The last 16 of this season's Champions League has been decided. Although some good and close matches (I greatly enjoyed Porto-Arsenal and Inter-Atletico Madrid, both decided on penalty kicks, which is in fact a relatively rare occurrence in the CL) I don't think that there were major surprises, and this means that the quarterfinals will all be huge matches:
- Arsenal-Bayern Munich: Arsenal are having another great season, and as well being a candidate for the Premier League, they are surely also to be reckoned with in this tournament, although they were a bit lucky against FC Porto. Bayern Munich are always candidates, and will surely have a greater challenge against Arsenal than they did against Lazio.
- Atletico Madrid-Borussia Dortmund: The Spaniards do not seem to be at former strength and had a close match against Inter, who might as well have gone through. Dortmund are strong, winning their group ahead of PSG and defeating PSV Eindhoven.
- Paris St. Germain-Barcelona: Two giants who have before played some memorable CL matches. That said, neither side is at former strength. PSG struggled to get through the first round, although they seemed sure when defeating Real Sociedad in the last-16. FC Barcelona have been on a a rollercoaster this season, but have appeared better in the CL and defeated a high-rated Napoli in the last-16. Both sides could still go all the way despite their struggles.
- Real Madrid-Manchester City: surely this is the most anticipated match and the one everyone would have expected to be the final. Manchester City is defending their title and walked over FC Copenhagen in the last-16, while Real Madrid struggled a bit more against RB Leipzig, but remain the team of the moment in Europe. The winner of this match could win it all.
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