And then there were eight. The UEFA Champions League, Europe’s premier club tournament, is on to the quarterfinal stage where the best teams left standing face increasingly tougher competition. The quarterfinal draw delivered some interesting matchups, including one particularly enticing encounter featuring last year’s finalists.
Let’s take a quick look at all four of the quarterfinal matchups, and note the vital info (stats, injuries, etc.) that could turn the tie to one direction or the other. Also, we identify three standout players that will be more important than most for their team’s chances of going through.
The English Premier League is also reaching the home stretch. Get a better perspective of the EPL’s races for the top and bottom with our Premier League predictions.
[sc:Soccer ]2015 Champions League Quarterfinal Predictions and Preview
Overview
Vive la France! The French contingent caused the biggest upsets during the round of 16 at the expense of the mighty English. 10-man PSG came back to stun Chelsea in London, while Monaco held on to edge Arsenal by away goals.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]However, France’s two quarterfinal representatives are second only to Spain, which boasts three teams in the last eight in Barcelona, Atletico and defending champions Real Madrid. But as the luck of the draw would have it, fierce rivals Atletico and Real have been drawn against each other.
Italian champions Juventus and German champions Bayern Munich both breezed to the quarterfinals with second leg dominant victories. The two have now been handed arguably the two easiest teams left standing in Monaco and Porto. That leaves PSG to face Barcelona in a rematch of their 2013 quarterfinal.
So, how do these teams stack up? Let’s start with the round’s biggest matchup:
Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid
First leg – April 14; Second leg – April 22
Atletico vs. Real will be the most anticipated, most heated, most interesting and arguably most competitive of the four quarterfinal ties. The fierce city rivals will have some unfinished business to settle after last year’s dramatic final, which Real won in extra time. But the reigning European champs have their work cut out for them in getting past Atletico. Real under Carlo Ancelotti have only beaten Diego Simeone’s Atleti twice in 11 meetings (excluding the final), and are winless in their last eight.
Juventus vs. Monaco
First leg – April 14; Second leg – April 22
Despite Monaco’s shock victory over Arsenal in the round of 16, the French club will once again be major underdogs against Italian champions, Juventus. However, Monaco proved against Arsenal that their defense is legit, so it’ll take something special to break them down. Their chances of causing an upset have also improved due to star Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba’s torn thigh muscle, which will see him miss two months – and both quarterfinal ties.
PSG vs. Barcelona
First leg – April 15; Second leg – April 21
PSG and Barcelona have been getting very familiar with one another over the last few years. The two met in the quarterfinal stage in 2013, with PSG pushing Barca to the brink but falling short due to away goals. And this season, the two split their two meetings during the group stages. This tie is filled with star power on both sides, but the French champions will be without suspended stars Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marco Verratti for the first leg.
FC Porto vs. Bayern Munich
First leg – April 15; Second leg – April 21
After drawing one of the easier assignments in Basel during the last round, FC Porto face a substantial step up in competition against tournament favorites Bayern Munich. The German champions booked their ticket to the quarterfinals with an emphatic 7-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk. However, Bayern will be without star forward Arjen Robben after he suffered an abdominal injury, which will give Porto at least some glimmer of hope of going through.
Key Players
Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
Cristiano Ronaldo is Real Madrid’s best player, but Luka Modric is arguably their most important player. Unsurprisingly, Modric didn’t play in Real’s 4-0 humiliation against Atletico due to injury, as Real’s midfield crumbled under the pressure. Modric’s return will now provide Real the solid defensive work, accurate passing and incisive running that they sorely missed in his absence.
Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain)
Zlatan’s suspension will invariably shift the pressure to his strike partner, Edinson Cavani, to lead the line for PSG against Barca. After an uneven first campaign last year, Cavani is finally producing the performances that warranted his enormous price tag. Cavani has been in impressive form in the Champions League with six goals in eight matches, and will move back into his more preferred central position with Ibra out.
Arturo Vidal (Juventus)
Paul Pogba’s greatness has overshadowed the fact that Juventus has a whole host of other incredibly talented midfielders, like Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and, more notably, Arturo Vidal. The Chilean has had a subpar season by his standards, but he’s definitely world class when he’s on top of his game. With Pogba’s injury, Juve will look to Vidal to be the driving force of the midfield against Monaco.
Writer’s Predictions
Despite injuries to their key personnel, Juventus and Bayern easily get past Monaco and Porto, who are, with all due respect, the two weakest teams left in the competition.
However, the absence of Zlatan and Verratti will be too much for PSG to overcome as they fall to Lionel Messi’s Barcelona over two legs. Meanwhile, Atletico, who will have devoted all their time and energy to the Champions League while Real will still have one eye on La Liga, get their revenge on Real and oust the defending champs.
Of those final four, Messi and Barca have too much about them and eventually reclaim the Champions League.
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