The Champions League quarter-finals gets underway next week, with four mouth-watering ties taking place across Europe. Arsenal play Bayern Munich, Barcelona take on Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid go up against Borussia Dortmund, with the tie of the round being Real Madrid against Manchester City.
Champions League tickets for the matches at the Santiago Bernabeu or the Etihad Stadium are sure to be scarce, as two of the best teams in the world go face-to-face for the third successive season in the competition. The first two ties were incredible to watch, with Real Madrid’s late comeback in 2022, Man City slaughtering Los Blancos in 2023.
On both teams, the winners of the tie went on to win the Champions League that season, and it could certainly be the case again on this occasion. Whoever progresses would play Arsenal or Bayern in the semi-finals, with a possible final against Barcelona, Atleti, PSG or Dortmund.
Real Madrid will be well rested for the first leg at the Bernabeu on Tuesday, having not played since last Sunday against Athletic Club. By comparison, Man City have played three times since the same date (Arsenal last Sunday, Aston Villa on Wednesday and Crystal Palace on Saturday), which could bring fatigue into the occasion, but it also means that Pep Guardiola’s side will probably be more sharp.
Revenge could be on Real Madrid’s mind in 2024, after last season’s demolition job at the Etihad, which saw Man City progress 5-1 on aggregate. Carlo Ancelotti’s side will be determined to right the wrongs from then, and they now have Jude Bellingham at their disposal, which will be a massive help.
Vinicius Junior has looked back to his best in recent months, while the likes of Rodrygo Goes, Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni should also be influential. Having Eder Militao back from injury is also a major boost – although he won’t start the first leg, there is a good chance of him doing so in Manchester.
There’s no doubt that Real Madrid are more than capable of defeating Man City this time around, and booking their place in the semi-finals of this season’s Champions League. However, they must secure an advantage at the Bernabeu on Tuesday, and their defence must be at its best for the second leg, which wasn’t the case in 2023.
Either way, it should be a cracking tie between two European heavyweights. Good football is promised, which is what we all want to see.
By Alejandro Fernandez
Actually it was City who got their revenge.
Now we are on even terms, and we will se how that goes.