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Since the 2008-09 season of the UEFA Champions League, this is the first time that four English clubs have qualified for the quarter-finals. Chelsea was the last English club to lift the most prestigious club competition in Europe by beating Bayern Munich 4-3 on penalties back in the 2011-12 season.
Last week, Tottenham and Manchester United defeated their opponents and, this week, Manchester City demolished Schalke 04 7-0 while Liverpool thumped Bayern 3-1 in their own backyard, to join the pot of final eight alongside Barcelona, Juventus, Ajax and Porto.
Here are the three reasons why this might be the best chance for an English club to make a statement in the biggest European stage of football.
#3 Lack of clear-cut favourites
The Champions League has recently been dominated by the Spanish teams. Barcelona or Real Madrid, who have won this competition seven times in the last 10 years. This time though, Barcelona is only the representative in the quarter-finals from Spain after an early elimination of Real Madrid from the round of 16 at the hands of Ajax.
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This is probably the first time in recent Champions League history that there are no clear-cut favourites to lift the title. Juventus looked vulnerable in the first leg against Atlético Madrid while Barcelona looked far from convincing in their tie against Lyon. The Spanish club could only get a goalless draw away to the French side and had to rely on the brilliance of Lionel Messi to win the second leg, 5-1.
It gives an indication that the competition is wide open, and this might be the year when we can see the rise of a new champion.
#2 Presence of four teams in last eight
Half of the last eight clubs are English, which suggests if they don’t draw each other in the quarter-finals, then there is a possibility of all English semi- finals and then final at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid. The last time Champions League saw an all English final was back in the 2007-08 season between Chelsea and Manchester United with the Red Devils beating Chelsea 6-5 in a penalty shootout.
It will be fascinating to see how the draws will pan out, and English fans will be hopeful of seeing another all English final on June 1.
#1 Dominance of big two
The statement made by Manchester City and Liverpool in the round of 16 against Schalke and Bayern respectively, is a message to other clubs about how lethal they can get in the business end of the tournament.
Manchester City’s demolishing display against Schalke has made them the front runner in the eyes of football pundits and bookies. The side from Manchester destroyed Schalke 7-0 in the second leg and earned a staggering 10-2 aggregate win over the Germans. Pep Guardiola’s experience in the latter stage of the competition will be really helpful for the citizens towards lifting their maiden title.
On the other hand, Liverpool’s stunning display against Bayern in the second leg has drawn attention of all the bookmakers. Liverpool smashed Bayern 3-1 at the Allianz Arena, and the way the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Manéand Alissonare performing, it will be huge mistake to not take them seriously.
