Champions League Team of the Week - Antonio Rudiger, Luka Modric, Roberto Firmino

Real Madrid, Villarreal, Liverpool and Manchester City will compete in the semi-finals of this season's Champions League, having progressed through their last-eight ties this week.

Chelsea won 3-2 at Bernabeu in the second leg of their quarter-final against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, but the Spanish giants progressed to the final four courtesy of a 5-4 aggregate success.

Villarreal, meanwhile, shocked Bayern Munich in Germany, picking up a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their quarter-final to advance 2-1 on aggregate.

On Wednesday, an ill-tempered affair between Atletico Madrid and Man City finished in a goalless draw, which saw the Premier League champions progress 1-0 on aggregate.

Meanwhile, Liverpool also secured their spot in the semi-finals by drawing 3-3 with Benfica in the second leg of their last-eight affair, which secured a 6-4 aggregate success.

Man City will meet Real Madrid for a spot in the final, while the second semi-final will see Liverpool take on Villarreal, so it could potentially be an all-English or all-Spanish final.

Here, Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week from the second legs of the quarter-finals in Europe's leading cup competition.

DEFENCE

© Reuters

Man City did enough to progress to the semi-finals courtesy of a goalless draw at Wanda Metropolitano, with Ederson keeping a clean sheet for the Citizens. The Brazilian only needed to make three saves over the course of the 90 minutes, but he was calmness personified between the sticks and took the pressure off his side in the latter stages with a number of impressive claims, so he had to be included in this particular team.

A three-man defence includes two more players from the Premier League, with Liverpool's Konstantinos Tsimikas impressing in his side's 3-3 draw with Benfica. The 25-year-old provided two assists at Anfield, while he boasted a pass success rate of 86% during a strong attacking performance; he also contributed at the back despite Benfica scoring three times, winning one aerial duel and two tackles.

Antonio Rudiger also deserves to be included for his display against Real Madrid. Indeed, the Germany international scored a brilliant header at Bernabeu, while he managed to keep Karim Benzema quiet for long spells, only for the Frenchman to come up with a key goal in extra-time. Rudiger was still excellent on the night, though, proving that he is one of the best centre-backs in European football.

The final spot in the defensive line goes to Villarreal's Raul Albiol, who excelled against Bayern's star-studded attack on Tuesday night. The 36-year-old turned back the clock with a brilliant performance, using all of his experience to make it difficult for the likes of Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane to get going in Munich.

MIDFIELD

© Reuters

In midfield, there had to be a spot for Chelsea's Mason Mount, who was brilliant at Bernabeu on Tuesday, finding the back of the net in the 15th minute of the contest before turning provider for Rudiger to make it 2-0 to the Blues in the early stages of the second period. The England international was certainly one of Chelsea's most effective players over the course of the 120 minutes in the Spanish capital.

Luka Modric was outstanding in the same match, and the midfielder's pass for Rodrygo's goal will live long in the memory, going down as one of the best Champions League assists of all time. At 36, Modric is showing no signs of slowing down, boasting a pass success rate of 89% over the course of the match, while he also contributed defensively, making four tackles.

There is also a spot for Villarreal's Etienne Capoue, who was brilliant in the clash with Bayern at Allianz Arena. The 33-year-old was tenacious in the tackle, while he boasted a pass success rate of 87%, contributing impressively to a result that will go down in history for the Yellow Submarine.

Benfica's 20-year-old midfielder Goncalo Ramos is named in the side following his performance against Liverpool at Anfield. The Portugal Under-21s international netted his team's equaliser in the 32nd minute of the contest and continued to cause Liverpool problems before being replaced in the latter stages.

ATTACK

© Reuters

Timo Werner has had another difficult season at Chelsea, but the Germany international was at his best against Real Madrid on Tuesday, causing all sorts of problems with his pace and direct running. The 26-year-old scored Chelsea's third in the 75th minute of the match, while he also set up Mount for his team's opener during a hugely positive performance in the Spanish capital.

Roberto Firmino, meanwhile, had to be included due to his two-goal showing against Benfica. The Brazil international was given the nod through the middle on Wednesday evening and did not disappoint, scoring twice in the space of 10 second-half minutes to effectively end the game as a contest.

The final spot in the starting XI is awarded to Gerard Moreno, who put in a brilliant performance for Villarreal against Bayern, leading the line impressively for his team. Moreno provided the assist for Samuel Chukwueze to level the scores in the 88th minute, while he won four aerial duels and made four tackles during an excellent all-round performance, so he had to be a part of this particular side.

SPORTS MOLE'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

Sports Mole's Champions League team of the week (3-4-3): Ederson; Albiol, Rudiger, Tsimikas; Mount, Modric, Capoue, Ramos; Moreno, Firmino, Werner