter-final draw in full:

Real Madrid v Chelsea
Benfica v Inter
Manchester City v Bayern Munich
Milan v Napoli

It wasn't too long ago that it all looked rather bleak for Graham Potter.

Chelsea had splashed the cash in January, breaking the Premier League's record transfer fee and handing out seven and eight-year deals to some of Europe's hottest prospects.

Yet that expenditure did not have the desired immediate effect, with the Blues managing just one victory between the start of January and the end of February.

March, however, has heralded the shoots of recovery, and while Chelsea remain 10th in the top flight ahead of hosting relegation-threatened Everton on Saturday, they have won their last three games, which included progressing past Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

The pressure seems to have eased on Potter, and Chelsea will now focus on securing a European place for next season – which, given their extraordinary spend, will be the least Todd Boehly and Co. will expect.

But just how are each of Chelsea's mid-season additions getting on?

Benoit Badiashile (Grade: B)

The first through the door at Stamford Bridge in January, Badiashile arrived from Monaco in a deal reportedly in the region of €38million (£33.7m).

A powerful, left-sided centre-back, Badiashile was a regular for Monaco and at 21, still has a long career ahead of him. He has made seven league appearances since his switch to England, starting six of those games, though he was not included in the Blues' Champions League squad.

Joao Felix (Grade: B)

Joao Felix's relationship with Diego Simeone had reportedly becoming strained over the first half of the season, and Atletico Madrid's record signing has been given a chance to rediscover his spark in England.

Whether or not this loan deal will be made permanent remains to be seen, but the Portugal forward has certainly shown flashes of his immense talent, even if that has not always turned into goals. A promising debut was marred by a red card after a reckless challenge on Fulham's Kenny Tete, which saw Joao Felix banned for three matches, but he has made eight appearances since he returned, starting each one.

Only Kai Havertz has registered more expected goals (xG) than Joao Felix's 3.83 in Chelsea's squad in that time, and the data shows the former Benfica prodigy has been unfortunate with his finishing, scoring once from an expected goals on target (xGOT) figure of 2.95. Essentially, based on the quality of his attempts, he would be anticipated to be on three goals already, while he has also hit the woodwork on three occasions.

David Datro Fofana (Grade: C)

For all Chelsea's business, they did not sign an out-and-out proven striker in the January window. Fofana is arguably the best fit for the position of the players they brought in, but the 20-year-old Ivory Coast international is extremely raw.

Fofana scored 15 Eliteserien goals in 2022 for Molde, but the Premier League is a world away than Norway's top tier. He has made three appearances for the Blues, one in the FA Cup and two in the league. His only start did not go according to plan, however, as he was taken off at half-time in a 1-0 home loss to lowly Southampton. Fofana played two key passes and also managed two shots, but he has not played a senior game since that defeat on February 18. 

Andrey Santos (Grade: N/A)

Another one for the future, Santos has just turned 18. He's back playing on loan for Vasco da Gama in Brazil, where he came through the ranks and made his debut at the age of 16.

Mykhaylo Mudryk (Grade: C)

Chelsea won the tussle for Ukraine international Mudryk, getting one over on league leaders Arsenal in the process. However, paying a fee that could reach £89m (€100m) means the expectations are sky-high.

An impressive cameo against Liverpool was followed up by a start against Fulham, yet the 22-year-old was subbed off at half-time having failed to have a shot, create a chance or attempt a cross.

Mudryk has been in and out of Potter's starting XI and is yet to score, though he did provide his first assist with a header back to Mateo Kovacic in a 3-1 win over Leicester City last week. Chelsea fans will have to be patient but there's a reason the winger was so highly sought after while at Shakhtar Donetsk.

Noni Madueke (Grade: C)

Just five days after Mudryk's arrival, Chelsea decided to sign another winger. Madueke had seemed set to fill the Cody Gakpo void at PSV following the Netherlands international's move to Liverpool, yet the Blues decided they needed to bolster their forward options.

