Analyzing Champions League Quarter Finals Draw 2017-2018

After an exciting Round of 16,all eyes were on the Champions League Quarter Final draw. Everyone was predicting the quarter finals  draw and all the possibilities. After the draw got over we found out, it will be Real Madrid vs Juventus , Manchester City vs Liverpool , Bayern Munich vs Sevilla and Barcelona vs AS Roma. These tie in general looks to be high scoring encounters. With the Premier League teams Manchester City and Liverpool battle being the most exciting one. The replay of last years Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus. A relatively easy draw for two of the favorites Barcelona and Bayern.
The first leg of matches will take place on the 3rd and 4th of April, while the second legs are set to take place on the 10th and 11th of April

Here analyzing Champions League Quarter Finals teams 

4) Barcelona vs AS Roma

Barcelona and AS Roma have met each other 4 times, with 1 win for both and 2 draws between them.

The last time they met was in 2016/2017 season.Barcelona hammered AS Roma 6-1 at Camp Nou, with Messi and Suarez scoring a brace.

A lot have changed since their last meeting. Roma have evolved under Luciano Spalletti , while Barcelona are now a very balanced team from their defence to attack.

Barcelona has had a good campaign so far. They sit undefeated and 8 points clear of Atletico Madrid in Laliga, while defeated Juventus 3-0 in Champions League group stage and knocked out Chelsea 4-1 on aggregate in the round of 16. The fact that they have just conceded 13 goals in the league after 28 games, is a big statement as this team is very hard to penetrate. 

Roma on the other hand are having a season full of ups and downs. They looked like being one of the Serie A contenders at start, but now are so far behind that they need to fight for the Champions League spot. Their Champions League campaign has been different tho. The fact that they topped a group comprising of Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, was completely unbelievable. They have played good football this season, but have not been consistent. They did just manage to get past Shakhtar Donetsk and that is a problem. 

The fact that Roma might have to priorities the league because of qualifying for next years Champions League might play a part in this tie. They are currently 3rd in Serie A, but who knows they might slip up to the 4th position before the tie and might priorities league over Champions League.

Player to watch out from:

Barcelona: Lionel Messi (attack) and Samuel Umtiti (defence)

AS Roma: Edin Dzeko (attack) and Aleksandar Kolarov (defence)

Fixtures:

First leg: 4th April

Second leg: 10th April

3) Bayern Munich vs Sevilla

Bayern Munich face Sevilla for the first time in any European competition.

Sevilla currently are 12 points adrift from 4th place in Laliga. They don't look like qualifying for the Champions League next season. The fact that Europa League spots are also being hotly contested, their players might be overburdened. The fact that Sevilla is in quarterfinals in a big shock, but progressing further will be a test of their lifetime. They have problem in scoring this season as they have just scored 36 goals in 28 league game. This will be a huge concern when they face a team like Bayern Munich.

Bayern Munich are currently 17 points ahead of 2nd placed Schalke with a game in hand. They have ripped apart Besiktas 8-1 in the previous round. Their most notable win of this season was a 3-0 victory against PSG. Since Jupp Heynckes has taken over, this team looks like a real threat. They have dominated in the league and have had a fare share of luck as well. Even for Bayern it will be hard to believe that they have avoided any big teams so far in the knockout of Champions League. 

They do look to cruise to the semi-final stages easily. A lose here, would only be a big shocker to Bayern Munich and the world.

Player to watch out from:

Sevilla - Ever Banega (attack) and Sergio Escudero (defence)

Bayern Munich - Robert Lewandowski (attack) and Joshua Kimmich (defence)

Fixture:

First leg - 3rd April

Second leg - 11th April

2) Real Madrid vs Juventus

The repeat of last year's Champions League final. Both teams are a shadow of themselves from last season. Both teams finished runners up in the group stages and have had trouble in first part of the season. Since the start of 2018, both the teams looks like are back to their best . This encounter will surely be a battle of tactic rather than a high scoring, free flowing match. Zidane and Allegri will have to be tactically at their best to get their team through to the semi-finals. 

Real Madrid has had a bad season according to their standards. They got knocked out of the Copa Del Rey and a not even in contention to win Laliga this season. They finished runners up in their Champions League group,but since the turn of the year they are looking ruthless. Their performance against PSG in both the legs of Round of 16 is their best. Champions League brings out the best in Real Madrid and the fact that they are out of Laliga contentions will make them more hungry to win this competition. The major problem for Madrid is their defence this season. They look like they will concede against any team and that if their main problem in this tie. 

Juventus started the season well out of placed. They did not dominate Serie A the way they used to. In the Champions League it has been an under power performance by them so far. They finished runners up in their group and meryl played good football for around 30 minutes against Tottenham in the Round of 16. The main problem they had was dip in Dybala's form, but he now looks to be back at his best. The only concern Juventus will be having is that they yet don't have Serie A in the bag and they need to play full strength in the league. Madrid can rest big players in advance but Juventus will not have this luxury.

Player to watch out from:

Juventus: Gonzalo Higuaín (attack) and Giorgio Chiellini (defence)

Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo (attack) and Sergio Ramos (defence)

Fixtures:

First leg: 3rd April

Second leg: 11th April

1) Manchester City vs Liverpool

This is the tie of the quarter finals. Two premier league heavyweights will be fighting out for the semi final spot. It is a battle between old Bundesliga nemesis and now Premier League nemesis. Klopp would love to one up on Pep and visa versa.

Manchester City are the clear favorites to win the Champions League. They have totally ripped the Premier League this season as well. Pep has proven this season that his philosophy can be used in the Premier League and used soo brilliantly. City so far have played with high standards and all their players look like to be in the form of their life. The fact that they have defeated Liverpool 5-0 at their home , will bring them a lot of confidence. Also, being 16 points clear at the top, they can rest players like David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne before clashes against Liverpool. The confidence is at sky high for City at this moment and it will be had to bet against them.

Liverpool on the other hand is a team that simply does not fear any team and will only play attacking football. They are definitely the dark horse of this tournament. They have defeated every top 6 team under Klopp in the Premier League mean that they are not pushovers. The only problem they have is their defence. They have such a questionable defence that any team can score 1 or 2 goals against them. They have been better in defence as of late, but their defences error cost them to a lose against fierce rivals Manchester United. They do have a psychological advantage over City as they won the last encounter 4-3 against them. Here also the problem can be seen as City was trailing the match 4-0 and scored 3 in quick succession in the match. The only reason why Liverpool might lose this tie is because of their defence and hence Manchester City is just favourites to win this tie.

Player to watch out from:

Liverpool: Mohamed Salah (attack) and Virgil van Dijk (defence)

Manchester City: Kevin De Bruyne (attack) and Nicolas Otamendi (defence) 

Fixtures:

First leg: 4th April

Second leg: 10th April

Hope you liked the content.

Kindly share and subscribe.

Follow us on Twitter:

Follow @futtytalkbyfan

Kindly visit Contact for any query

Visit Champions League section for more articles on it.