AP Photo/Antonio Calanni
- The Champions League quarterfinals are set, with the eight remaining teams now knowing their competition for the next round.
- The quarterfinals offer some compelling pairings, but the best matches could be saved for the final depending on how the competition plays out.
- Ronaldo vs. Messi, Tottenham vs. Liverpool, and a Manchester Derby are all potential finals depending on which teams move through to the semifinal.
The Champions League quarterfinals are officially set.
After Friday’s draw, football fans finally can visualize how the competition will play out, with the bracket and schedule set leading to the final in Madrid on June 1.
The quarterfinals offer four compelling pairings, but the juiciest matchups can be found in the final, and with a few bitter rivals currently on opposite sides of the bracket, things could shake out to set up an unforgettable match.
Take a look below as we break down the Champions League quarterfinal draw.
Here’s the draw for the final eight teams remaining in Champions League:
UEFA
The quarterfinal pairings are as follows:
Manchester City vs. Tottenham
Juventus vs. Ajax
Barcelona vs. Manchester United
Liverpool vs. Porto
The 2-leg quarterfinals will begin on April 9-10 and conclude the next week on April 16-17.
According to FiveThirtyEight’s SPI, Manchester City, Liverpool, Barcelona, and Juventus are the favorites to advance to the semifinals.
ESPN
Liverpool is the heaviest favorite to advance out of the quarterfinal over Porto, while the numbers say the most unpredictable pairing is between Juventus and Ajax, giving the slight edge to Cristiano Ronaldo and company.
As things stand, the bracket already offers some amazing football. In the quarterfinals, the most compelling matchup pits Tottenham against Man City.
AP Photo/Frank Augstein
Tottenham and Manchester City will play three times in less than two weeks, with a Premier League match set in between the two legs of their Champions League tie.
Through much of the Premier League season, it looked as though Spurs would challenge City and Liverpool atop the standings, but after a rough few weeks, Tottenham has fallen off the top of the table. Will Spurs be able to bounce back to spoil City after a disappointing stretch?
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- 2 goals, 2 assists, and a defender on the floor: How Messi one-upped Ronaldo during an elite week of Champions League soccer
- Lionel Messi completely fooled a goalkeeper with a clever penalty kick
- 5 charts that show how truly awful Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the Champions League this year
Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Tyler Lauletta)