The quarterfinals for Europe’s prestigious competition has been drawn. Barcelona are facing Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid in another hotly contested all-Spanish affair. PSG face Manchester City, while Bayern Munich take on Benfica and Wolfsburg look to beat Real Madrid. With the matchups all setup, which teams look favorites to reach the final four?
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid: 65-35
Atletico Madrid were victorious the last time these two sides met in the Champions League. A close 2-1 aggregate saw Diego Simeone’s men through, eventually facing Real Madrid in the final. However, much has changed since then. Barcelona have formed arguably the deadliest attacking trio in European football in Messi, Neymar and Suarez. What’s more, of the last six meetings Barcelona Luis Enrique has faced Diego Simeone, the former was successful all six times. Saying that, Atletico Madrid do have the tools to somewhat stifle the Barcelona offense. The Spanish capital club has the best defense of all the quarterfinalists, with Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez forming the best partnership in Europe. Still, over the 180-minute affair, Barcelona will have their chances to score, and with the proficiency of the front three – it will be difficult for Atletico to keep the two legs a low-scoring affair. Atletico will also hope Antoine Griezzman will be on form for the two matches, as he is by far the most dangerous offensive player for the club. Ultimately, Atletico is able to pull off the upset, but a few things have to go the way of Simeone’s men to see them through to the semis over the tournament favorites.
Bayern Munich vs Benfica 75-25
Once again, Bayern Munich are facing a Portuguese club in the quarterfinals. In last year’s competition, Porto certainly scared the Bavarian giants, having won the the first leg 3-1 in Portugal. Of course, Bayern Munich reversed the result with an overwhelming 6-1 win at the Allianz Arena. Pep Guardiola’s men would do well not to underestimate Benfica this year either. Their frontline consists of two inform forwards in Konstantinos Mitroglou and Jonas, who both can certainly cause trouble to Bayern’s vulnerable backline. However, that relatively pales in comparison to what Bayern can bring to bear. While Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller are one of Europe’s most fearsome duos, it is the wings with which Benfica will struggle the most. Andre Almeida will have it incredibly difficult on the right flank, where Bayern can put either Franck Ribery or Douglas Costa to target him. With these factors combined with Bayern’s experience, as well as the two legged format, Guardiola and his men should find themselves once again in the final four.
Real Madrid vs Wolfsburg 70-30
The other Bundesliga club left in the competition, Wolfsburg, will have it all to do against Los Blancos. The 2013-2014 champions have been well off the boil this season, and not without controversy. The replacement of Rafa Benitez with Zinedine Zidane has bared little fruit, as they are currently 12 points behind Barcelona in the league, while being uninspiring in the Champions League. Still, the talent as well as the experience in the squad should be enough to see off Wolfsburg, as they themselves have been quite average this season. The German side are currently eighth in the league, and look well off the pace from a Champions League spot in the Bundesliga. They will have to rely heavily on Julian Draxler, who admittedly has been quite good so far in Europe – but Real will have plenty of tools to use in the offensive third to bring down Wolfsburg. Ultimately, Real Madrid can be exposed, but Wolfsburg will have to play a fantastic two games in order to overcome the Spanish giants. They can certainly take some solace from the fact that their fellow Germans, Schalke 04, were able to beat Real 3-4 at the Bernabeu last season. But in the end, Real Madrid look comfortable favorites to win this tie outright.
PSG vs Manchester City 60-40
The final matchup here looks to be the closest on paper. Two of the richest clubs in the world set to face off in a hotly contested quarterfinal. PSG look to be in the semifinals only for the second time in their club’s history while Manchester City will try to make it their first. Despite it being the closest on paper, PSG have a significant advantage over the English side. The form between the two sides cannot be more stark. PSG have already won their league title while looking indomitable in Europe. Manchester City are hemorrhaging in the league while being suspect in the CL. The injury to Vincent Kompany, City’s best defender is also a massive issue. With Zlatan Ibrahomivic’s form, and City’s quite vulnerable defense; the French side will be looking to put pressure on the blue side from Manchester time and time again. What’s more, PSG have looked much better against the “big sides” in Europe than Manchester City has. The Parisian club were very comfortable against Chelsea while also being extremely competitive against Real Madrid in the group stages. Manuel Pellegrini will have to rely on Sergio Aguero, David Silva, and Yaya Toure to come good to get their famous win in Europe, with the possibility of Kevin De Bruyne being in the mix. However, the defensive frailties in the squad cannot be more emphasized. Ultimately, Manchester City will put up a fight, but PSG should be the victors after all is said and done.
Michael Skok
Football Editor for
Polish-American Portal www.Poland.us
More on: www.mikesgoal.com
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