Like Badiashile and Fofana, Madueke was not listed in Chelsea's Champions League squad, so he is only an option in the Premier League for now. He has made four appearances and two starts, creating five goalscoring opportunities.

Madueke has plenty of potential but it does seem he might have been better served staying at PSV for more game time.

Malo Gusto (Grade: N/A)

Like Santos, full-back Gusto is back on loan at the club he was signed from, Lyon, who Chelsea paid a reported £26m (€29.7m) towards the end of the transfer window. The 19-year-old was a regular in Ligue 1 until sustaining a thigh muscle injury in early February, and he is yet to return to action.

Enzo Fernandez (Grade: B+)

The cherry on top of Chelsea's hugely expensive cake came on deadline day, as they smashed the British transfer record to sign World Cup-winning midfielder Fernandez from Benfica for a cool £106.7m (€120m).

Fernandez was crucial to Argentina's success in Qatar but only had half a season in Europe under his belt, with the 22-year-old having only joined Benfica from River Plate last year.

He has started all eight of the matches he has been available for and has shown some excellence in possession – a sublime cross for Joao Felix against West Ham and an exquisite, chipped pass for Kai Havertz to latch onto against Leicester have both resulted in assists.

Fernandez has already attempted 264 more passes than any other Chelsea player since his debut (623) and has been involved in the most open play shot-ending sequences (24), while his 96 duels and 44 duels won are also team-highs in that time. 

A goal has so far evaded Fernandez and Karim Adeyemi got the better of him too easily for Dortmund's winner in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie last month, but it's been a strong start.

Virgil van Dijk highlighted the importance of Champions League football for Liverpool in their bid to improve the squad for next season.

Jurgen Klopp's side suffered elimination from Europe's elite competition with a resounding 6-2 aggregate defeat against Real Madrid in the last 16.

Sitting six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham in the Premier League with a game in hand over the north London side, Liverpool face a fight to secure their spot in next season's competition.

Significant departures may also be on the cards, with Roberto Firmino already announcing he will leave upon the expiration of his contract, and Van Dijk understands being able to offer Champions League football may be crucial in the hunt for new additions.

"Obviously, players are going to leave. That's been announced, so, if we want to be where we have been the last five years, we need quality imports, especially with those players leaving," he told reporters.

"Everyone knows that's going to be very difficult. It is going to be very difficult to find the right players, but the club has to do their job in this case.

"We still have a lot of games to play and we want to be in the Champions League. I think that will also help to attract the best players in the world. Not all the time but it will definitely help."

Due to Fulham's involvement in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Liverpool are not in Premier League action this weekend and have plenty of time to prepare for a crucial run of fixtures.

Following the upcoming international break, Liverpool face back-to-back away matches against Manchester City and Chelsea before welcoming league leaders Arsenal to Anfield in a stretch that could define their season.

"It's going to be very defining and that's something we all know," Van Dijk added.

"It's been a season where we can't find the consistency that we have had for the last few years, but we need to get it back.

"It sounds very simple but it's the most difficult part of football. The most difficult part of being a footballer is to stay consistent in each and every game.

"We will give it absolutely everything because I want to play in the Champions League, we all want to play in the Champions League. The fans want to play in the Champions League.

"We are the players on the pitch, we have to perform, and we have to show it, but we need also our fans. They have stuck with us in the good times, and we need them probably even more in this time. We will fight."

Luciano Spalletti has pushed back on Pep Guardiola's claim Napoli are the best team in Europe right now, claiming the comments are "a game to build us up, so they can knock us down".

The Partenopei booked their first appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals after a comfortable 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the last-16 second leg.

With an 18-point lead at the summit of Serie A to boot, Spalletti's side seem primed for silverware regardless, and City boss Guardiola suggested they are the team to beat.

Spalletti, however, feels the Catalan coach is only saying as much in order to take the advantage in the mental tussle ahead of Friday's last-eight draw, with both teams in the mix to meet.

"I don't feel proud, I don't feel anything," he told Amazon Prime Italia. "I know this game that everyone does to put pressure on the others.

