Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid all have a chance to end the season on a huge high as they prepare for their Uefa Champions League semi-final openers.
Bayern host the first leg of their semi-final looking to end a long barren spell against Real Madrid, while Dortmund hope recent experience will help them to get the measure of Paris Saint-Germain.
Here are some key talking points ahead of the first legs of the Champions League semi-finals.
Bayern chasing the biggest prize of all (Tuesday 9pm)
Bayern have relinquished their Bundesliga title to an outstanding Bayer Leverkusen side but a bigger prize remains on the table for Thomas Tuchel, who will step down as coach this summer. However, as they prepare for a remarkable eighth Champions League/European Cup semi-final encounter with Madrid, the Bavarian giants are without a win in their last seven meetings (D1 L6, all in the Champions League knockout phase).
The second-leg performance against Arsenal in the quarter-finals brought praise for Tuchel and was a measure of how Bayern's home crowd can lift them on a big occasion. "It's always better to play in front of your own fans," said Tuchel at full time. "With every tackle and every good action, you get the support and it lifts you and gives you a second wind. Now it's the semi-finals and everyone needs to step up – we need to step up and the supporters need to step up again."
Mbappé faces Dortmund's Yellow Wall (Wednesday 9pm)
Top scorer in this seasons Champions League with eight goals, Kylian Mbappé notched a double in the 4-1 quarter-final second-leg win at Barcelona to boost his tally of away strikes in the Champions League knockout phase to 15 (only Cristiano Ronaldo, with 23, has managed more). However, BVB are unbeaten in their last 10 home games in this competition (W6 D4: a club record) and in front of their gigantic 'Yellow Wall' stand will back themselves to get a result to take to France for the return leg.
These two teams know each other well after facing off twice in the group stage, with Dortmund losing 2-0 to Paris at the Parc des Princes before drawing 1-1 at home. "Our first game against them wasn't good," coach Edin Terzić admitted. "In the second game, we adjusted to them better and were closer to victory. I think we're a better team today than we were against them in the group stage." Third time lucky?
English hands on the trophy?
Holders Manchester City and Arsenal both bowed out in the quarter-finals, meaning that no English clubs can make it to the final at London's Wembley Stadium. However, a number of English players will still be hoping to perform under the arch on 1 June, not least England captain (and 62-goal record scorer) Harry Kane. "There would be no better place for me personally to win that trophy," said the Bayern forward, who would have something to show for a prolific first season with his new club.
In the semi-finals, he will be up against an international teammate who is also enjoying a stunning first campaign in a new country: Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham. "I'm really happy for him but it will be another war against his team," said Kane. "Of course, I'll say hello but once we're on the pitch, it's business." Bellingham, meanwhile, may have a few more old colleagues to say hello to should his side reach the final and take on former employers Dortmund, who feature two more English talents: forwards Jadon Sancho and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.
Further ahead
If Bayern get through, they are on for a repeat of a past final one way or another: they beat Paris 1-0 in Lisbon in the 2020 Champions League final and got the better of Dortmund in the all-German 2013 showpiece, also at Wembley.
Real Madrid are hoping to win the Champions League/European Cup for a 15th time this year (their current tally of 14 titles is twice as many as their nearest rivals AC Milan) but they lost their only previous game at Wembley: 3-1 against Tottenham Hotspur in the 2017/18 group stage.
Paris are the only side in the semi-finals who have never won the Champions League but they may feel more optimistic about getting a chance to scratch that itch if they have the lead when they host Dortmund in the second leg. They have yet to concede in three home games against BVB (W2 D1).
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