Big Clashes Ahead
The Champions League Quarterfinals Are Set
Today the Champions League quarterfinal match-ups were announced. Ajax will face Juventus, Liverpool will face Porto, Tottenham will face Manchester City and Barcelona will face Manchester United. The first legs will take place on April 9th and 10th. The second legs will take place on April 16th and 17th.
My Thoughts & Predictions:
Ajax vs Juventus - Juventus Advance:
Both Ajax and Juventus will be confident after they both had great second legs. Ajax dismantled Real Madrid 4-1 at the Bernabeu and a Ronaldo hat trick brought Juventus back from a 2-0 loss in the first leg. We have to remember how poor Juventus were in the first leg. When Real Madrid were similarly poor, Ajax pounced. At their best Juventus can put a few goals past Ajax. Even if Juventus slip up and Ajax exploit them, you can't ignore the Ronaldo factor and because of him I'm picking Juventus to advance.
Liverpool vs Porto - Liverpool Advance:
Liverpool will hope they can replicate their performances against Porto in last season's Champions League round of 16, where Liverpool won 5-0 on aggregate. I think they can get in done again. Porto just narrowly advanced in extra time, thanks to a controversial penalty. Liverpool on the other hand weren't at their best against Bayern Munich but still beat them 3-1. If Liverpool play well, then they will fly past Porto and even if they play the way they did against Bayern, I still see them going through.
Tottenham vs Manchester City - Manchester City Advance:
With all 4 English teams still in the competition, an all English tie seemed inevitable and that's what we got, when Manchester City drew Tottenham. Spurs beat Borussia Dortmund 4-0 on aggregate and City beat Schalke 10-2 on aggregate. City were very dominant in the second leg but they showed more character in the first leg. City were down 2-1 and had Otamendi sent off but still fought their way back to a late 3-2 win. For me, City's ability to win despite not being at their best is the deciding factor between City and a very tactically sound Spurs.
Barcelona vs Manchester United - Barcelona Advance:
Manchester United's confidence is high after they came back against Paris Saint Germain and advanced on away goals. But unlike PSG, Barcelona have a lot of Champions League experience. I hesitate to write off Solskjær's Manchester United because of their incredible run of form but I can't look past Messi's Barcelona. Similar to Ronaldo at Juventus, Messi has been the heartbeat of this Barcelona side all season. He scored 2 goals and got 2 assists in their 5-1 win over Lyon. Between Barcelona's Champions League experience and Messi himself, it looks like Solskjær and United's form may have reached the end of it's rope.