Manchester City and Real Madrid are set to play because the UEFA Champions League knockout phases start this Tuesday, with the final two winners of European soccer’s most prestigious title seeming to be the strongest contenders to win this season.
Pep Guardiola has been busy enjoying down City’s probabilities of repeating their outstanding treble triumph of final yr, once they retained the English Premier League title and received the FA Cup earlier than claiming their first ever Champions League crown.
“We have 99.99% possibility that we are not going to win the treble because it has never, ever, ever been done,” Guardiola stated this week when requested in regards to the prospect of retaining all three trophies.
Yet City appear to be discovering their best possible kind once more simply on the proper time, they usually head to Denmark for Tuesday’s final 16, first leg towards FC Copenhagen on a run of 10 straight wins in all competitions.
Copenhagen are into the knockout part of Europe’s elite membership competitors for simply the second time, and first since 2011.
They held City at house in final season’s group stage and beat Manchester United 4-3 earlier this season at their Parken Stadium, so Tuesday’s sport will maybe not be simple for the reigning champions.
But Guardiola’s group will certainly be far too sturdy over two legs, and Madrid must also have an excessive amount of for RB Leipzig, who they face in Germany first.
Led by Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, Carlo Ancelotti’s aspect are in very good kind in La Liga regardless of being hampered by a cascade of accidents in protection.
The draw for the final 16, made in December, was considerably underwhelming, even when the assembly between final season’s runners-up Inter Milan and Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid has the makings of a cracker.
It may even be fascinating to see how Barcelona fare towards Napoli because the Catalans head into their ultimate months below Xavi Hernandez earlier than their legendary former participant departs as coach on the finish of the marketing campaign.
Given Napoli’s personal difficulties in following up their beautiful run to the Serie A title final season, Barcelona will probably be hopeful of advancing to a primary Champions League quarterfinal since 2020.
That yr they beat Napoli within the final 16 earlier than a shocking 8-2 hammering by Bayern Munich in Lisbon.
Bayern themselves journey to face Lazio reeling from a 3-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen which leaves their decadelong grip on the Bundesliga title trying extra fragile than ever.
Harry Kane and his teammates will hope that the return to continental competitors brings out the very best in them, particularly with the growing prospect that the England star’s first season in Germany would possibly finish with no main trophy.
PSG’s final likelihood
A traditional quarterfinal line-up might be in retailer if all of the heavyweights keep away from shock defeats within the final 16.
Arsenal ought to be too sturdy for Porto, whereas PSV Eindhoven and Borussia Dortmund meet in a battle of two outsiders.
Then there’s Paris Saint-Germain, the membership who’ve made a behavior of failing spectacularly in Europe lately regardless of the lavish spending of their Qatari homeowners.
PSG have been eradicated within the first knockout spherical in 5 of the final seven seasons, and it appears sure that this will probably be their final likelihood to win the Champions League with Kylian Mbappe of their ranks.
The France captain’s future seems prone to lie elsewhere – most likely with Real Madrid – as his contract expires after this marketing campaign.
Yet PSG’s kind this season below Luis Enrique – the person who led Barcelona to Champions League glory in 2015 – has been so unconvincing that the prospect of them going all the best way in Europe seems slim.
Understandably cautious supporters of the French membership could even be dreading dealing with Real Sociedad, who they face in Paris within the first leg on Wednesday.
The Basque aspect come into the tie in poor kind and with appreciable damage issues, however the stress will all be on PSG.
“If you want to get to the final you have to play against the best teams,” stated Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil as he mirrored on the draw.
“That is their objective, to get to the final. Imagine what a bombshell it would be if we eliminated them.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com