Edward Paul ChiaThe road to the Champions League Finals in Athens is fraught with many dangers. Well, at least that’s true for the 8 even more evenly matched teams that will be participating in the Champions League quarter-finals. So we at UrbanWire have pulled out our trusty crystal ball and predicted which teams will get through to the semi-finals to get closer to being crowned the champions of Europe.
Liverpool VS PSV Eindhoven
Chelsea VS Valencia
Manchester United VS Roma
Bayern Munich VS AC Milan
Some have suggested that beating the defending champions would mean they’re a shoo-in for the competition. Scratch that thought, Liverpool may be a good team, but Benfica beat them last season when they were the defending champions and Benfica didn’t win it.
No doubt, Barcelona is a great team with fantastic attacking flair. But since that 1-0 victory against Arsenal in the finals last season, they’ve looked out of sorts.
So while I’d give credit where credit is due, Liverpool doesn’t necessarily qualify as front runners just yet.
Let’s not forget, PSV bundled Arsenal out of the tournament and if my memory serves me right, the Gunners actually thrashed Liverpool, not once, but twice at Anfield this season.
With Jamie Carragher playing an instrumental role in Liverpool’s recent games like keeping Ronaldinho quiet in the 2nd leg of the round of 16, his services will undoubtedly be called upon again against PSV.
One key concern for Rafa Benitez would be his side’s lack of goals. With Dirk Kuyt, Craig Bellamy and beanpole Peter Crouch all firing blanks despite the number of chances the team is creating, Benitez must be having some sleepless nights.
PSV’s Brazilian defender Alex may be a good defender, but he still suffers from lapses in concentration, and with Bellamy running about the pitch like a crazed golfer in a golf cart, dozing off will definitely not be an option.
Prediction: Liverpool to win
Chelsea VS Valencia
It’s actually a tale of 2 teams, 2 stingy defences and 2 talented strikers- Didier Drogba and David Villa are arguably the best strikers in Europe at the moment.
And the similarities go further than that.
Both teams have awesome home records. Stamford Bridge and the Mestella are both stadiums that the opponents hate to play at.
Like Chelsea, Valencia also suffered from an injury crises earlier in the season with just one tiny exception, they didn’t give people the Blues by whining as much as their opponent.
So with this tie proving to be a close encounter, my money’s on Chelsea to win. With Andre Shevchenko finally adapting to the Blues’ style of play and proving to be a better player in European ties, Valencia’s defenders will have their work cut out for them.
Prediction: Chelsea to win
Manchester United VS Roma
With Henrik Larsson returning to Helsingborg, the team’s attacking impetus has certainly diminished considering Wayne Rooney’s lack of form and Louis Saha’s injury.
Alan Smith may be back following that horrific leg break, but he hasn’t really been deployed as a striker for a long while. So much will depend on whether he can regain the form and fitness that saw Sir Alex Ferguson splash out ?7 million [S$21 million] to pry him from hated rivals Leeds United.
Thankfully there’s Christiano Ronaldo who’s really proving to be the player of the season. Scoring and creating goals by the buckets and leaving me cross-eyed with his dazzling dribbling ability; he has certainly improved tremendously from last season.
But Roma also boast some of the finest players in the world like Francesco Totti. What he lacks supposedly in the intelligence department is made up for with his skills on the pitch.
Roma has also proved to be more than adept when it comes to scoring away from home after beating French Champions Lyon in their own backyard in the previous round. So any thoughts the Red Devils may have about finishing the tie easily at Old Trafford should be cancelled out.
Prediction: Manchester United to win
Arguably the tie of the quarter-finals, the upcoming match is making me salivate. A tie that pits German industry against Italian artistry, for me it’s the pick of the lot out of all the matches.
But both teams could have just as easily not made it to the quarter-finals. Bayern got through by beating Real Madrid in the previous round, but they were helped by an injury to Real’s of David Beckham who was starting to prove how good he was following his exile from the 1st team by manager Fabio Capello.
Milan, on the other hand, struggled to break down a dogged Celtic defence, relying instead on a moment of magic from Brazilian superstar Kaka to break the deadlock in extra time.
Both teams aren’t exactly in the running for the title back in their respective leagues; the Champions League offers the real chance of silverware for both sides.
But I think that with playmakers Andrea Pirlo and Kaka on their side, Milan definitely has the edge in this encounter especially when it boils down to much needed creativity in the final 3rd for what will prove to be a tightly contested affair.
Prediction: Milan to win