The Spanish clubs targeting European glory

Six Spanish clubs progressed from the league phases of the European competitions. All six remain heading into the quarter-finals, which commence this week.

No other country can boast as many of their participants still standing, in what must go down as a slightly unexpected boost for LaLiga in a season when its depth has been questioned.

With seven-time Europa League winners Sevilla in decline, and Villarreal crashing out of the Champions League with only one point, the likes of Celta Vigo, Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano have stepped up and shown that Spanish clubs can still more than hold their own on the continental stage.

For all the talk of Premier League might and money, it remains LaLiga that has racked up by far the most European titles in the 21st century. With a quarter of the sides still left in Europe this term hailing from Spain, there’s every chance a tally of 34 trophies won across the three active competitions will increase this year.

Champions League – Barca-Atleti tie guarantees at least one Spanish semi-finalist

There’s around a 31% chance of a Spanish Champions League winner, with Barcelona seen as the most likely to bring the famous trophy back to Iberia. They face Atletico Madrid in the last eight, which ensures LaLiga will be represented in the competition when the semi-finals begin later this month.

Barca ultimately swept aside Newcastle 7-2 in the second leg of their round-of-16 clash, but they weren’t convincing for the first three halves of that tie. They’ve already faced Atleti in a two-legged affair in 2026, with Diego Simeone’s side progressing 4-3 from a Copa del Rey semi-final.

Home advantage was all-important on that occasion, but the roles are reversed in this European encounter, with Barca hosting the first leg, while the return will be at the Estadio Metropolitano.

Los Rojiblancos have a slight advantage in that they no longer have any serious league commitments. That enabled them to rest players when the sides met in LaLiga on Saturday, and they’ll do so again in between the two matches. A semi-final against tournament favourites Arsenal would most likely be the prize for the victors.

Real Madrid face what on paper is a daunting task against an impressive Bayern Munich side that has scored 32 goals in 10 matches in the competition so far. Logic would suggest the Bavarians should progress against what has been an underwhelming Madrid this season, but rarely does anything go to script when it comes to Los Blancos in the Champions League.

They were underdogs in the last round against Manchester City, but ended up cruising to a 5-1 aggregate win. Real Madrid have won each of their last four UCL ties against Bayern, and ominously for their European rivals, they went on to win the competition on each occasion.

Europa League – Celta and Betis on collision course

There’s a distinctly Iberian flavour to the Europa League this season, with two Spanish and two Portuguese clubs still remaining. Real Betis and Celta Vigo are on the weaker side of the draw and are both favourites to progress from their quarter-final ties, raising the possibility of an all-Spanish semi-final.

Celta have already knocked out one of the leading contenders to win the trophy. After drawing 1-1 at Balaidos against Lyon, goals from Javi Rueda and Ferran Jutgla sealed a 2-0 victory in France on one of the Galician club’s greatest European nights.

Claudio Giraldez’s rotation-heavy approach always suggested they would cope well with adapting to continental action, and that has certainly been the case with Os Celestes also riding high in La Liga again. They’ll fancy their chances against a Freiburg side that currently sits halfway up the Bundesliga and has enjoyed a favourable UEL schedule until this point.

A perfect round-of-16 for the Spanish clubs in Europe has raised the possibility of five clubs from LaLiga entering the Champions League again next term. Betis and Celta could therefore end up fighting it out on two fronts given they currently occupy fifth and sixth places in the Primera Division.

For the two to meet in the UEL semi-finals, Betis would also need to make it past Braga. The second leg is at La Cartuja, where Manuel Pellegrini’s side came from 1-0 down to secure a 4-1 aggregate win against Panathinaikos in the last round.

Los Verdiblancos now have a real taste for European football having reached the Conference League final last term. With talisman Isco due back soon, and with Antony and Ez Abde shining on the flanks, they are serious contenders to progress all the way to the final in Istanbul.

Conference League – Can Rayo go all the way?

Rayo Vallecano are also favourites to win their quarter-final in the Conference League against AEK Athens. In a wide-open competition featuring teams from eight different countries, Iñigo Perez’s team are certainly contenders.

The Madrid-based club do still have some work to do in order to secure safety in LaLiga. Only two sides have scored fewer goals in the Spanish top flight than Rayo, but they’ve had less trouble finding the back of the net in Europe. A brace from Alemão sealed what proved a decisive 3-1 victory in Turkey in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie against Samsunspor.

Vallecas is sure to be rocking on Thursday when the Greek side come calling. Having played on Friday on matchday 30 in LaLiga, Rayo should be well-rested ahead of the first leg. However, they do have an important game against fellow strugglers Mallorca to fit in this weekend before the return match in Athens.

Mark is a freelance football writer based in Madrid, and the editor of LaLigaExpert.com. He has been covering LaLiga and European football since 2014.