Four talking points from the Champions League quarter-final draw
Friday’s Champions League quarter-final draw certainly threw up some interesting ties, with mixed emotions for the four Premier League teams involved. We pick out one key talking point from each of next month’s double headers.
Liverpool vs Porto - Has the gap narrowed between the two?
It’s fair to say that while Liverpool will view their game as a potential banana skin rather than a free pass to the semi-finals there is no doubt that the Reds will be happy with the draw. They faced off against the Portuguese champions in last season’s knockout stages after all, romping to a convincing 5-0 win away from home before somewhat of a goalless dead rubber at Anfield.
Porto, it should be said, will look to learn a lesson for their heavy defeat in the round of 16 last year, and they have won the Liga NOS title since then, as well as breezing through this season’s group stages. Sergio Conceicao’s side have had a favourable draw to now, it should be said, but only Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have scored more goals in this season’s tournament (19), with Liverpool back on 12 by comparison.
Tottenham vs Manchester City - How will Premier League pair juggle tough April fixtures?
Not a draw either team would have really wanted, there’s no doubt City will be the happier of the two and the Premier League champions are not only favourites to progress but remain favourites to lift the trophy following the draw. However, it will be interesting to see just how both teams cope with an incredibly tough month of fixtures coming up.
Not only do the two have to face off twice in Europe - the first of which will be the first under the lights at Tottenham’s new stadium - but they meet in the league immediately after the second leg too. Before then Spurs have a trip to Anfield to contend with, while City have the derby against United after the three games with Mauricio Pochettino’s men in the space of 11 days!
Manchester United vs Barcelona - Memories of finals gone by for United
If Manchester United are going to go the distance in Europe there’s no question they will have done so the hard way. Having faced Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo in the group stages they came up against Kylian Mbappe and co. last time out and welcome Lionel Messi’s Barcelona to Old Trafford next. The two sides have actually gone head-to-head later in the tournament than this three times since 2008, with United winning their last double header against Barcelona in the semis on route to the title.
The Spaniards have exacted revenge since, however, winning the final against The Red Devils the very next season, and then again - at Wembley - in 2011. La Liga’s leaders will be pleased to have the second leg at Camp Nou, though United - and more pertinently Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - will likely relish a return to the iconic stadium, where the Norwegian scored the winner as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side came from behind to win the tournament against Bayern 20 years ago.
Ajax vs Juventus - Perennial dark horse face this season’s outside shot
For some time Juventus have approached this stage of the tournament as something of an underestimated outsider to be victorious but this season that has changed. The Serie A champions are second favourites of the eight remaining sides to win the tournament outright, with the Cristiano Ronaldo effect undoubtedly taken into account - especially following his hat-trick against Atleti - along with a seemingly fortuitous draw against Ajax.
That said, given the way the Dutch giants played at the Bernabeu in the previous round, some now consider Erik ten Hag’s side as this season’s dark horse. Only Manchester City and Barcelona have earned a higher WhoScored.com rating in the tournament to now (7.04). There’s no question Max Allegri will be wary of a team that proved they can turn on the style and upset the odds in the competition already - avoiding defeat over two games against Bayern and embarrassing Real Madrid on their own turf.
