Manchester City vs. Borussia Dortmund – QF 1
April 6 and April 14
Quarter-final one will feature the top English team against a struggling German
Dortmund. Unlike last year when Dortmund dominated the Bundesliga alongside Munich, Dortmund is now in a distant fifth.
The German club barely made it past Sevilla in the Round of 16, winning 5-4. The main impact Dortmund brings to the matchup is Erling Haaland, the 20-year-old striker. In their eight Champions League games so far, Haaland has 10 goals, leading the whole tournament.
Unlike Dortmund, Manchester City has faced little adversity this season. A group stage draw against Porto is the only blemish on their Champions League record this year. At home in England, they sit at the top of the table, 14 points clear of any challengers.
Man. City boasts a healthy combination of veteran players with winning experience like Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero with elite young talent in players such as Phil Foden. Manchester City are favored to win without much challenge and I agree—they are by far one of the best teams in Europe.
Porto vs. Chelsea – QF 2
April 7 and April 13
Porto is lucky to even be in the quarter-finals after barely beating Juventus in the Round of 16. Porto won the first leg at home 2-1, thanks to a lucky goal in the first minute. A week later in Italy, Juventus led Porto 2-1 at the 90’ minute. This meant the aggregate score was tied and the game would need extra time. In the 115’ minute Porto scored their second of the game, followed by a third Juventus goal in the 117’ minute.
The game ended with a 3-2 win for Juventus but a 4-4 tie on aggregate. Since Porto scored that late goal, they had more away goals than Juventus and thus advanced by the skin of their teeth.
In between the group stage in December and the Round of 16 in February, Chelsea fired their coach. Since Thomas Tuchel debuted as Chelsea’s boss on Jan. 27, the team has been unbeaten across all competition. This newfound performance has seen Chelsea jump up the Premier League standings from 11th to fourth in just two months.
In the Round of 16, Chelsea didn’t allow any goals against Atlético Madrid, winning the matchup 3-0. Chelsea will take all of this momentum into their quarter-final game.
Bayern Munich vs. Paris Saint-Germain – QF 3
April 7 and April 13
This matchup will be a replay of 2020’s Champions League final which saw Munich defeat Paris for their sixth European Championship. The formations of both sides remain relatively unchanged from last year, with the exception of Bayern’s new winger, Leroy Sané. Paris superstar Neymar missed PSG’s Round of 16 draw due to a thigh injury. However, Neymar made his return to the pitch on March 21 against Lyon as a second half substitute. Neymar’s health this week will be critical in giving PSG a chance at returning to the Champions League finals.
For Munich, all eyes will be on Canadian star Alphonso Davies. The game will be the defender’s first back for Munich since he was awarded a red card and two-game suspension in a March game against Stuttgart. Davies was ejected from the game less than 15 minutes in for an unintentional but aggressive stomp on Wataru Endo’s ankle.
However, the two-game suspension is for Bundesliga matches and doesn’t apply to Champions League games, so Davies will be eligible to play.
Real Madrid vs. Liverpool – QF 4
April 6 and April 14
Quarter-final four features one of the most even matchups of the tournament. Both teams are having poorer than expected seasons in their home countries after title wins last year. Despite their challenges, neither team should be counted out due to their plethora of individual talent. Liverpool’s star striker Mohamed Salah leads the Premier league in goals with 17 and Madrid’s Karim Benzema is third in LaLiga scoring, also with 17.
Liverpool’s 4-0 defeat of Leipzig was not as dominant as the score would lead you to believe. Leipzig held 55 per cent of possession and led Liverpool in shots but Alisson Becker was fantastic in net for Liverpool, stealing them the game.
In their first game, Real Madrid out shot Atalanta 19-2 but only won 1-0. In the second, Madrid and Atalanta were even in shots, but Madrid won the match 3-1. Madrid’s high-powered offence has failed to finish throughout the tournament. If this trend continues, they will struggle to beat Liverpool’s defence.
Featured image by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
