Porto v Arsenal
Arsenal’s defeat in the 2006 final is still considered their strongest showing in the Champions League. However, with improvements to their squad during the summer and victories over Manchester City in the league and Community Shield, there is no valid reason why they should not be viewed as strong contenders upon their return to the competition. While a lack of European experience may be a barrier, it should not discount their potential. While some may argue that their goalkeeping situation needs to be addressed and they may lack a top-class finisher, these are minor concerns compared to those faced by most European teams.
Porto scored the most goals out of all the runner-ups, with a total of 15. They only managed to keep one game without allowing any goals, and they were only unable to score when playing against Barcelona at home. This team is capable of preventing a major loss like the 5-0 defeat (6-2 overall) they experienced in their previous encounter with Arsenal at this stage in 2010.
The verdict is a comfortable victory for Arsenal.
Napoli v Barcelona
Both teams are facing challenges in trying to match their performance from last season. This match may involve the champions of Spain and Italy, but it doesn’t have the same level of excitement. The belief that Xavi inherited his coaching style from Cruyff was never completely convincing. As Robert Lewandowski’s goal scoring has decreased, their team has appeared average. Although they did defeat Porto twice in the group stage, they had a lower goal difference.
After securing their third Scudetto last season, Napoli faced a tough challenge this year despite retaining most of their star players. The only notable departures were Kim Min-jae and Hirving Lozano. However, the team faced further setbacks when coach Luciano Spalletti resigned in the summer and was replaced by Walter Mazzarri in mid-November after Rudi Garcia’s dismissal. Currently, Napoli trails 14 points behind league leaders Inter.
Barcelona narrowly emerged victorious.
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Sociedad
PSG successfully navigated through a challenging group and currently hold the top spot in France. This was achieved despite undergoing a transformation towards prioritizing team unity and the growth of local players, rather than relying on big-name stars whose egos have caused issues in the past. However, their performance in the group stage was mediocre at best, with a particularly tough loss at St James’ Park. Their qualification was also aided by a controversial penalty call.
Real Madrid may not appear as formidable as the other seeded teams and are currently ranked sixth in La Liga. However, they managed to finish at the top of a challenging group, surpassing Inter and Benfica. While their key player, David Silva, has retired, their strong defensive strategy remains intact. No other team conceded less goals than them in the group stage and they successfully kept clean sheets in all three of their away matches.
The decision is a close victory for PSG.
Inter v Atlético Madrid
Diego Simeone is returning to the club where he spent two seasons and won a Uefa Cup in 1997. However, there is a feeling that Atlético is not at their strongest point, but they managed to top their group in the Champions League and only Manchester City scored more goals. If they can avoid defeat against Getafe on Tuesday, they will move up to third place in La Liga ahead of Barcelona. Simeone’s team has a familiar lineup with Antoine Griezmann and Álvaro Morata leading the attack, Koke controlling the midfield, and Jan Oblak as their commanding goalkeeper.
Inter, last season’s defeated finalists finished only second in their group, behind Real Sociedad. Domestic form, though, has been good and Simone Inzaghi’s side top Serie A after just one league defeat so far this season. Edin Dzeko has finally moved on, with Marcus Thuram a far more mobile centre-forward, while Yann Sommer has taken over from André Onana in goal.
The decision is a close victory for Atlético.
PSV Eindhoven v Borussia Dortmund
In 2017, Peter Bosz had a disappointing six-month stint as manager, but he now has the opportunity to prove himself to Borussia Dortmund. His team, PSV, suffered a big loss against Arsenal in the group stage, where their defensive vulnerability was exploited. However, they have been dominating domestically this season, currently holding a 10-point lead and a goal difference of +50 after winning all 16 games. They have faced tougher competition in Europe, only winning two games in the group stage.
For Dortmund, the sale of Jude Bellingham was always going to mean a huge adjustment this season, with the arrival of Niclas Füllkrug meaning a significant change of approach. Their league form hasn’t been great, although they’re still fifth in the Bundesliga, and lost 4-0 at home to Bayern, but it’s been a different story in the Champions League. They beat Milan and Newcastle away and were comfortable winners against Newcastle at home.
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The decision is a close victory for Dortmund.
Lazio v Bayern Munich
The group’s qualification was certain after defeating Manchester United in the first game, although the 4-3 scoreline was deceiving. However, Bayern is facing problems as they suffered a 5-1 loss against Eintracht Frankfurt in their previous weekend match. Harry Kane has adapted quickly and their team has speedy attackers who can support him, but their defense remains a concern. Manuel Neuer’s performance as a goalkeeper has declined, Dayot Upamecano is prone to errors, and there are concerns about right-back Noussair Mazraoui.
Lazio, meanwhile, have had a disappointing start to the Serie A season and lie just 11th, but their European form has belied that. Maurizio Sarri’s side developed a very useful habit of finding goals just when they needed them, most notably from their goalkeeper Ivan Provedel, who headed a 95th-minute equaliser in the opening group game against Atlético.
The verdict is that Bayern had a comfortable victory.
The match will take place between Copenhagen and Manchester City.
The European champions haven’t been at their best this season, but that was true at this stage last year as well – although admittedly they had not gone on a run then quite as bad as one win in six games. City have a tendency to come good in the spring, when Pep Guardiola schedules his squad to reach their physical peak and, with Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones returning to fitness, they still look the best side in Europe. And even in this supposed rocky spell, they won six out of six in the group.
The team from Copenhagen was the unexpected standout of the group stage. It wasn’t just their second place finish that caught attention, but also their misfortune in only earning eight points. Their away loss to Manchester United, home loss to Bayern, and away draw with Galatasaray all seemed like missed opportunities to gain more points.
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The final decision is a comfortable victory for Manchester City.
The match between Leipzig and Real Madrid.
Madrid were one of just two sides to win six out of six in the group stage and, although they are being run close by Girona at the top of La Liga at the moment, they are favourites for another domestic title. They’re perhaps not quite as fluent as they might be, but the transition to a younger midfield has been handled well, while Bellingham has been so impressive as to awaken fears Madrid may (already) be too dependent upon him.
Leipzig, who had a record of one win and one loss against Madrid in the previous season, had a predictable performance this campaign. They were defeated in both matches against Manchester City (although they did give them a tough time at the Etihad), but easily triumphed over Young Boys and Red Star. Sitting in third place in the Bundesliga, they were able to make up for the absence of Christopher Nkunku with the addition of Benjamin Sesko.
The final outcome was a comfortable victory for Real Madrid.
Source: theguardian.com
