Champions League quarter-final draw hints at high-profile matches
The upcoming Champions League quarter-final draw is set to throw up a lineup of high-profile matches the following week filled with thrilling penalty shoot-out moments
This Friday's Champions League quarter-final draw is set to throw up a series of heavyweight ties after a midweek in which penalty shoot-out drama brought Europe's elite club competition to life.
Goalkeeper Jan Oblak's heroics in Atletico Madrid's shoot-out win over last season's runners-up Inter Milan on Wednesday – after the Spanish club came from behind in their last-16 tie – followed Arsenal's triumph on penalties against Porto a day earlier.
Tuesday also saw Barcelona deliver a rousing performance to see off Napoli and make it through to the quarter-finals for the first time since their 8-2 destruction at the hands of Bayern Munich in 2020 in Lisbon, at the height of the Covid crisis.
With a record 14-time champions, Real Madrid has already secured their last-eight berth, which means three Spanish clubs will be represented in the draw.
Two English sides join them: Arsenal and holders Manchester City, the German duo of Bayern and Borussia Dortmund and French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
The surprise is that none of Italy's representatives reached the next stage, a year after Inter pushed City close in the final, having eliminated neighbors AC Milan in the last four.
Only three of last season's quarter-finalists–City, Real, and Bayern –have made it back to the last eight this time, suggesting that the competition still offers a real degree of variety and unpredictability.
Yet the recent last-16 ties also more than hinted at the ever-growing polarisation at the very top of European football.
FC Copenhagen could never compete with Pep Guardiola's City while getting the better of PSG proved a step too far for Real Sociedad. Bayern ultimately brushed aside Lazio despite losing the first leg away.
Only the mega-rich can now aspire to win the Champions League, with four quarter-finalists posting revenue last season of over 800 million euros ($874 million), according to this year's Deloitte Football Money League.
According to Deloitte's ranking, all eight quarter-finalists were among the top 15 clubs in the world last season in terms of income –Atletico had the lowest, at just over 364 million euros.
Diego Simeone's side was the only team to win against a more affluent club in the last 16, and even then, Inter generated only marginally more money last season.
Can anyone stop Man City?
The Champions League's current format has been in place for two decades and will be changed for next season. UEFA will revolutionize its flagship tournament by replacing the group stage with a league phase featuring 36 clubs, up from 32 now.
Clubs will play eight games in the league phase, instead of six in the old group stage, all against different opponents in what is known as the "Swiss system."
It remains to be seen if that will somehow improve the Champions League when the central issue appears to be that the number of candidates to win the trophy is getting narrower.
Competing with City is not just an issue for Copenhagen but all clubs.
They won the trophy for the first time last season and are in the quarter-finals for the seventh year running.
"It's quite impressive," admitted Guardiola last week. We are well-respected by our opponents. The numbers are there –our consistency."
Whether anyone can prevent them from retaining the title may largely come down to the draw. The path to the final will be determined on Friday when the semi-final match-ups are also decided.
Winners in 2022, Madrid may be the best equipped to beat City among all the sides left in the quarter-finals, but they blew them away in last season's semi-finals.
Bayern is into the quarter-finals for the 12th time in 13 years. Although they may be trailing behind Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, they remain a formidable European prospect.
Three remaining contenders have never won the trophy: Arsenal, Atletico, and PSG. The French side reached the final in 2020 when they lost to Bayern.
They are far from a complete team now but will be eager to seize their last chance to win the Champions League before Kylian Mbappe departs.
"I am not going to choose one team or give my preferences. What I am sure of, though, is that nobody will want to play PSG," said their coach, Luis Enrique.
Source: AFP
