The draw for the Champions League last-eight was made on Friday and some interesting ties culminated together as we enter the crunch stage of this competition.
With all the four English teams reaching this stage, the odds of getting one all-Premier League tie was always on the cards. And we got that, with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City playing each other.
The other two teams – Liverpool and Manchester United face Porto and Barcelona respectively.
Below, let’s analyse all the ties involving the Premier League teams and see who has the best chance of reaching the semi-finals:
This is an all-English tie, hence, we are sure to see one of the Premier League teams bowing out of the competition at this stage. On paper, City have the better squad and more pedigree to get the better of Spurs.
However, Mauricio Pochettino’s men can turn it up in the two legs and give a proper game to Pep Guardiola’s side. The key thing that the underdogs must do is to take a lead from the home leg, going into the second leg at the Etihad.
Despite that, we may see the Cityzens doing enough to beat Tottenham and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
These two met in the last-16 stage last year and Liverpool won that tie 5-0 on aggregate, with all the five goals coming away in Portugal in the first leg. However, Porto will be determined to be better this time around.
However, byusing the quality and experience in this competition to good effect, the Reds can overcome their opponents over the two legs and reach the last-four of the Champions League for the second year running.
United completed a miraculous comeback in Paris to reach this stage. However, up against a magician named Lionel Messi, Ole Gunnar Solskajer’s men might need another miracle to scrap past Barcelona.
Among the eight teams in the quarterfinals, the Catalans are one of the favourites to win this competition. Furthermore, with Messi in top form, we cannot help but think that stopping him would be a step too far for the Red Devils.
Read more Premier League news, click here – Premier League latest news
As for the predictions, two English teams could contest in the semi-finals of the Champions League this season. Of course, things can change and it might go the other way, but the onus is on the favourites to do the job.
The Premier League run-in, the backend of the title race for Manchester City sees them…
Everton is having a bad season so far, from their poor form in the league…
Communication is the heartbeat of any successful soccer team. On the field, amidst the flurry…
In the annals of football history, few names evoke as much reverence and admiration as…
Are you new to the world of football betting and would you like to take…
If you are into sports betting, staying ahead of the game is crucial. One way…