"Are we putting Napoli in front of Manchester City? If they can spend €900m compared to our €9m, there must be a reason. It's a game to build us up, so they can knock us down."

City booked their place in the quarter-finals with a ruthless result of their own, notching a 7-0 second leg victory over RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

Napoli meanwhile join rivals Milan and Inter in the last-eight, marking the first time three Italian teams have reached the stage since the 2005-06 campaign.

Spalletti urged supporters to enjoy the moment, but insisted his team cannot get carried away as they look to make further history in Europe this season.

"It is a great result, [and] we are going to enjoy it along with all our fans," he added. "Now it becomes fundamental that we maintain the same attitude.

"If Napoli in the entire history of this club had not reached the quarter-finals before, that means this is a great result."

Luciano Spalletti has pushed back on Pep Guardiola's claim Napoli are the best team in Europe right now, claiming the comments are "a game to build us up, so they can knock us down".

The Partenopei booked their first appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals after a comfortable 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the last-16 second leg.

With an 18-point lead at the summit of Serie A to boot, Spalletti's side seem primed for silverware regardless, and City boss Guardiola suggested they are the team to beat.

Spalletti, however, feels the Catalan coach is only saying as much in order to take the advantage in the mental tussle ahead of Friday's last-eight draw, with both teams in the mix to meet.

"I don't feel proud, I don't feel anything," he told Amazon Prime Italia. "I know this game that everyone does to put pressure on the others.

"Are we putting Napoli in front of Manchester City? If they can spend €900m compared to our €9m, there must be a reason. It's a game to build us up, so they can knock us down."

City booked their place in the quarter-finals with a ruthless result of their own, notching a 7-0 second leg victory over RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

Napoli meanwhile join rivals Milan and Inter in the last-eight, marking the first time three Italian teams have reached the stage since the 2005-06 campaign.

Spalletti urged supporters to enjoy the moment, but insisted his team cannot get carried away as they look to make further history in Europe this season.

"It is a great result, [and] we are going to enjoy it along with all our fans," he added. "Now it becomes fundamental that we maintain the same attitude.

"If Napoli in the entire history of this club had not reached the quarter-finals before, that means this is a great result."

Virgil van Dijk conceded the "damage was done in Liverpool" as the Reds' exit from the Champions League was confirmed in a 1-0 defeat at Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Despite racing into a two-goal lead in the first leg at Anfield last month, Jurgen Klopp's men succumbed to a 5-2 reverse in a tie that represented a repeat of last season's final, which Madrid won 1-0 in Paris.

Liverpool had their moments at the Santiago Bernabeu but were unable to find a breakthrough and also had goalkeeper Alisson to thank for giving them a fighting chance.

But ultimately, Madrid star Karim Benzema's 78th-minute goal earned Carlo Ancelotti's side a 1-0 win on the night and a 6-2 aggregate success.

Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Liverpool centre-back Van Dijk said: "I think if I'm honest the first half was quite even. 

"It's always going to be a very difficult task to come here and turn it all around. But you try not to look ahead, you try to win obviously.

"In my time at Liverpool with the games we've played against Real Madrid, I've never won against them, so it's always something that we wanted to do, we wanted to win.

"I think we created some dangerous moments in the first half. They had a couple of shots from distance as well and obviously with the quality they have on the break, especially Benzema dropping in, Vinicius with the speed and obviously his quality. It could always be dangerous on the break. 

"It was tough but I think the damage was done in Liverpool and that's the most disappointing thing."

Van Dijk acknowledged Madrid's coolness in the big moments was a decisive factor.

"I think you play against a team who never get fazed a little bit," he added. "Even when you put them under pressure, even if [they] have difficult moments, they try to stay calm and obviously they have the players, if you look at [Luka] Modric, Benzema they're difference-makers and especially when they're under pressure.

"But still, I think in the first half we could have scored and it could be a totally different game. But today was definitely all about the small margins, and [in the] second half you try your absolute best and you just come too short."

