The Champions League Round of 16 concluded this past week and the draw for the Quarter Final games has been announced. After taking a look at the bracket set up, this should set up an absolutely thrilling end to the Champions League season.
The matchups for the Quarter Finals are the following:
- Manchester City vs Bayern Munich
- Real Madrid vs Chelsea
- Napoli vs AC Milan
- Inter Milan vs Benfica
Manchester City vs Bayern is the matchup that will catch the attention of many. Pep Guardiola will face his former team in what should be a thrilling series from start to end. Bayern showed their strength by beating PSG in both legs and throwing the mighty attacking team out of the competition.
Man City lost their first Round of 16 match to Leipzig, but in the second leg the story went very different. City won the second leg by 7 goals and saw Erling Haaland score 5 goals which ties the record for most goals scored in a Champions League match.
Real Madrid vs Chelsea
This is the third consecutive year both teams have played each other in the Champions League playoffs. Madrid will look to dominate another English team this playoffs after thrashing Liverpool. Chelsea are a much weaker side and are struggling to find their identity as a team.
Real Madrid should be able to close this game out well and outplay this poor Chelsea’s team who scrapped their way to beat Dortmund.
Both of these games will be on the same side of the bracket and the winners will play each other in the semi-finals. This is going to be interesting because on the other side of the bracket we will see a team who has not been to the Champions League final in at least 14 years!
Inter Milan vs Benfica
Inter are making their return to the Quarter Finals since 2011! They will go up against a very strong Benfica team. Benfica has looked like an incredible team this year in European Soccer. They are one of the best defensive midfield teams and have a dynamic team chemistry to show how lethal they are. I expect this game to go down to the wire and could possibly see Benfica take this one and find their way to the semi-finals.
Napoli vs AC Milan
The Italian matchup should serve to be a great one! Both teams are extremely competitive currently in the Italian League. Napoli have been the hottest team of the season and will look to drive their way to the final.
I really believe this Napoli team has the right pieces to win this side of the bracket and make the final. They are showing great team chemistry and a creative playing ability.
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