The UEFA Champions League quarter-final is just around the corner and that provides us with an opportunity to cast a fleeting glance as to what Europe’s premier competition has in store for us.
In case you didn’t know, Juventus are taking on Barcelona, while Real Madrid will play Bayern Munich. I know it is hard to top it but then there is the battle of the underdogs as Leicester City and Atletico Madrid battle for a place in the semis, while two of the most exciting and attack-minded teams in Borussia Dortmund and AS Monaco go head to head.
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Here are the 5 things to look forward to ahead of an exciting week of Champions League football:
#1 Juventus vs Barcelona – Rematch of the 2015 UEFA Champions League final
The last time that Barcelona and Juventus crossed paths in the UEFA Champions League was in the final of the 2015 edition of the competition. The Camp Nou outfit prevailed over the Turin giants to lift their 5th Champions League trophy.
Ivan Rakitic opened the scoring for the Catalan giants in the 4th minute before Alvaro Morata pulled the Italian giants on level terms, 10 minutes into the second half. It was all Barcelona after that as goals from Luis Suarez and Neymar helped seal a 3-1 win for Luis Enrique’s side.
Almost 2 years later, Massimiliano Allegri’s side have finally got the chance to avenge their loss against a Barcelona side – who look a shadow of the team that ran riot against the best teams in the world in 2015. Juventus arguably have the better squad of the two teams and have undeniably one of the best – if not the best – defence in Europe.
Barcelona do have MSN in their ranks, but on the other hand, the Turin outfit also have Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain and Mario Mandzukic. The big question is will Juventus be able to take revenge for their 2015 final loss.
#2 Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid – A historic rivalry renewed
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have faced each other 22 times till date, with the Bavarians slightly edging the Santiago Bernabeu outfit in the head to head record. The Bavarians have won 11 out of the 22 games against Los Blancos, while 2 games have seen the two teams share the spoils. Real Madrid have came out on top on 9 occasions and will be hoping to be even on head-to-head record by the end of this stage of the competition.
It is a battle between a Bayern Munich side – who are on course to win their 5th consecutive Bundesliga title and find themselves 10 points clear at the top with 6 games left to play – and a Real Madrid side who are hoping to end Barcelona’s recent dominance in La Liga by lifting their first title since 2011-12.
However, that is not all that sets this tie apart, it is a clash between Carlo Ancelotti and his former assistant Zinedine Zidane, who played under Ancelotti at Juventus before he became the then most expensive transfer in the world when he left the Old Lady for Los Blancos.
To add to that, the last time Real Madrid and Bayern Munich played each other was in the semi-final of the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League, when Pep Guardiola’s side were handed a 5-0 defeat over the two legs by Ancelotti’s Madrid, which included a 4-0 defeat of the Bavarians in their own backyard.
#3 Borussia Dortmund vs AS Monaco – Potential to be the highest scoring quarter-final of all time
The irresistible force paradox – ‘What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?’ – could hold true for this tie. After all, it is a clash of two of the most free-scoring teams of this season, who don’t necessarily give much importance to defence.
Dortmund progressed to the quarters after a 5-0 win over Benfica, while it was not that straight forward for the Ligue 1 title hopefuls. Monaco suffered a 5-3 loss in the first-leg of their round of 16 clash against Manchester City. Leonardo Jardim’s side then recorded a 3-1 second leg win over the English outfit to progress on away goals with an aggregate scoreline of 6-6.
Real Madrid currently hold the record for the highest scoring quarter-final, when they secured a 10-2 win over Sevilla in 1957-58. In the Champions League era, it is their opponents in the quarter-final, Bayern Munich, who hold the record of a 6-0 win over Kaiserslautern, which happened in 1998-99.
If the Dortmund vs Monaco tie lives up to its potential and the two teams throw wind to the caution we might see them breaking the Champions League record of the highest scoring quarter-final. Let’s hope they do.
#4 Atletico Madrid vs Leicester City – Battle of the underdogs
Atlletico Madrid have played in the final of the UEFA Champions League in two of the last 3 seasons, losing each time to arch-rivals Real Madrid. They are the only team apart form Madrid and Barcelona to have won La Liga in the last 12 years, since 2004-05. They are underdogs by no stretch of imagination but given the context of the European elite and the other heavyweights currently in the competition, this fixture against Leicester City can very well be termed as the battle of underdogs.
Leicester City made history last season when they won their maiden Premier League title under Claudio Ranieri defying all the odds and then some. The Foxes has since parted ways with the Italian but look a beast revitalised under Craig Shakespeare.
The reigning Premier League champions are playing in the UEFA Champions League for the first-time in their history and to be in the quarter-final is outrageous at the very least. To think that they can progress to the semi-finals, if they manage to overcome the challenge of Atletico is unbelievable but if we have learnt anything from their title triumph then that is – miracles do happen, you just need to believe. And Leicester believe!
#5 Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo – The race for 100 Champions League goals
There is nothing that I can write about either of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo that hasn’t already been written. They are two legends of the modern game, who have pushed each other to become better to the point that they moved beyond the reach of even great footballers.
The two are now competing to become the first player in the history of football to score 100 goals in the UEFA Champions League. Messi currently has 94 goals to his name, while Ronaldo has 95. Incidentally, Ronaldo had moved way ahead of the Argentine ahead of this season, having netted 16 times in the competition last term – a record.
However, with 10 goals to his name this season, the 29-year-old has caught up with the Portuguese and finds himself only 1 goal behind him. Ronaldo has only managed to net twice in the elite competition this season and willl be hoping to get his scoring boots on against Bayern.
No matter what happens, the race to this epic milestone promises to be an enthralling one. Who will come out on top? I would say the one who helps his team win the Champions League, irrespective of whether he gets to the record first or second.
