So, the much anticipated draw for the quarter-final of the Champions League have been made.
Here is a quick recap of the four tasty fixtures you can look forward to:
Leicester City vs Atletico Dortmund vs Monaco Bayern vs Real Madrid Juventus vs Barcelona
But, if I was to stick out my neck, these would be the semi-finalists by the time the two legs are played.
1. Atletico Madrid: I’d go for Diego Simeone’s men, wholly based on their pedigree in Europe. They have been unlucky to lose in two of the last three finals – both to Real Madrid. I’d expect them to see off Leicester City, although it might be a tough one.
2. Monaco: Thomas Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund have not been too convincing for me. In my opinion, they barely made it through to this stage, steamrollering over Benfica who fell like a pack of cards at the Signal Iduna. On the other hand, Monaco is possibly the most thrilling side left in this competition.
3. Bayern Munich: It is not even about the 10-2 aggregate against Arsenal that brought them into the last eight. But Bayern Munich look a much more superior unit to Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid, who appeared to have lost some chutzpah, after their unbeaten run ended earlier this year.
4. Barcelona: Purely because they will be playing the second leg at the Camp Nou. You remember what happened the last time a knockout tie was played there, right? Juventus are flat-track bullies in Serie A, but I think Lionel Messi and co will put them to the sword.
‘Ifreke Inyang tweets via @Ifreke
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