Champions League: Previews And Predictions For The Quarter-finals

Sporting v Arsenal, Tuesday

Arsenal get successful Lisbon having seen their quadruple dreams unravel aft back-to-back defeats to Manchester City successful nan League Cup final and Southampton successful nan FA Cup quarter-finals. Those missed opportunities, though disappointing, should attraction nan players’ minds connected a Double that is very overmuch attainable.

Arsenal won each 8 matches successful nan convention shape and showed small motion of faltering successful nan past 16, wherever they delivered a 3-1 aggregate triumph complete Bayer Leverkusen. They tread acquainted crushed arsenic they make their 3rd consecutive quarter-final quality successful nan Champions League.

Eleven Arsenal players returned early from nan caller world break and Gabriel Magalhães became nan latest successful a increasing number of players reportedly injured erstwhile he hobbled disconnected pinch a knee wounded astatine Southampton. The Brazilian defender joins Eberechi Eze, Piero Hincapié, Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino arsenic apt absentees for this fixture. The bully news is that Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and Martin Ødegaard whitethorn return, bringing immoderate much-needed creativity.

Sporting person to contend pinch nan lingering representation of a 5-1 conclusion erstwhile these sides met past season, a consequence made each nan much achy by nan departure of Viktor Gyökeres, who scored 97 goals and provided 28 assists successful 102 appearances for nan nine earlier moving to London. His replacement, nan 28-year-old Colombian Luis Suárez, has filled his boots admirably, scoring 34 goals successful each competitions this play – including 5 successful nan Champions League.

Sporting are underdogs successful nan necktie but nan Estádio José Alvalade has been a wall this season. They person mislaid only erstwhile astatine location successful nan convention this play and that was successful August. Their location grounds successful nan Champions League is moreover better: 5 games, 5 wins and 16 goals scored.

The manager, Rui Borges, must contend pinch respective absentees. Fotis Ioannidis, Geovany Quenda, Nuno Santos, Luis Guilherme and Iván Fresneda are apt to miss retired done wounded aliases illness, and nan captain, Morten Hjulmand, is suspended. Prediction: Arsenal to advancement aft a tie successful nan first leg.

Real Madrid v Bayern Munich, Tuesday

Bayern Munich sojourn nan Spanish superior pinch upwind successful their sails: they person mislaid only doubly successful 43 matches this season, are connected an unbeaten tally of 13 games, and person won 9 of their 10 games successful nan Champions League. Their 10-2 demolition of Atalanta successful nan past 16 served arsenic a timely reminder of their attacking firepower.

They rested a fewer important players successful their 3-2 triumph astatine Freiberg astatine nan play and, pinch nan Bundesliga title each but secured and a spot successful nan DFB-Pokal semi-finals booked, their attraction is fixed connected nan task up astatine nan Bernabéu. Yet, for each of their home dominance, Bayern person grounded to hit Real successful their past 9 attempts. The bully news is that, moreover though Harry Kane missed England’s conclusion to Japan past week, he trained pinch nan squad connected Monday and has travelled to Madrid.

Real Madrid will relish nan imaginable of hosting Bayern, not slightest because they person gone connected to assistance nan trophy nan past 4 times they person eliminated nan German broadside from nan competition. Their caller home shape does springiness logic to temper expectations, though; their 2-1 conclusion to Real Mallorca connected Saturday allowed Barcelona to move 7 points clear astatine nan apical of La Liga. If anything, that setback will only sharpen their attraction pinch nan Champions League.

Real mislaid 3 matches successful nan convention phase, forcing them to flooded Benfica successful nan playoffs, but they are a different unit successful nan knockouts – arsenic shown by their 5-1 aggregate triumph against Manchester City successful nan past 16. They knocked Bayern retired successful nan semi-finals successful 2023-24, 2017-18 and 2013-14, arsenic good arsenic successful nan quarter-finals successful 2016-17, truthful person history connected their side.

Thibaut Courtois is still missing aft picking up an wounded against Manchester City past month, truthful Madrid will trust connected Andriy Lunin. Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos whitethorn besides miss retired but Kylian Mbappé – nan apical scorer successful nan title this play pinch 13 goals – is fit. Prediction: Bayern to advancement aft a tie successful nan first leg.

Harry Kane has scored 48 goals for Bayern Munich this season. Photograph: Markus Gilliar/GES Sportfoto/Getty Images

Barcelona v Atlético Madrid, Wednesday

Atlético Madrid do not person to hold agelong for a changeable astatine redemption. They were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona astatine nan weekend, Robert Lewandowski scoring nan victor successful nan 87th infinitesimal aft Atléti had been reduced to 10 men successful nan first half. This will beryllium nan 5th gathering betwixt these sides this season. Barcelona won some games successful nan convention but Atlético’s impressive triumph successful nan Copa Del Rey semi-finals serves arsenic a reminder of nan harm they tin inflict going forward.

Atléti person seldom grounded to entertain successful nan Champions League this season. Their 12 games person produced 55 goals (4.6 per game). Their 7-5 aggregate triumph against Tottenham successful nan last-16 displayed some their attacking prowess and a fragility that is uncharacteristic for a Diego Simeone side. They person conceded 24 goals – 2 per crippled – successful nan competition. Atlético person mislaid their past 3 matches successful each competitions but a look astatine history provides immoderate encouragement: these teams person met doubly successful nan Champions League – successful nan quarter-finals successful 2013-14 and 2015-16 – and Atlético won some ties.

Simeone rested respective players against Barcelona astatine nan weekend. Dávid Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri, Alexander Sørloth, Julián Álvarez and Ademola Lookman were near retired of nan starting lineup, a clear awesome of wherever his priorities lie. Jan Oblak has returned to training and should commencement successful extremity but José María Giménez, Pablo Barrios and Johnny Cardoso are improbable to feature.

Barcelona are successful awesome form: they are unbeaten successful 9 matches, person a seven-point lead astatine nan apical of La Liga, and hit Newcastle 7-2 successful nan past information of nan Champions League. They person scored 19 goals successful their past 4 location games successful nan Champions League and boast a 6-1 aggregate people against Atlético astatine location this season.

Hansi Flick has respective wounded concerns, however. Raphinha suffered a hamstring wounded successful Brazil’s conclusion to France past week, ruling him retired of some legs, and Frenkie de Jong is still recovering from a akin issue. Marc Bernal and Andreas Christensen stay connected nan sidelines but Ronald Araújo is expected to beryllium available. Prediction: Barça to triumph nan first limb and nan tie.

Paris Saint-Germain v Liverpool, Wednesday

This necktie could not person travel astatine a worse clip for Liverpool. They were connected nan incorrect extremity of a 4-0 thrashing against Manchester City successful nan FA Cup quarter-finals connected Saturday, their 15th conclusion of nan play and their 4th successful their past 5 distant games. They hit PSG 1-0 astatine nan Parc des Princes past spring, but a batch has changed successful 12 months.

On a much encouraging note, Mohamed Salah, Jeremie Frimpong and Federico Chiesa are available, and nan £125m signing Alexander Isak mightiness make his first quality successful nan squad since breaking his limb against Tottenham successful December.

PSG person a wont of beating English sides successful nan Champions League. They knocked Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal retired of nan title past season, and they swept Chelsea speech past month, winning 8-2 connected aggregate. Bradley Barcola picked up an wounded successful that necktie but whitethorn return, and Vitinha, João Neves and Nuno Mendes are apt to commencement having travel disconnected nan chair successful nan 3-1 triumph against Toulouse astatine nan weekend. Prediction: PSG to triumph nan first limb and nan tie.

This is an article by WhoScored