All eyes are on the top European prize
IT MAY be strange times that we’re living in, with dealing with the uncertainty of what’s around the corner proving to be as rough as a badger’s behind, but we’ll just have to grin and bear it, until hopefully we come out the other side in the best shape we can.
Sport has offered some solace to many in these trying days, with local games providing welcome relief for players and the handful of supporters allowed to attend, while streaming services offer a valuable window for those unable to make their way into venues.
On a personal level, I’m enjoying being one of the privileged folk that get to soak up live sporting action on a regular basis, but there’s always that cloud of uncertainty hanging over everybody’s heads regarding championships.
Will they all be able to be played out to a finish or will some be brought to a premature half?
Nobody wants to allow that dreaded work ‘lockdown’ to seep from the lips, but it’s clearly in the back of many minds when we’re back to playing the most unwelcome of numbers games.
For those unable to get to any sports events in the flesh, the resumption of the Champions League and Europa League, or the festival of football as it has been dubbed, has been a nice distraction, although the latter may be a bit of a hard sell.
The former, on the other hand, is as intriguing as ever, with plenty of the big guns still vying for the biggest prize in European club football in a quick-fire tournament-style fortnight of action in Lisbon.
Manchester City are the current favourites for the competition and there’s no denying that when they’re on song that they would be more that a match for any team left standing.
However, their lack of European pedigree and a suspicion that English teams may not be as strong as some would have you think this season, would make me steer away from plumping for them to win the competition outright.
Runaway Premier League winners Liverpool were dumped out of the tournament by an average Atletico outfit, while fourth-placed Chelsea were humiliated in the last 16 by German giants Bayern Munich.
And a disappointing Spurs side barely managed to raise a gallop, eventually exiting tamely to Leipzig, suggesting that there may be a soft underbelly to most of the sides across the Irish Sea.
That said, Pep Guardiola’s team couldn’t have asked for a better quarter-final draw after Lyon shocked Juventus to reach the last eight, with the French side being one of the weakest left in the competition.
Should they come through that tie unscathed, as expected, the real work will begin as they’ll face the winner of the battle of the giants, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, in the semi-final.
Like many, I expect the winner of that mouth-watering last eight tussle to go on and win it outright, leaving Man City again licking their wounds along the way.
Although Bayern are deservedly favourites to defeat the Catalans, given their form and the indifferent season of their opponents, I think the one-off game might play to Barcelona’s strengths and a bit of Messi magic could well be the difference, as the little wizard showed against Napoli on Saturday night that he’s still very much up for the job.
Having said that, Bayern, who are on a long unbeaten run, have plenty of match-winners of their own, none more so that Robert Lewandowski, who is in the form of his life.
The other side of the draw is as open as the Chelsea defence was against Bayern, with RB Leipzig,
Atletico Madrid, Atalanta and Paris Saint Germain all rightly fancying their chances of progressing.
Atletico may just frustrate the life out of Leipzig to progress, while PSG should have too much up front for a decent Atalanta outfit.
I can foresee a Barcelona versue PSG final, with the Spaniards prevailing, to end a well below-par season, by their lofty standards, on an amazing high.
And that prediction is about as certain as what the future holds in these crazy, crazy times.