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LONDON – Barcelona and Juventus can now focus on the Champions League.
For the rest of the quarter-finalists, the period will be much more difficult, as their teams will be tense while ambitions at home and abroad will be judged.
Here is an overview of the first steps of this week:
CITY OF TOTTENHAM-MANCHESTER
Like last season, Manchester City faces a rival of the Premier League in the quarterfinals.
Different this time is not only the opponent – Tottenham rather than Liverpool – but also the surroundings. City will be Tottenham's second opponent on Tuesday in his new 62,000-seat stadium in North London.
"I do not care about the stadium," said City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne. "I care about the team we play. Everyone is talking about the stadium as if it was something special. Everyone has a stadium. Everyone has supporters. "
If De Bruyne seems irritated, it is not because of the state of the campaign of the City. Pep Guardiola's team remains in a quadruple race after winning the FA Cup final with a win over Brighton on Saturday, having already won the League Cup and second place in the Premier League.
The Champions League is one of the great honors that City has missed in the eleven years since Abu Dhabi's investment has transformed the club. City did not even reach the final, but was the top scorer of the competition this season with 26 goals.
Tottenham is struggling to qualify for a fourth consecutive season of the Champions League by placing in the top four in the Premier League. Tottenham is third in the championship, but only one point ahead of Chelsea, which has a lack of reinforcements over the past year due to stadium construction costs.
LIVERPOOL-PORTO
While Liverpool will be without rear, Andy Robertson, two key players were excluded from the match: the playmaker Hector Herrera and Pepe, the center back who won three titles in the Champions League with Real Madrid.
Coach Sergio Conceicao will still be able to call on central defender Eder Militao, who will not leave for Madrid until next season, but left-back Alex Telles remains uncertain due to a hip injury.
Porto, who reached the quarter-finals for the last time four years ago, continues their first appearance in the semi-finals since their victory in the Champions League under then-emerging coach Jose Mourinho in 2004.
Driven by Mohamed Salah's goals, Liverpool has qualified for the final of last season, where the five-time European champion has been beaten by Real Madrid.
The striker regained his touch for Porto's visit to Anfield on Tuesday, scoring for the first time in nine games since a win at Southampton on Friday. That brought Liverpool to the top of the Premier League, ahead of Manchester City.
Porto is kept out of first place in Portugal by Benfica because of a lower goal difference.
MANCHESTER UNITED-BARCELONA
The quarter-finals have been the end of the Barcelona Champions League for three consecutive seasons since winning a fifth European title in 2015.
For the first time since 2014, United has been in the group of eight since her defeat ended the reign of David Moyes as Alex Ferguson's immediate successor.
The victory at Paris Saint-Germain last month, however, contributed to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being awarded a three-year contract with United after convincing the ownership of his credentials at a three-month hearing after the dismissal from Mourinho.
United will welcome Barcelona to Old Trafford on Wednesday with the luxury of not playing for more than a week since losing to Wolverhampton on April 2nd.
"We will have less rest, but we will be more motivated by the win over Atletico," said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde.
While Barcelona opened an 11-point lead over Atletico with a 2-0 win on Saturday, United is sixth in sixth place in the Premier League, two points behind fourth place and six games remaining.
AJAX-JUVENTUS
Juventus are hoping Cristiano Ronaldo can play a role in Wednesday's game after injuring a muscle in his right thigh in Portugal last month.
The striker participated in the training on Sunday, but Juventus will not take any chances on the form of the hat trick marker in the first leg of the last 16 days against Atletico Madrid last month.
Moise Kean is ready to intervene. The Italian forward, aged 19, has scored five goals in his last five games for the club and the country.
While Juventus are one to win an eighth Serie A title, Ajax dominates PSV Eindhoven's Eredivisie in goal difference.
Midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who will join Barcelona next season, was replaced as a precaution in Ajax 's 4-1 win against Willem II Tilburg on Saturday, after suffering an ankle injury.
"We want to show Europe what we are worth," he said. "I think we've done that already, but we want to confirm it."
Ajax won the Champions League in 1995 and was defeated in the final of the following year. The Amsterdam club has not played in the quarter-finals since 2003, when it lost to AC Milan and had to start qualifying in July this season.
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