An intriguing battle for Europe’s top prize
Edited by Dave Devereux. email: devereuxdave@yahoo.ie
THE CHAMPIONS League is entering the business end of the season and it certainly looks more wide open than it has in recent years.
That’s probably got more to do with the big guns coming back to the pack, rather than the wannabes showing any great signs of improvement, but either way it sets up an exciting finale to Europe’s premier competition.
With the exception of Manchester United, the English sides all have a realistic chance of progressing to the quarter-finals after the first legs of their last 16 ties.
Of the other three, Liverpool unquestionably have the most to do, having been held to a frustrating 0-0 stalemate by Bayern Munich at Anfield.
That said, with the German giants sure to push forward in swathes in the home tie, it should give the opportunity for Liverpool’s normally potent front three to make hay.
Jurgen Klopp’s men still have a reasonable chance of progressing, knowing that a score draw would see them through.
Manchester City also had their mettle tested against German opposition, albeit against the far less forboding Schalke.
They managed to eke out a 3-2 away win over the Bundesliga strugglers, so the second leg in the Etihad should be little more than a formality.
Spurs have rather cruelly been put in the section labelled chokers in recent seasons, but it would take the bottle job of all bottle jobs for them to let it slip against Borussia Dortmund with a three-goal cushion to protect.
That said, if I was a Tottenham fan I’d be keeping my counsel until the job was completed for fear of getting another large helping of egg on my face.
As previously alluded to, it would take something close to a miracle for Manchester United to turn around their two-goal deficit against a slick Paris Saint Germain outfit.
In the first leg at Old Trafford, despite missing Neymar and Cavani, the French champions were head and shoulders above Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men and they should complete the job without too much fuss.
One of the more striking results in the last 16 first legs was certainly Atletico Madrid’s rousing 2-0 win over Italian champions Juventus.
It looks unlikely that Ronaldo will add to his impressive pile of Champions League medals this season after Diego Simeone’s men left them on the brink, and few would begrudge the Spaniards should they lift the trophy having gone so close in the recent past.
Ronaldo’s old adversary Lionel Messi and his Barcelona teammates look to be in better shape, however, as they played out a 0-0 draw in Lyon.
They still have a bit of work to do, and have to be guarded against the dangers of an away goal, but it’s still hard to see them failing to get the job done.
Real Madrid have been blowing as hot and cold as a dodgy hair dryer in La Liga this season, but the winners of this competition for the past three years really come alive on European nights and it would be a brave soul that would write off their chances of holding on to their crown.
They eked out a 2-1 away win over Ajax in the first leg, so with the home comforts of the Bernabeu to come it would be a huge shock if they didn’t take their customary place in the last eight and beyond.
The other tie is very much in the balance, with last season’s semi-finalists Roma going into the away leg against Porto holding a slender 2-1 advantage, and there probably won’t be much between the sides again in the second leg, with every chance it will go right down to the wire.
As for the outright winner, the bookmakers have Manchester City as favourites, but despite reaching the quarter-finals and semi-finals in recent seasons they haven’t really threatened to lift the coveted trophy.
With the vast riches at their disposal it’s probably only a matter of time before they do get their hands on the prize, but I think they’ll have to wait a while longer.
Another of the new elite, in money terms at least, PSG, look better equipped to have a decent lash at it this season after disappointing so often, but again they will probably come up short.
One of the sides that has been there and done it before is most like to prosper, and although they’ve fallen short in the past three seasons, Barcelona could be primed to regain the Champions League in June.
They’re sitting pretty at the top of La Liga without being at their absolute best, so they’ve certainly found a winning formula.
If they start to really fire on all cylinders they’ll be hard to stop, while Atletico, who are pushing Barca hardest in the league, could well be the dark horses as the Spanish dominance of the competition looks set to continue.