Football News: Champions League Quarter Finals Preview

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Champions League Quarter Final Preview

Well you can all thank (or give grief to) stone for this suggestion of a quick preview to the Champions League quarter finals. I apologise but my own superstitions have stopped me giving any kind of predictions. That was my plan before I started this article, but I could not bring myself to do so, just in case!

Ajax v Juventus

This looks, on paper, the most one-sided of all the ties, with Juventus running away at the top of Serie A (as normal), while Ajax are not even top of the Eredivisie. It is difficult to see any way for Ajax to pull off a shock over two legs. In a one-off match they would have a much better chance, with their young players enthusiasm maybe being enough to see off the experience of the ageing Juve team. However, the Champions League over the last couple of seasons has had a fair number of shocks, even in two legged matches, so just maybe.

Ajax will have to hope on-loan Southampton attacker Dusan Tadic is on top form, as they rely very heavily on his creativity and also that Ronaldo is not at his clinical best. With the Juventus side being mostly on the older side, there is a chance that Ajax's youth and energy could overrun them, if they push up high and go at the Italian team. The worry is that they do not really have the right players to tackle Juve head on, neither defensively nor in the midfield areas.

Juventus will do their usual and grind a way through, wearing down Ajax, while soaking up their attacks and just do enough to get the results they need. Which could cost them, as they are unlikely to go into the second leg with a comfortable scoreline, no matter how well they perform in the first leg. That means Ajax will have hope, and hope can be enough to raise their game and allow them to pull off a result that would otherwise be beyond them.

Liverpool v Porto

If last season is any guide, this should be a simple tie for Liverpool, especially when you consider the improvement in their team for this season. However Porto are also a much better side than last season and will be after revenge for the 5-0 loss they suffered. It does look like a game that should see the Reds overrun their Portugese opposition, with a midfield and forward line with too much energy and movement for them, but they have been wasteful in front of goal at times and are in the middle of a difficult and tense title challenge, which may be in the back of their mind.

Added to that, there has been a few injuries which have disrupted the defence, that could be a problem once more, with a lack of strength in depth to cope with a fresh injury 'crisis'. However Porto are equally vulnerable to injuries, and have a weaker starting XI to begin with, so that may well turn out to just be wishful thinking that it will give them an edge in the tie.

Porto are not a young team, they rely a lot on the experience of former Real Madrid pair Iker Casillas and Pepe, amongst others. That could be their strength, as the experience could see them through, or their weakness, as the older legs could be overrun against a youthful and exuberant Liverpool side.

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City

Two teams that know each other well, though Man City will go into this quarter final as a clear favourite it will not be a walk in the park for them. Spurs have little about them to suggest they stand a chance, they are still incredibly Spursy, finding a way to mess it up when they have it in their hands. There is one thing part of that which does augur well for them though - they usually make it to the verge of success before Spursing it up, and the quarter final is quite a long away from the verge.

In fact, this is exactly the kind of tie Spurs do win. The ones that put them into a position to win something, just before they mess up when they get there. To give more hope to Spurs' fans in this tie, this is also exactly the kind of match both City, in recent years, and Pep Guardiola have become accustomed to losing. European success always seems to be just out of their grasp, as they just seem out of their depth at this level, no matter how many hundreds of millions they throw around.

For the blue half of Manchester, this match is vital. If they ever want to be seen as European heavyweights, and Pep is ever going to justify the accolades heaped on him, then they have to win the Champions League. They are going to be under supreme pressure, the owners demand success in Europe and it is has so far evaded them, despite the immense investement. Pep has to deliver soon to justify their faith in him and that could be their downfall.

Barcelona v Manchester United

Possibly the most difficult of all the games to call, despite leading La Liga and having Lionel Messi, this is not a vintage Barcelona side and they are not solid defensively, nor particularly strong in the midfield. They are reliant almost totally on Messi, to the point of over reliance and that has never been enough in Europe due to their style of play, which requires a strong midfield to be effective.

Man Utd, on the other hand, have hit a difficult period after a great run under Solskjaer. They have a world class goalkeeper, and a bit of quality smattered through the team in Rashford and Pogba (if he can be bothered), but not much else. This is not a vintage United side by any means, they are going through a lengthy period of transition following the Ferguson-era, but they are capable of giving anyone a game.

While Barca would seem to be favourites, if they both perform to their best you would expect them to win, however it very rarely works out like that. Both teams have their weaknesses that can be exploited and both teams have the strengths that can exploit those weaknesses. The question is which of them will get it right on the day. The next week or so will be big for both teams and probably shape the way this tie goes.

Written by Tris Burke March 28 2019 09:23:51