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The month of February is like a holiday for football fans every year and definitely not because of Valentine's Day. It is in the middle of February that the UEFA Champions League battles return to European football stadiums, where the constantly intriguing knockout stage begins. This season, the draw ceremony for the quarterfinals was so intriguing that due to technical errors, the organizers had to repeat the procedure for the second time, and the draws paired together some very powerful European giants. For example, in the quarterfinals, long-time "Barcelona" leader Lionel Messi, together with his new team Paris Saint-Germain, will face off against Madrid's "Real", while the other Spanish capital's team "Atletico" will try to overcome the barrier of the faltering "Manchester United" team. Although it is very difficult to make any premature assumptions, in this article we will try to present three bold predictions for the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal stage.
Messi with PSG will experience humiliation. Madrid's "Real" appears to be the most solid of all Spanish giants this season and currently leads confidently in the "La Liga" championship, where their main unexpected rivals have become "Sevilla". "The Royal" club this season in Spain can feel as calm as kazinokaralius.com, so it is very likely that greater attention will be devoted specifically to the international front.
PSG, although they have assembled a "dream team" this season, their performance does not seem as powerful as expected. Although PSG has a solid lead in France, they are not scoring as many points as expected even in local leagues. Team strategist Mauricio Pochettino is increasingly associated with a move to "Manchester United", and the team leaders are not immune to injuries or coronavirus.
"Real" currently appears to be a much stronger force than PSG and this may not only result in the French club's exit in the quarterfinals, but also a possible humiliation.
At least two English clubs will not reach the quarterfinals. All four English clubs - "Manchester City", "Chelsea", "Liverpool" and "Manchester United" - have reached the tournament quarterfinals. If "Chelsea" and "Man City" cannot complain about the draws, "Liverpool" and "Man Utd" are in a slightly different situation.
First, let's talk about the "Red Devils" themselves, because this team is struggling in the "Premier" league and the arrival of Ralf Rangnick has not brought tangible benefits. In the quarterfinals, "Manchester United" will face Madrid's "Atletico", and although this team is not showing championship game this year, Diego Simeone has repeatedly shown that in the knockout stage his team can be a hard nut to crack, and seeing the struggles of "Man Utd", the Madrid club should be considered favorites in the pair.
The season started off strong for "Liverpool" but they also fell into a slump, and in the Champions League quarterfinals this English giant will face a Milan "Inter" team that is playing increasingly solid. Without a doubt, "Liverpool" remains the favorites in the pair, but the recent performance leaves all chances for the Italian champions to provide a small surprise.
Chelsea fans cannot wait calmly for the quarterfinals. The "Aristocrats" have been struggling to collect points in the "Premier" league lately and practically no longer contend for the trophy. However, the draws smiled widely on the London team and the team awaits a duel with the "Lille" team, which has been performing even better this year. Nevertheless, Chelsea's game leaves intrigue in this pair.
“Juventus” will get stuck in Unai Emery's defense "Villarreal" performed well in the group stage, where they had a real chance to even take first place, although they played against "Manchester United" in the group. Unai Emery continues to prove that he is a great tactician who can squeeze more out of the team than many expect. "Juventus" looks very slow this season, so "Villarreal" can definitely surprise and move on to the quarterfinals.
