UCL QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
The Champions League quarter-final draw took place on Friday and threw up some tasty ties.
• Chelsea vs Real Madrid
• Man City vs Atletico Madrid
• Villarreal vs Bayern Munich
• Benfica vs Liverpool
There’s no space for Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, but let’s be honest… PSG and Manchester United have been rubbish this season considering the talent they have.
So, instead of worrying ourselves about the above pair, let’s instead look at the winners and losers of the QF draw.
Winner: Jurgen Klopp
• Getting one of the kindest draws of the lot will go a long way in aiding the Reds in their hunt for the quadruple
• Benfica caused a couple of shocks on the way, but Liverpool’s superior quality over Portuguese opposition was highlighted in their 5-1 hammering of Porto
• Both matches fall either side of a potentially season-defining trip to Man City – Kloppo might well be able to rotate his squad in Europe to stay fresh
Losers: Chelsea
• Chelsea may be unbeaten in their last five encounters against Real Madrid, but they’ll need all the help they can get against a much-improved Blancos side
• Indeed, Karim Benzema is in potentially the best form of his stellar career, underlined by his comeback hat-trick against PSG
• And with sanctions against Roman Abramovich meaning Chelsea may have to play their home leg behind closed doors due to being unable to sell tickets, a tough road lies ahead
Winners: Bayern Munich
• Despite their 3-0 heroics against Juventus, Villarreal are probably the weakest of the remaining sides
• Bayern were superb in the group stage, winning all six of their games
• Any doubts about the Bavarians’ mentality after a 1-1 round of 16 draw with Salzburg were put to bed after a 7-1 hammering in the second leg
Loser: Diego Simeone
• ‘Loser’ is something we’d never call Cholo to his face, but it’s undeniable that beating Man City is a big ask
• After all, Atleti failed to beat both Liverpool and Man Utd at home this season – and only squeaked past the latter with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford
• Even if Simeone can mastermind another success, he’ll have to face either Real Madrid or Chelsea in the semi-final.
▪︎ Report by GOAL.com