Trent Alexander-Arnold's poor form "can't continue" for Liverpool as Jamie Carragher called on his former club to sign another right-back.

Alexander-Arnold endured another difficult night up against Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior as Liverpool bowed out of the Champions League with a 1-0 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Such performances have been the norm for Alexander-Arnold this season, though – often against opponents of far more modest talent.

Having established himself as one of the best full-backs in world football in previous campaigns, there is concern now around Alexander-Arnold's form.

Anfield great Carragher, in his role as a CBS Sports pundit, said: "It's very, very worrying – not just for Liverpool as a team; for him. That can't continue, what's happened this season with him and the amount of times he's been lacking defensively."

Signing another right-back to compete with or replace Alexander-Arnold would be a solution, Carragher continued.

"The problem they've got in that position is they've never had real competition for Trent Alexander-Arnold," he said.

"One of the reasons why is because he's been so good. You think: who do you buy? How much do you spend for someone who's not really going to play every week?

"But I think Liverpool are at the point now where they've got to go and buy a right-back. That's Jurgen Klopp's decision in terms of how good that right-back is, how much he costs, but that lad needs serious competition.

"He's been playing now for five years at the top level, week in, week out, with no rest."

Alexander-Arnold "needs help", according to Carragher, although he suggests the defender's flaws would not be as obvious if the rest of the Liverpool team were performing as they have previously.

"I've always defended him in that he's played for one of the best teams in the world, and when you play for one of the best teams in the world, as Liverpool are, you do a lot more attacking than you do defending," Carragher said.

"We all know his defending is not good enough, and I don't think it will ever be good enough. We're talking about a player who's played 260 games; it's not going to massively improve now.

"So, when Liverpool drop off and aren't one of the best teams in Europe, like they have been for the last four years, now they're one of the pack going for the Champions League, then you're doing more defending, less attacking.

"You're seeing the worst traits of Trent and now his strengths going forward. That is a massive problem.

"I thought this problem would rear its head when Klopp left and Liverpool dropped back to where they were when I was a player, most seasons trying to qualify for top four.

"If Liverpool are trying to qualify for the Champions League on a yearly basis, I'm not sure Trent's your man at right-back.

"If Liverpool get back to being one of the best teams in Europe, which is what they'll try to do next season, he is your man."

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti claimed Vinicius Junior is the "best in the world" after helping Los Blancos into the Champions League quarter-finals in Wednesday's 1-0 win over Liverpool.

The Brazilian provided the assist for Karim Benzema's 78th-minute winner in the last-16 second leg, having netted twice while setting up another in the 5-2 first-leg victory at Anfield three weeks ago.

Ancelotti stated Vinicius was "one of the best players in the world" prior to their Copa del Rey clash with Barcelona earlier this month, and he now cannot see anyone better.

"For me, he's the best in the world," Ancelotti told reporters. "Today he didn't score, but he played very well and provided a goal."

The Brazil international has scored 19 goals this season, along with 10 assists.

Vinicius is one of only two players to have both scored and assisted 10-plus goals (13 goals and 10 assists) across the last three editions of the Champions League, alongside Kylian Mbappe (21 goals and 11 assists).

The 22-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2021-22 with 17 LaLiga goals and 22 in all competitions for Los Blancos as they won a league and Champions League double.

Vinicius finished eighth in the voting for last year's Ballon d'Or, won by team-mate Benzema, while he came 11th for the Best FIFA Men's Player award won by Lionel Messi last month.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of Benzema's goal, the scorer appeared to be hampered by an ankle injury and was quickly replaced by Rodrygo.

"It's a blow, nothing more," Ancelotti said. "I hope there will be no problems."

Liverpool play Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in consecutive matches at the start of April, making up a week that Jurgen Klopp acknowledges could be "pretty decisive" in the Reds' season.

After being knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid on Wednesday, Liverpool's only remaining aim is securing a return to Europe's elite club competition for next season.

That is no guarantee in a difficult campaign, sitting sixth, six points behind Tottenham with a game in hand and two points behind Newcastle United having played a game more.

