Champions League QF Reactions and Predictions
*DISCLAIMER* ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BEFORE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCHES
At long last, the Champions League is back! We are in the quarter-finals where eight of the best European soccer teams will battle for the most coveted trophy that club soccer has to offer. Today we will analyze all four games and predict the winner from each tie.
Manchester City vs. Borussia Dortmund
Pep Guardiola and Manchester City seem to be favorites to win the Champions League every year, but are always the cause of their own demise. However, with the rise in form of Ilkay Gundogan, Ruben Dias, Kevin De Bruyne, and others, this year looks like they could actually go all the way. But if there is one man who could have something to say about that it would be Erling Haaland. With ten goals in just six games this season, Haaland has put Dortmund on his back and has quickly become the most sought after player in the world. If anyone were to cause an upset to Manchester City, you would imagine it would be this man.
Prediction: Manchester City 5 – 2 Dortmund
Porto vs Chelsea
Out of all the remaining teams in this year’s competition, Porto and Chelsea are the least likely to win. But this encounter should still be nothing short of entertaining. The resurgence of Chelsea under their new manager, Thomas Tuchel, give them the edge as the favorites in this tie. But if Pepe can replicate his dominant performance against Ronaldo’s Juventus then surely Porto has a good chance of advancing.
Prediction: Porto 1 – 2 Chelsea
Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint Germain
And we’ve arrived at the most mouth-watering draw: Bayern vs PSG. A repeat of last year’s final. A clash of two titans. Bayern Munich have shown no signs of slowing down after their sextuple winning season in 2020 but with their key man, Robert Lewandowski, unavailable for this game you would imagine Bayern will not find it as easy to break down PSG. PSG on the other hand have been handed injury boosts in the form of Neymar and Di Maria. Add Kylian Mbappe to the mix and you have a PSG squad that can go toe to toe with any team in the world.
Prediction Bayern 2 – 4 PSG
Real Madrid vs Liverpool
This match will be a repeat of the 2018 final, where Real Madrid beat a sloppy Liverpool on the day. Liverpool will be looking for revenge, but with their awful form throughout their season it will be difficult. Losing their best defender, Virgil Van Dijk, has made them extremely vulnerable defensively as they now sit seventh place in the Premier League table after winning the title by 19 points in 2020. While Real Madrid have not had a season to write about so far this year, you would imagine them to get past the Reds even without their captain, Sergio Ramos.
Prediction: Real Madrid 5 – 2 Liverpool
