If you thought Manchester City-Monaco – which finished 6-6 on aggregate – was fun, just wait for Dortmund-Monaco. The two teams feature some of the best young attacking talent in the continent, so there’s sure to be goals over the two legs.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (7 goals in Champions League) is one of the premier marksmen in the game to day, and he leads a Dortmund front line that also includes American prodigy Christian Pulisic. Not to be outdone, Monaco have their own penalty box predator in Falcao (22 goals in 22 games this season), who will be back after missing over a month with a hip injury, as well as new French phenom Kylian Mbappe.
However, this tie could come down to which club’s defense can contain the opposing offense just enough. The slight edge goes to the Germans in that regard. Dortmund will be a formidable side to face in Signal Iduna Park, where they have conceded just two goals in six Bundesliga and Champions League games in 2017.
Writer’s Prediction: Dortmund (-170) win another highly-entertaining tie over two legs, 5-4 on aggregate.
Juventus vs. Barcelona
Something’s got to give when arguably the best offense in Europe (Barcelona) takes on the best defense (Juventus). Barca’s offense won out the last time the two European powerhouses met in the 2015 Champions League final.
But it could be a different story over two legs. Juventus Stadium has been an absolute fortress this season. They’ve got a 100 percent record at home in Serie A – 16 wins out of 16 – with 40 goals scored and just eight conceded. (Juventus are +142 to win the first leg in Italy.)
They stand a good chance of taking a lead back to Barcelona, seeing as Barca fell into a 4-0 hole in the first leg in Paris against PSG and have since lost two of their next three away games.
Meanwhile, the Juve defense, which has conceded just twice in eight Champions League games overall, is certainly good enough to preserve any advantage, even at the Camp Nou.
Writer’s Prediction: Juventus (+155) go through on away goals as the tie finishes 2-2 on aggregate.
Atletico Madrid vs. Leicester City
Atletico Madrid might have been the worst possible matchup Leicester City could’ve drawn in the quarterfinals. Atleti aren’t the most aggressive attacking side, and very seldom leave the spaces at the back that Leicester love to exploit.
Don’t expect Leicester to leave Spain with a crucial away goal like they did against Sevilla in the round of 16. Atleti have been a machine at home in the Champions League under Cholo Simeone. They’ve won 16 of their 21 Champions League home games (16-4-1) with Simeone in charge, and are unbeaten in the home leg during the knockout stage (five wins, four draws). And as if that wasn’t dominant enough, they’ve also kept a clean sheet in 15 of their last 17 Champions League home games.
Leicester have undergone quite a transformation under new boss Craig Shakespeare, with six wins out of their first seven matches. However, the Foxes will find it extremely difficult to breach that Atleti backline over two legs.
Writer’s Prediction: Atletico (-500) end Leicester’s fairy tale run with a 3-0 aggregate win.
Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
Bayern Munich winning at home has been one of the surest things in European football over the past few years. The German giants have won their last 16 Champions League home games in a row, with an incredible 58 goals scored and just nine conceded. They’ve won four out of four this season, with 15 scored and just two conceded. (Bayern are -144 to win the first leg.)
With the Germans a good bet to have an advantage to protect in the return leg in Spain, the question now becomes whether Real can keep Bayern at bay over two legs? Probably not.
Real are nowhere near as capable defensively as the Germans, and with superstar Cristiano Ronaldo not able to score like he has in the past – he hasn’t scored in the Champions League in 613 minutes – the defending champions are in real danger of coming up short.
Writer’s Prediction: Bayern (-145) boot out the defending champions, 4-3 on aggregate.