Consistency has deserted Klopp's side, as shown by their 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth six days on from a 7-0 victory over Manchester United.

But Klopp is determined to achieve a top-four finish and knows just how vital the next stretch of fixtures could prove.

"Of course, it is 'the' competition and we want to be part of it every year," the manager said. "That's a massive task for us, we all know that.

"When we come back from the international break, we have a proper football week ahead of us, I would say, with three games: City, Chelsea and Arsenal, which will then probably define what we get out of it.

"People might say we lost it in Bournemouth, but I think this week is a pretty decisive one, so we have to hope now the boys come back healthy, early enough, in the right shape and then we will try it."

Klopp was speaking after the 1-0 loss to Madrid, which was followed by the LaLiga giants playing Liverpool anthem You'll Never Walk Alone in the stadium.

"It is a really nice gesture," Klopp said. "We are two heavyweights who meet each other quite frequently in international football.

"I think it is clear we respect each other a lot, and whoever did it, whoever was doing something like that, [made] a really nice gesture, I have to say.

"I was not angry after the game, but I was disappointed. I would be angry if we would have played better and it was close and then they win because of a penalty which was not a penalty or stuff like this.

"But in the end that all didn't happen. Real Madrid were just the better side and I am long enough in the business to respect that."

Luciano Spalletti believes Napoli's current team is a greater collective unit than the Partenopei sides which Diego Maradona inspired to two Serie A titles.

Napoli reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time on Wednesday, completing a 5-0 aggregate triumph in their last-16 tie against Eintracht Frankfurt.

A Victor Osimhen brace and a Piotr Zielinski penalty guided Napoli to a 3-0 win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with last season's Europa League winners failing to land a blow on Spalletti's men.

With Napoli set to end a 33-year wait to win Serie A after building an 18-point lead at the summit, comparisons have been made with the sides Maradona led to the Scudetto in 1986-87 and 1989-90.

However, Spalletti feels his team are less reliant on individual brilliance, saying: "There is a key difference – nobody wins games alone like Maradona did. 

"We manage to make up for our shortcomings thanks to collective work. Tonight I saw many elements combine and play a messy game, which sometimes you need. 

"It's not just that the important individuals create an outlet. To make the most of it, you need those who scrape and clean up situations for the players with more quality."

While Napoli's remarkable rise has been a collective effort, Osimhen produced another talismanic forward display against Eintracht as he reached 23 goals for the campaign.

The Nigeria international has scored 13 times since the turn of the year – a tally only bettered by Marcus Rashford (15) among players from Europe's top five leagues – and Spalletti says there is more to come.

"He's already a world-class player, a great world-class player," Spalletti said of Osimhen. "He still has untapped potential – a lot of it – so we're pleased. 

"In addition to scoring goals, he cleans up situations when the opposing team presses us, he creates opportunities for us. He has these flashes. 

"Everything is correct with him, and we need to build on these matches both individually and collectively to be even more ready for the following games."

Carlo Ancelotti believes the high-press system favoured by Liverpool worked in Real Madrid's favour as the holders sealed a safe passage through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Karim Benzema scored the only goal of Wednesday's last-16 second leg to complete a 6-2 aggregate win for Madrid, who have eliminated Liverpool from the competition for three seasons running, which includes last season's final.

The damage was ultimately done in the reverse fixture at Anfield three weeks ago when Madrid scored five goals in the space of 46 minutes to recover from two goals down and take control of the tie.

Liverpool had a number of chances at Santiago Bernabeu, but Madrid also tested Alisson five times before Benzema tapped in to inflict a joint-heaviest defeat on the Reds in a two-legged European tie.

Toni Kroos and Luka Modric helped control play for the hosts, and Ancelotti puts that down to Liverpool's playing style, which has brought plenty of success and trophies to Anfield in recent years but has not been as efficient this season.

"Pressing up high for them has cost them because Modric and Kroos manage very well in these types of matches," Ancelotti told Movistar+.

