After the decision to transfer CL remaining games to the Portuguese capital Lisbon, UEFA had yet to make the quarter-final draw. This Friday, problems were solved as the European Cup quarter and semi-finals took place, and we’ve got so many interesting possibilities!
We’re going to dive into the possible quarter-finals, and also indicating favorites amongst the clashing sides.
We have UEFA Champions League debutants Atalanta facing Paris Saint-Germain, and Atletico Madrid facing RB Leipzig.
We still have remaining Round of 16 second-leg matches, as Man City are trying to sustain a 2-1 away lead against Real Madrid, Chelsea set to overcome a near-impossible Bayern away mission, after getting thumped 3-0 at the Stamford Bridge, an uncertain Barcelona – Napoli clash at the Camp Nou, as the first-leg in Italy was 0-0, and finally, Juventus trying to overcome a 1-0 defeat in France against Lyon, at Turin.
Every side will play the Round of 16 2nd-leg at their respective homes, but from quarter-finals on, there will be played a ‘Final Eight’ tournament at Lisbon, with the final set to be played at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz.
So, following the UCL draw on Friday, here are the quarter-final possibilities:
Real Madrid / Man City vs Juventus / Lyon
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid
Napoli / Barcelona vs Chelsea / Bayern Munich
Atalanta vs Paris Saint-Germain.
What I believe will happen in the remaining Round of 16 matches, and thus, quarter-final clashes:
Real Madrid vs Man City: Zinedine Zidane will teach Guardiola a lesson, and Real Madrid will go through at the Etihad. Even though Man City have a better squad, and a 2-1 lead, I believe Madrid will put on a show and will eliminate the Blues from Manchester.
Juventus vs Lyon: Even though he’s almost on his 35s, the man is unstoppable. Every time when Juve needs him, he’s there. I’m talking about the GOAT Cristiano Ronaldo and playing at his favorite competition, I’m pretty sure he won’t disappoint and the Real Madrid – CR7 quarter-final clash will happen.
Napoli vs Barcelona: Napoli are decent, but Barcelona will make it through the quarter-finals. Leo Messi will conduct the Catalans through a brilliant game, with goals and assists against the Coppa Italia holders.
Bayern Munich vs Chelsea: Sustaining a 3-0 lead built at London, Chelsea shouldn’t even bother trying. Frank Lampard and his men can start looking for the next season, as Bayern are pretty much into the next phase.
If my predictions are right, the quarter-final fixtures should look like the following:
Real Madrid vs Juventus
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich
Atalanta vs Paris Saint-Germain.
I’ll do another post analyzing the whole in-depth scenario, but we’re all so excited about the possibility of seeing a Real Madrid – CR7 reencounter, and also a heavyweight clash between Barcelona and Bayern Munich.