Manchester City, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Villarreal will all take leads into the second legs of their Champions League quarter-finals following impressive results this week.
Liverpool were 3-1 winners over Benfica in Portugal in the first leg of their last-eight affair on Tuesday, while fellow English side Man City recorded a 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid at the Etihad Stadium.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, ran out 3-1 winners over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, with Karim Benzema netting three times in another five-star performance from the Frenchman.
However, arguably the standout result in the quarter-finals came in Spain, as Villarreal beat Bayern Munich 1-0 courtesy of a first-half effort from Arnaut Danjuma.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week from the first legs of the quarter-finals in Europe's leading cup competition.
DEFENCE
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Villarreal were outstanding against Bayern on Wednesday evening, keeping a clean sheet against the free-scoring German champions, and Geronimo Rulli had a fine match between the sticks. Indeed, the goalkeeper made four saves and four claims during a calm performance for the Yellow Submarine, and there is no question that he played an important role in the Spanish side claiming a one-goal advantage.
Rulli's teammate Pau Torres, who is again being linked with Manchester United, was also outstanding at the heart of the defence, winning three aerial duels, while he boasted a pass success rate of 86% from centre-back.
There are also two Real Madrid defenders in the back four, with Dani Carvajal impressing at right-back, contributing both offensively and defensively over the course of the 90 minutes, while David Alaba was brilliant in the middle, boasting a pass success rate of 92%, completing 45 of his 49 passes during a strong display.
The final spot in the defence is handed to Nathan Ake, who was brilliant at left-back against Atletico. The 27-year-old won four aerial duels, while he completed 80 of his 88 passes from full-back, which is an indication of how well he used the ball in an unfamiliar area of the field.
MIDFIELD
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The three-man midfield had to include Kevin De Bruyne, who scored the only goal of the match against Atletico on Tuesday night. The 30-year-old put in an all-action performance for Man City, having five shots and completing three key passes, while his goal has given the Citizens a lead to protect.
Casemiro, meanwhile, starred for Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, demonstrating that he is one of the best holding midfielders in world football. The Brazil international won three tackles during the 90 minutes and constantly made it difficult for Chelsea to pass through the lines in the English capital.
There is another Premier League representative in midfield in the shape of Naby Keita, who was one of Liverpool's best performers against Benfica. The 27-year-old won five tackles, completed three dribbles, had four shots and boasted a pass success rate of 92%, while he set up Luis Diaz for his strike late on.
ATTACK
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Karim Benzema was the star of the first legs, with the France international terrorising Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening, scoring a brilliant treble to hand Los Blancos a strong advantage ahead of the second leg. The Frenchman netted two headers in the opening 24 minutes before capitalising on a mistake from Edouard Mendy to complete his hat trick early in the second half.
Real Madrid's star forward is joined in the team by teammate Vinicius Junior, who provided the assist for the opening goal of the match in London. The Brazilian caused Reece James all sorts of problems at Stamford Bridge, while he hit the crossbar in the early stages, putting in a brilliant attacking display in the first leg of the quarter-final.
The final spot in this particular XI goes to Luis Diaz, with the January arrival scoring once and providing an assist in Liverpool's 3-1 win at Benfica. The attacker set up for Sadio Mane for his side's second of the game in the 34th minute before getting his name on the scoresheet in the final exchanges, and Benfica found it so difficult to deal with the 25-year-old throughout the contest.
SPORTS MOLE'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Champions League team of the week (4-3-3): Rulli; Carvajal, P Torres, Alaba, Ake; Keita, De Bruyne, Casemiro; L Diaz, Benzema, Vinicius
Matt Law