"They are not afraid and are able to get the ball out from the back. It has cost [Liverpool] in this sense."

 Madrid are through to the quarter-finals for a 19th time in the Champions League era – once more than LaLiga rivals Barcelona, and behind only Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich (21 times).

Ancelotti decided against making any substitutions until after Benzema's 78th-minute breakthrough, despite having a trip to Barca on Sunday, with the Italian explaining he was wary of Liverpool finding a route back into the tie.

"The team was fine. There's no need to change for the sake of changing," he said. "I wanted to keep the substitutions to stop the game if we had problems at the end. 

"I liked the team. On a psychological level, in a game like this when you have a three-goal lead, you can lower your level... but we didn't lower it today."

Madrid had a late penalty appeal rejected following a VAR review in added time after a goal-bound shot hit Kostas Tsimikas on the arm, but Ancelotti had no complaints over the decision.

Asked about his conversation with Klopp at the end of the game, Ancelotti said: "We agreed it wasn't a handball. We talked about yesterday's penalty against Leipzig in the [Manchester City] game.

"You have to be careful with decisions like that because it's not football. I don't think anyone noticed it was a penalty, not even [Pep] Guardiola."

Ancelotti will take charge of a Champions League quarter-final for a 13th time, taking him ahead of Manchester United great Alex Ferguson and level with Guardiola (13) for the joint-most of any manager.

Victor Osimhen believes Napoli are good enough to win the Champions League after they reached the competition's quarter-finals for the first time with an emphatic win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Osimhen scored twice as Napoli ran out 3-0 winners in Wednesday's last-16 second leg at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, securing a 5-0 aggregate success over last season's Europa League winners.

Piotr Zielinski also netted from the penalty spot as Napoli posted their fourth win in as many home Champions League games this season – the Partenopei have scored three or more goals in each of those victories.

With Napoli's tally of 26 Champions League goals unmatched by any other team this campaign, Osimhen believes the runaway Serie A leaders are capable of delivering European glory.

"I think anything is possible and we have the squad to achieve this dream," Osimhen told BT Sport.

"We want to go step by step and we will see what happens at the end of the season.

"It feels good to make history with this win. It was huge win. Congratulations to the team on a good performance from the whole squad."

Asked whether he had any preference regarding Napoli's quarter-final opponents, the striker said: "We are a top club and it would be good to have a draw with another top club.

"It's going to be a huge match, it's going to be great. We are ready for it, and we are ready for any big team we might have to play." 

Osimhen became the first Napoli player to score in both legs of a European Cup/Champions League knockout tie and he passed up the chance for a hat-trick by allowing Zielinski to take the Partenopei's penalty.

"With the penalty, Zielinski asked me if he could take it," he revealed. "Of course, I'm a team player and it doesn't matter who scores as long as the team achieves success. 

"I know my goals will come with or without that penalty. It's good to have that kind of mentality in the squad, and I'm happy about the three goals."

Zielinski believes Napoli's competitors should be nervous about the prospect of facing them, saying: "We want to do the best we can. It is obvious that everyone wants to go all the way.

"Whoever we get in the draw, we want to play our football and go through to the next round. Whoever we get, we will be ready to fight.

"I think teams should be afraid of this Napoli team. We are in great shape and everyone who faces us struggles to get a result. We can do great things this season."

Jurgen Klopp was disappointed Liverpool were not able to produce a "special performance" against Real Madrid, meaning they would have been eliminated from the Champions League regardless of the first-leg collapse.

Liverpool headed to the Santiago Bernabeu for the return match in the last 16 with a huge task, needing to overturn a 5-2 deficit.

Klopp's Reds were unable to do that as they instead lost 1-0 to a Karim Benzema goal and bowed out 6-2 on aggregate.

While the nature of the heavy defeat at Anfield in the first match impacted on Liverpool's attempts to rescue the tie on Wednesday, Klopp pointed out even a draw at home would not have been enough if Madrid then controlled the second game.

