The drawing lots of the UEFA Champions’ League quarter finals, the most prestigious European competition of football, took place last Friday right after the second leg games of round of sixteen. Eight teams will try to take over from Bayern Munich after the coronation of the Germans last year in final against French team PSG (1-0).

If two squads, Manchester City and Bayern, are generally considered as the favorite candidates to the final victory, the underdogs such as Liverpool and Chelsea must not be forgotten. The first opposition will be a remake of the 2020 final since the Parisians of Senegalese midfielder Idrissa Gueye fell on Bayern and their unstoppable striker Robert Lewandowski, already goal scorer thirty-five times in Bundesliga this season!

Liverpool of Egyptian Mohamed Salah and Senegalese Sadio Mané will have to fight hard to kick out Real Madrid, winner of the tournament in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Merengues, relying hard on Karim Benzema since Ronaldo’s departure for Turin three years ago, are feeling safer with the return of their charismatic captain Sergio Ramos, a help that will be highly appreciated before Liverpool’s strikers, more inspired in Champions’ League than in the English one.

FC Porto of Malian forward Moussa Marega inherited the Blues of Chelsea, led by former PSG coach Thomas Tuchel. The Portuguese team, seen by many like the weakest team at this stage of the competition, will be motivated to shut people’s mouth again after having eliminated Juventus in round of sixteen. Some people keep on thinking that football is only well played in a few countries like Spain, England, Italy and Germany, and that nothing happens elsewhere. Well, Porto’s squad has a great opportunity here to prove the contrary.

The last quarter final will be what seems like an unbalanced game between Manchester City of Pep Guardiola and Borussia Dortmund of Edin Terzic, a coach who will by the way be replaced by Marco Rose at the end of the season. The Citizens, achieving an incredible season in Premier League and about to be champions, can rely on their Algerian striker Riyad Mahrez, but also Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva…Talent is not lacking.

source l’equipe.fr