The quarter final draw for the UEFA Champions League were out yesterday and boy have we got an exciting quarter final. Of course we have the Madrid derby which could be really tricky and interesting for both clubs, Real Madrid in their Last Champions League outing were not impressive and Schalke nearly pulled of a great upset of knocking Real Madrid from the league, but Madrid held on, But their Defence was shambolic and they cannot keep riding on luck. The Madrid defence gotta get their act together or it could be worse cause Atletico looks good as long it doesn't go to penalties it would be fine it the round of sixteen match against Bayern Leverkusen which went to penalties after two legs, it was dreadful penalties taken from both teams, apart from penalties Atletico looks organised in defence and midfield so Real Madrid should not take them lightly as their form currently is wishy washy.
The other fixture between Paris St.Germain and Barcelona , they are being paired together for three consecutive years , Barcelona came out the winners but this year it's going to be tough for the Catalan Team judging by the Round of sixteen performance by PSG knocking out Chelsea showing unbelievable fighting spirit to come from behind twice and knocking the in form English team even though they were down to ten men early first half shows that PSG can surprise you and are serious contenders for the title. Barcelona FC their last performance against Manchester City was nostalgic for me because it had been ages since i saw Barcelona display such a commanding performance even though they won by one goal, it could have been more only to be overshadowed by Joe Hart's Brilliant performance. But you could Barcelona up front were looking positive The three strikers i.e. Messi, Neymar and Suarez looks solid up front gelling well. And Messi's eye catching and jaw dropping performance last match wow what can i say, shades of the old messi haven't seen such scintillating performance by him in such a long time, If Messi continues this form it's going to be hard for PSG to contain him. Defence looked solid Jordi Alba kept troubling Samir Nasri, defenders kept a good shape and Ter Stegan the goalkeeper apart from a convincing penalty save did a good job too. This game both teams seem neck to neck in the first leg Zlatan Imbrahimovic and Marco Verrati will be missed due to suspension but nevertheless PSG should not be Counted off as they have Strength in depth and let;s not forget they did put up an impressive performance without Imbrahimovic in the second leg match between in the Round of 16.
The other Fixture is between one of the feared and dominating teams in the Champions League Bayern Munich drawn with Portuguese giants Porto FC. On paper it could be an easy and convincing win for Bayern Munich but that's just on paper both teams destroyed their round of sixteen opponents to progress through the quarters. Bayern obliterating Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto the same to FC Basel. Can't find ant fault with the bavarians as they seem to play a high tempo consistent football with Pep influencing his style of tiki taka into their game but Bayern Munich should not take their opponents lightly, if there is anything we have learnt from this beautiful sport it's about teams putting up big upsets. Porto FC on their day can pose trouble to the German giants. And Porto have already beaten the German giants in the 1987 final in Vienna winning 2-1 so if they can channel that victory they can certainly cause an upset and would consider them as favourites to the prestigious title. Both teams sit pretty in their respective leagues with Bayern certainly looking to win another Bundesliga and Porto in second place a few points behind Benifica. An Interesting statistic: Bayern Munich have played 22 times against Portuguese sides and have lost only once, going by this statistic you should assume Bayern should add on to this statistic but you never count out the underdog.
The other fixture is between is between Juventus FC and Monaco FC. Although many would suggest Monaco FC as underdogs i certainly don't see them as that their impressive showing against Arsenal FC in their round of sixteen draw showed that they are team not to take lightly. Their resilience to hold off and play against strong opposition is tremendous. They do not have star studded names in their line up as opposed to their opponents but What they lack in that department they make up in team spirit and playing smart football, each player knows what do to exactly who to mark when to shift gears and counter. Coach Jardim has done a great job. Monaco were not so convincing in the group stages looked very unconvincing did not expect them to progress but look how far they have come and hats off to them. They started poorly in the French league too but they slowly found their feet and sit fourth in the table. Well as far as Juventus is concerned in the Serie A, looks like they are going to win for the fourth time in a row completely dominating their Italian opponents. Yes at the European stage their performances have not been all that great the past few years but The side looks solid this year forwards clicking well Tevez putting up impressive displays dominant performance against Borussia Dortmund scoring a brace. Pogba should return to the side in time for the first leg his role in the Juventus side has been vital. The defence even though not the youngest bunch but they always get the job done with convincing defensive displays. Allegri has picked off were Conte had left off and is doing a great job to the side. So this Fixture to me looks evenly balance with both teams having a great chance of progressing through to the Semi Finals. An interesting statistic Juventus have won 13 out of their 22 matches against French opposition losing five and all those defeats in France so Monaco can certainly take advantage of their home fixture.
So,, the draw is out the teams know who they are up against the fans know too, it's going to a treat for football fans i sense a few upsets going to happen. But all i know for certain is all these 8 teams are not going to go down easily each and every on of them is going to fight for a Semi Final berth. So cant wait for the 14th and 15th April for the first leg. Any predictions ladies and gents ? Who do you think will progress? Have your say.....
Pictures courtesy of UEFA.com
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