Barcelona and Arsenal aim to join Champions League quarter-finals
The big guns are lining up in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Defending champions Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have already booked their places in the last eight of European football’s top club competition, and the full line-up will be completed this week.
All four last-of-16 matches are finely balanced, with no more than one goal separating any of the teams after the first legs.
Barcelona host Napoli tomorrow in a clash between the reigning champions of Spain and Italy, respectively. They drew 1-1 in the first leg in Italy.
In the day’s other game, Arsenal are 1-0 down against Porto ahead of their match at Emirates Stadium.
On Wednesday, Atletico Madrid must overturn a 1-0 deficit at home against Inter Milan, and hosts Borussia Dortmund and PSV Eindhoven are tied at 1-1 ahead of their game.
The quarter-final and semi-final draws will be held on Friday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
UNCONVINCING
Neither Barcelona nor Napoli have made convincing defences of their domestic league titles.
Napoli face a fight to even qualify for next season’s Champions League as they sit seven points off fourthplace Bologna in the Italian league and are on their third coach this term
after appointing Francesco Calzona last month.
Barcelona are third in the Spanish league, and coach Xavi Hernández, after an underwhelming campaign, has announced his intention to leave at the end of the season.
He would love to go out on a high by guiding Barcelona to a sixth Champions League trophy. First things first, he needs to navigate a way past Napoli to lead Barcelona to the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
ARSENAL’S AIM
Mikel Arteta’s priority is possibly the English Premier League, with Arsenal locked in a three-way battle with Liverpool and Manchester City for the title. The Champions League quarter-finals are in sight – even if Arsenal are a goal behind Porto.
Arsenal returned to the Champions League for the first time in seven years this season and has impressed in advancing to the round of 16.
The Londoners looked to have secured a goalless first-leg draw at Porto until Galeno’s 90thminute goal.
That was the only defeat in a stunning run of form that has seen Arsenal win eight of their last nine games and score four or more goals in five.
INTER IMPRESSING
Last year’s beaten finalists, Inter Milan, are powering on again this season.
Simone Inzaghi’s Inter are cruising towards the Italian title with only one league loss this season. Marko Arnautovic’s goal at Atletico in the first leg secured a 1-0 victory and was part of a 13-game winning run in all competitions.
By contrast, Atletico’s form has been far from convincing, with five defeats in their last eight games.
PSV HOPE
Luuk de Jong’s penalty means nothing separates Dortmund and PSV ahead of Wednesday’s second leg.
The PSV forward scored from the spot to cancel Donyell Malen’s earlier strike for Dortmund to leave the tie in the balance going back to Germany.
If the Dutchmen can secure a win, they will advance to the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2006-07 season.