With the Champions League set to return at the beginning of August, fans have the chance to look forward to more sports than they would have possibly thought imaginable prior to the global pandemic. Nevertheless, everyone will certainly be happy enough to continue to get their sporting fix as they can see some of the best action from Europe’s best clubs.
However, what chances do each side have as each fixture from the quarter-finals onwards are a straight knock-out encounter and who are the most likely to win the tournament once it comes to its conclusion.
With some of the first knock-out second legs still to be played, that seems to be an apt place to start.
Bayern Munich vs Chelsea
With Bayern Munich already holding a 3-0 goal lead ahead of the contest at the Allianz Arena following Serge Gnabry’s dominating display in London (and not for the first time this season), the Bavarians can step off the gas a little as they are in a comfortable position to advance without any real additional stress.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
Manchester City have a 2-1 advantage heading into their home tie with Real Madrid, however with the Spaniard’s in solid form since the restart, it could be one of the more interesting ties still to be played at this stage of the tournament.
Juventus vs Olympique Lyonnais
With Juventus facing the possibility of going out of the competition following a 0-1 defeat in France, there could be a huge shock on the cards. However, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala in the side, it would be hard to see the Old Lady fail to overturn the deficit.
FC Barcelona vs SSC Napoli
Perhaps one of the most difficult ties to predict an outcome, Barcelona and Napoli is level at 1-1 as the two sides will meet at the Camp Nou for their place in the next stage of the Champions League. Although both sides have generally done well since the return of football, there have been some mixed results that will have caused some concern.
Quarter-finals
Atalanta vs Paris Saint Germain
One of the only confirmed ties of the quarter-final stages at this moment, Atalanta and Paris Saint Germain will go up against each other in a single knockout game that will be played in Lisbon. It would be hard to look beyond the French side with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr in their ranks.
Red Bull Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid
The other confirmed tie to have been scheduled is between Red Bull Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid. The Germans will be without Timo Werner following his move to Chelsea, which could prove to be a damaging move for the club in their aspirations to win Europe’s biggest club prize.
Napoli/Barcelona vs Chelsea/Bayern Munich
One of the potentially juiciest ties of the tournament, it would not be wrong to assume that Barcelona will face Bayern for a place in the last four of the competition.
Real Madrid/Man City vs Lyon/Juventus
Currently, it appears as though Man City will be playing Lyon for a place in the semi-finals, however it would not be a surprise if Real Madrid vs Juventus were the final outcome of this tie. A contest that truly could feature any of the four aforementioned clubs.
Semi-finals
Leipzig/Atletico vs Atalanta/PSG
It truly would not be surprising if Atletico Madrid vs PSG were the tie to take this fixture on the schedule, which would surely go on to prove to be one of the best matches of the competition.
Real Madrid/Man City/Lyon/Juventus vs Napoli/Barcelona/Chelsea/Bayern Munich
This bracket of the tournament is one of the hardest to predict as so many of the sides have a chance of progressing, with Chelsea the one only team unlikely to make it this far. With the possibility of a Bayern Munich vs Barcelona match in the previous fixture, there could be a very interesting spectacle on the cards.
Final
For the purpose of making a prediction, a final could see PSG go up against Bayern Munich. With the experience that the Germans have had in the Champions League over the decades, the possibility of them winning could be far too great to ignore.