"To be honest, if we draw at home and play the game that we played tonight, we go out probably as well," Klopp told BT Sport. "We cannot come here and hope that you get something.

"We prepared for a special performance, but we were not able to put it on the pitch tonight.

"It was obvious, I think – nobody is thinking, 'how could Liverpool go out?' That's probably the best sign that the right team went through."

He added: "In three halves of the two games, they were the better team. That's how you go through to the next round."

Liverpool at least avoided another embarrassment, albeit only after Alisson impressed in goal, making two "sensational saves", according to Klopp.

"Not all exits are like this," the manager said. "There are probably 500,000 different ways to go out, and this was ours tonight.

"It's not what we wanted, but it's what we got. Now we have to carry on."

Jurgen Klopp gave Liverpool just a "one per cent chance" of conjuring one of the great all-time Champions League comebacks in Wednesday's last-16 second leg with Real Madrid.

For any other club, maybe, but this is a side that wrote the book on making the impossible possible in the biggest club competition of them all – none more so than their triumph from three goals down against Milan in the 2005 final.

One of four sides to have progressed from a tie having lost the first leg by three or more goals – doing so against Barcelona in the 2018-19 semi-finals – Liverpool simply could not be completely written off.

Even as Karim Benzema fired in Madrid's fifth goal in their 5-2 win at Anfield three weeks ago, there was still that glimmer of hope. The one per cent chance, as Klopp put it.

In the end it was the prolific striker's 78th-minute tap-in that settled the second leg, extinguishing those lingering thoughts among the travelling fans high up in the away end that this would be another of those nights.

Incredibly, that Benzema goal came from the 11th shot on target of the second leg, with the first half in particular on a par with what we witnessed on Merseyside, albeit without the goals to show for it.

But for some fine goalkeeping from Thibaut Courtois, channelling his display from last season's showpiece in Paris between these heavyweights when making the most saves on record in a final, who knows what could have happened?

Courtois made four saves in the first half alone, three of those attempts from the energetic Darwin Nunez, who only just about managed as many passes (five) in the opening 45 minutes.

The 17 first-half shots attempted at both ends were just one fewer than the whole of the contest at Anfield, while the eight on-target attempts were the most in a Champions League knockout tie without a goal since the 2013 final.

This latest tussle between clubs boasting 20 European Cups between them certainly did not let down in terms of entertainment as a one-off, but Liverpool's inability to find a way through denied neutrals the jeopardy they tuned in for.

Instead it was Madrid who found a way, as they so often do, to remain on course for a sixth Champions League crown in under a decade. It is a period of dominance the like of which the competition has never seen.

While other teams may have given the Reds that route into the contest they craved, Madrid simply know how to get the job done on the big stage, even if they have struggled for consistency domestically this season.

This is the 27th time in 28 European Cup and Champions League ties they have advanced after winning the first leg away from home, the exception being their 5-3 aggregate defeat to Ajax at this stage in the 2018-19 season.

It was ultimately in that first leg at Anfield the damage was done, a five-goal blast in the space of 46 minutes of playing time completely blowing Liverpool away in a match they led 2-0 at one point.

Not many would have believed you after 20 minutes of the first leg at Anfield if you'd told them that Liverpool would go on to suffer a record equalling defeat across two legs of a European tie.

If not for Alisson, it may well have been a higher margin of defeat in what was an end-to-end game, the Reds keeper making six saves either side of Benzema's finish, which was his final action before limping off ahead of El Clasico.

It was that type of game, as both men between the sticks arguably proved their respective teams' best player.

And so there was to be no magical Madrid comeback for Liverpool, but nor too did they get annihilated in a match that saw them commit players forward in desperate search of that much-needed first goal.

The Reds' sole focus is now on a top-four battle in the Premier League, a far cry from 12 months ago when they already had one cup in the bag and were in hot pursuit of three more.

The era of the 'mentality monsters' is surely over. The question is whether Klopp can get a tune out of the new group he is assembling on the back of this record-equalling loss on the continent. Now that really would be some comeback.