The Champions League Returns
Champions League draw |
Manchester city or Real Madrid will be confronting either Juventus or Lyon, while Barcelona or Napoli will be meeting either Chelsea or Bayern Munich but they all have to first contend with each other in a winner takes it all second leg that was abandoned because of the pandemic.
Bayern Munich holds a 3:0 lead against Chelsea while Barcelona and Napoli shared the spoil in their first meeting.
If things are to be seen from it's face value, the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City should be on their way to the quarter final following their wins in the first leg of the last sixteen played in Madrid. But at the look of things, it is obvious that both Real Madrid and Chelsea have picked up their shooting boots and firing on all cylinders.
The Frank Lampard boys looks currently like a team that can upturn any deficit at the moment with the resurgence of Christian Pulisic which brings back memories of Edin Hazard in his peak, Tammy Abraham and the rest of the young squad.
The likes of Segio Ramos and Karim Benzema are currently at their best and that have aided them in toppling Barcelona on the La Liga table with a whopping 4points.
Barcelona and Manchester City no doubt were exceptional in the first half of the campaign both in individual performances and team play but that is not so at the moment. Barcelona has remained a shadow of its self, not even the return of the magnificent Luis Suaréz was enough to ignite the fire they currently lack.
Manchester City on their part has been uninspiring in front of goal, probably because of the absence of Segio Aguero who has single handedly carried the goal poaching job on his shoulders since his arrival at the Etihad in 2011.
Bayern Munich has kept the fire burning since returning for the second half of the season with their inspirational Polish striker Robert Lawandoski and the on form Alphonso Davis.
Napoli has been slightly on the decline since the return of the Italian Seria A, but that may not be a good reason to write them off. Same could be said of Juventus with their lackluster performances since the arrival of Maurizio Sarri. But with the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo in the team, it is too early to write them off.
Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, Atalanta and Paris and Germain all boost a great squad that has the capability of pulling surprises.
Despite the pandemic delay, it promises to be a great encounter starting from August 7, 2020. After the last legs of the last 16, all other matches will be played in Lisbon. Fingers crossed as the battle begins.
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