Ranking the must-watch games of the Champions League quarterfinals

The Champions League returns on Tuesday (2:45 p.m. ET, FS1 and FS2) with the quarterfinal round kicking off. Eight teams remain to compete for European glory, but what are the most compelling matchups of the four remaining ties?

Atletico Madrid vs. Leicester City

Diego Simeone is a must-watch every time he coaches. His cartoon super villain all black suits, his crazy antics on the sideline, and his 90 minute plus fireworks show makes him incredible entertainment. That's doesn't even touch upon the teams he puts out, and the intense performances his energy inspires. Leicester City are somehow this season's Cinderella story once again as well, despite having let the Dilly Dong Dilly Ding King Claudio Ranieri go.
Still, in terms of pure on-pitch entertainment and storylines, this one ranks last of the matchups. Atletico Madrid are expected to win, and comfortably, and it's hard to see Simeone, Antoine Griezmann, and co. letting Leicester add their names to the list of casualties in this fairytale story.
 

Borussia Dortmund vs. AS Monaco

This one's just going to be pure fun. Borussia Dortmund and Monaco are the two youngest, most exciting, and most attack-minded teams in the entire tournament, and they're pitted against each other. Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel and Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim love to attack, and they've built teams that do just that.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ousmane Dembele, Christian Pulisic on one side, and Kylian Mbappe, Falcao, and Bernardo Silva on the other, this one's going to be filled with beautiful football and goals.
Still, as fun as this one will be to watch, it doesn't quite have the prestige as the top two matchups.

Juventus vs. Barcelona

It's hard to pick between the rematch of 2015's Champions League final between Juventus and Barcelona or the rematch of 2014's epic semifinal between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Barcelona are coming off the most incredible comeback win in Champions League history, while Juventus are the strongest they've been since that final loss, and eager to get revenge for 2015.
Despite that incredible win against PSG though, Barcelona really haven't been great this season. They're coming into this match on the back of a loss to Malaga in the league, which may have delivered La Liga into the hands of bitter rivals Real Madrid. Juventus have coasted once again in Serie A, but they'll be more than wary of the threat Barcelona possess, and it's going to be a firecracker of a matchup no matter what the form book reads like before this one.

Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich

As good as Barcelona-Juventus looks like it'll be, Madrid-Bayern has all the makings of a classic. Both top of their respective leagues, and in incredible form, the storylines here are fantastic. Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti was in charge of Real Madrid with Zidane as his assistant when Madrid won their 10th European Cup in 2014. Zidane must have learned a thing or two from his mentor, because he then took Madrid over and won Champions League in 2016, in his very first season in charge.
Now, the two meet head to head for the first time, with two of the best squads in the world at their disposal. There are too many star names to list on both sides, with Robert Lewandowski, Arjen Robben, Thiago Alcantara, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, and former Bayern star Toni Kroos just a few of the players that will go head to head.
You can't miss this one.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Paul Pogba delivers worst performance in Man United shirt in loss at Brighton

Image
Manchester United lost 1-0 at Brighton, a game where the hosts secured their Premier League status for another season, in a performance as abject as any United have produced under Jose Mourinho. It was a performance lacking in urgency until the 70th minute, when United seemed to realise the gravity of the situation, but a defeat with intensity and discipline of this nature was no less than they deserved. Positives David De Gea produced a cluster of saves that showed why he is one of the world's very best. Negatives Almost too numerous to mention, so conservative were the tactics, but Paul Pogba was poor in possession, Matteo Darmian and Ashley Young were too timid in wide areas, and Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford made poor decisions in attack. Manager rating out of 10 4 -- Mourinho chose two full-backs who did not push forward and put them behind a right-winger and central midfielder (Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini) who lack pace. The result was a strange...
Read more

Bailly's prolonged absence underlines Man United's injury woes this season

Image
Eric Bailly's ankle injury, which could sideline him for three months, is a major problem for Jose Mourinho and Manchester United. After being without his best player, Paul Pogba, for two months, this long-term injury to another key member of the squad is a huge blow. The manager loves to find an excuse for his failings but it would be unfair not to acknowledge that United have been unfortunate when it's come to injuries this season. Rivals Manchester City have had their most important players, Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, fit for every Premier League game this season, while Pogba has missed morethan half United's league matches. Mourinho's back line has been hit with injuries throughout the course of the season too, with Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, the latter in particular, again proving they're made out of glass. But the repeated injuries to Bailly have been the most damaging. The Ivorian may have an unconventional approach to defending, o...
Read more

Warning against 'volcano tourism' risks

Image
Thrill-seeking tourists are putting themselves in danger and hampering emergency services by heading towards volcanoes when they erupt. A report from the Royal Geographical Society warns of the growing risks caused by "volcano tourism". Emergency authorities in countries such as Iceland now have to contend with the arrival of tourists who rush there to get close to an exploding volcano. The study says such tourists fail to understand the seriousness of the risk. The study, published by the Royal Geographical Society and written by University of Cambridge geographer Amy Donovan, warns that such visitors can create dangerous problems for already stretched rescue services. 'Volcanophiles' The phenomenon of "volcano tourism" has seen thousands of people trying to get close to the site of erupting volcanoes for the physical experience of seeing, hearing and feeling the heat of such a natural spectacle. Dr Donovan says that such people are fa...
Read more