WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE CHAMPIONS’ LEAGUE NOW?

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE CHAMPIONS’ LEAGUE NOW?

The Champions’ League draw has never packed more punch on paper. Maybe that is helped by the fact that only clubs from Europe’s top 5 leagues got into the knockout rounds. Maybe the football gods have decided that in the midst of all that is going on, football fans deserve something special. Whatever the reasons are, we have no right to complain.

Before the shutdown of football, the biggest news in football was Atletico Madrid knocking out the reigning champions, Liverpool. A, 1-0 loss at the Wanda Metropolitano made a win imperative for Liverpool. The second leg went into extra time and Marcos Llorente happened. RB Leipzig blew Tottenham away 4-0 on aggregate. Atalanta crushed Valencia in every sense of the word, 8-4 with Illicic scoring $ in the second leg. PSG also broke their round of 16 curse, coming back from 2-1 down to win 3-2 on aggregate against Dortmund.  

Now the competition is set to return for it's conclusion albeit with some changes. The second legs of the round of 16 fixtures will go ahead as planned in their original venues, home or away. But after that, it becomes a mini tournament hosted in Lisbon due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Second legs have been scrapped so ties will be decided by single matches in front of no fans.

As far as quarter final draws this has potential to be a truly special round of matches. Every fixture jumps of the page. If the matches are going to be live at the same time that might just be as good as torture. Barca vs Napoli, Chelsea vs Bayern, Real Madrid vs Man City and Lyon vs Juventus are yet to have winners. Bayern are as good as through to the quarters after winning Chelsea 3-0 away. The prospect of a single legged tie against this Bayern team is one to dread for either Barca or Napoli. There is little or no room for error no matter how small against the German giants. Match sharpness might be a concern since the Bundesliga concluded weeks ahead of the others but it is still a daunting task. Since the restart, Barca have been less than convincing in their performance which is a contrast Napoli and recent surge. Barca however showed how deadly they can be when they click against Villarreal. Plus with Messi on your team the fixture can be decided in an instant

The other quarter final which is not fixed is anyone’s game. Real Madrid are 2-1 down and without Ramos for their second away leg but they have an almost full roster, thanks to the break. Hazard and Asensio have recovered from long term injuries that would have seen them miss the second leg. Man City might be missing Aguero but they still have a lot of star talent that can seal the tie. Juventus on the other hand have to come back from 1-0 down to Lyon. The thought is easy to fathom with the competition’s arguably greatest player in their ranks. Lyon will not just be pushovers and will fight to defend their lead if not extend it. Away from home however, having not played a competitive game since March it would be difficult against a Juve team that ends their domestic season in July. The quarter final that follows will be a mouth-watering clash irrespective of who makes it through. Ronaldo returning to Madrid would be the narrative to look out for.

In the already fixed quarter finals the ties are just as enthralling. PSG vs Atalanta would be a special fixture and even though Atalanta look like outsiders, they actually have a shot. PSG have not played competitive football since March and their match sharpness will be far from ideal. Atalanta will finish their season in July. In a one off tie, that can affect PSG significantly. On paper PSG have more quality but you can’t bet against La Dea with the new format. Leipzig and Atletico knocked out the finalists of last year in their respective round of 16 fixtures. The pressing, attack minded style of Julian Nagelsmann up against the defensive organisation of Diego Simione. Leipzig will be without Timo Werner who has completed his move to Chelsea and so they would need to pull together to replace his goals for this game. Atletico have been reinvigorated since the restart and will look up for the task. Their win against Liverpool may have been months ago now but they can draw inspiration and fight from that night in Anfield, just like Cholo demands from his team.

With the semis it’s easy to speculate but the potential ties will be even more mind boggling. Right now all we know is the quarter final draws have decided some very intense and beautiful matches of football will adorn our screens starting on the 12th of August. And we have no other option but to sit back and enjoy it. Or yell at the TV depending on which team you support.