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There are 8 strongest teams left and next week someone will take big or small steps towards the semi-finals. Predictions are as follows:
Barcelona - Atletico
Very difficult to predict. On paper, Barcelona is significantly stronger. Just a few Atletico players - the goalkeeper, the center-backs, Diego Costa would be starters if they moved to Barcelona. But this season, Atletico is giving it everything they've got. It was similar last year, but at this stage of the season like the current one, it was almost clear that Atletico wouldn't compete for gold. Now they are leading, and the loss of Falcao has been compensated by the improved Diego Costa. It has long been clear that his talent is extraordinary, but this year he fully revealed it. Barcelona's season is quite successful, but partly transitional, the coach has changed, potentially the world's best Neymar has arrived. Today, Atletico is above Barca in La Liga and probably deservedly so. Although Barca shows signs of recovery after a rocky start to the season, in the short term, Atletico currently looks better. They will also have the advantage of playing at home. But Barca has its own strengths. Excluding the Barcelona derby, they will face easier opponents than Villarreal and Athletic, who will face Atletico in the next two rounds. The whole team is burdened by this level of competition (excluding the coach). Atletico, just a few people know what it means to play in the Champions League quarter-finals. Barcelona's biggest hope is the belief that Atletico, who is currently struggling on multiple fronts due to their limited capabilities, will not be able to withstand the challenge. But there could also be a scenario where, just almost a decade ago, three clubs could have won gold in the final round of La Liga. Nevertheless, Barcelona should be able to win.
Man. United - Bayern Munich
Man. United has no chance. Moyes seems clueless this season. Like a villager working as a porcelain salesperson. On the one hand, he doesn't know what type of porcelain to order from suppliers and how much it will cost, and on the other hand, how to arrange the products on the shelves to make the business profitable. In the SAF era, the midfield was occasionally filled in by individually incredible seasons played by Carrick and Fletcher, and the fact that SAF was incredibly good at motivating the team and making opponents tremble with anticipation of facing Manchester United. Now the lack of resources is evident, and better weapons like Kagawa or Mata are struggling to find a place in the team. If it weren't for De Gea's incredible season, things could be even worse. On the contrary, Bayern this week finally secured the Bundesliga title, so now resources can be focused on one front. Guardiola's team will hardly give many opportunities to touch the ball during those 180 minutes, making it even more challenging for MU's style of play than Heynckes' Bayern. Moreover, Bayern's home advantage and the average opponents in the Bundesliga, who should not interfere with finishing the season undefeated, are in their favor. MU competing with Newcastle - and they could drop MU to 6th place. On the other hand, the Champions League-secured top four is practically a mirage, so MU should focus its attention on Europe. Although the game has stabilized in recent times, the matches against Manchester City showed that even a decent-looking MU against Liverpool or Manchester City's level teams have nothing to offer. Bayern is Bayern, the opportunity to defeat MU and revenge for the loss in the final 15 years ago is golden. Bayern will not be short of motivation.
Real Madrid - Borussia Dortmund
I don't agree with those who say that there is almost no intrigue here. I see as much intrigue as in the other pair. Yes, Borussia is plagued by injuries like Arsenal. Many leaders cannot help their team. Usually, all their players who the average football fan has heard of are in the starting 11, and it exudes exoticism. However, even Borussia, with all its stars out, basically has a place in the Champions League and it is very likely that they will win silver after the season. This is not a 10-game series. It's 2 matches and that's it. Borussia has resources for 180 minutes, and the fact that injuries don't hinder them from beating big clubs was proven in the group stage, where they beat Arsenal and Napoli. Real Madrid was almost everyone's second team in Europe until last Sunday (which I wouldn't agree with, MC looks better). Another successful Ancelotti project, which will win La Liga and fight for the Champions League final with Bayern. They marveled at the club's defense, Modrić, Di María's renaissance, and the contribution of Bale to the team. However, in the past 4 days, they experienced two defeats in La Liga. In both matches, the Real Madrid defensive line was quite porous. Of course, the loss to Sevilla could be a consequence of psychological factors - El Clasico was not a bad match, and Real had to get a point. But the poor performance of the defenders prevented that. So, Real is still vulnerable. But they should win. The squad is stronger, the Primera schedule should allow more focus on Europe for a few weeks, although the trip to San Sebastián could potentially end sadly. Borussia is not particularly stable this season and often wastes points. A key factor could be Borussia's home advantage, but Real will probably snatch a victory in a tough fight.
PSG - Chelsea
Players who were amazed by Monaco's achievements in transfers before the season started pointing fingers at Blanc, saying he would be the weakest link in the team. Bordeaux didn't shine in Europe, the French national team, although not returning to the level of Domenech, wasn't worth much. However, this season's PSG is much stronger than the former Ancelotti project, Massive investments often take time to gel for assembled teams. PSG has stepped up a gear this season. The attack works even better now with Cavani, the midfield is well-connected, Cabaye successfully joined in the winter, even the least star-studded defense concedes very few goals. Mourinho's Chelsea this season brings mixed feelings. The team doesn't play goal-verging football, unlike Liverpool, MC, or early Arsenal. Mourinho's typical, quite pragmatic style of football, is more dull than his Real Madrid days. However, all the main favorites are stumbling or at least dropping points. The problem is more often the middle-of-the-road teams - both in England and Europe (0 points against Basel). PSG is not a middle-of-the-road team. They are less star-studded but a very well-balanced team. Also, Chelsea has constantly rejuvenated and their experience is on par. But Chelsea should be able to deliver when it matters most. Then they can even score 6 goals, as they did against Arsenal. They will play against Stoke and Crystal over the next few rounds, so they shouldn't spend too much energy. They will have the home advantage, which is vital in such a high-level battle. The main vulnerability is the very close title race in the EPL. Every stumble could be decisive. Liverpool and MC are already focused on other goals. PSG is close to securing Ligue 1 gold. And this season, they are a more stable team than Chelsea and seem to be in slightly better form. But it is likely that the Brits will triumph.
