Porto made the headlines last week as they claimed a shock 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
But what’s going to happen as the second legs play out over the next couple of nights?
1. Zlatan will score against Barcelona
Zlatan Ibrahimovic returning to Barcelona is always an event worth paying attention to. Ibra missed the first leg through suspension, and is also in the midst of a domestic kerfuffle following none too flattering comments he made about the country which currently provides him with gainful employment. We can’t see him missing this opportunity to hog the limelight – if he doesn’t score, maybe he’ll get sent off. Either should be enjoyable.
2. But Barca will win anyway
Zlatan isn’t the only player back for PSG – Marco Verratti also returns from suspension to bolster a side that was seriously under-strength for the first leg. Sadly, at 3-1 down from last week, that surely won’t be enough – they’ll need to score three without conceding which, let’s face it, with the likes of Messi, Neymar and Suarez in the Barca line-up, isn’t going to happen.
3. Bayern Munich will disappoint
We don’t expect Bayern to be as bad as they were in the first leg against Porto, when they slipped to a shock 3-1 defeat, but we don’t expect them to be anywhere near their best either. With Arjen Robben and, it appears, Franck Ribery again set to be absent, if they are going to to turn it around, it surely won’t be with the aesthetically pleasing football you associate with a Pep Guardiola side. As for whether or not they’ll do it, we’re nowhere near certain about that.
4. Atletico Madrid will be hard-luck losers
Atletico used to uniformly rubbish against their big brothers Real, but that has well and truly changed of late. The pair have clashed a remarkable and wearying seven times this season, with the boys from the Bernabeu failing to register a single win – including a goalless draw in the first leg of this tie. Something tells us though that, like in the Champions League final last season, when it really, really matters – Real will find a way to win. We’re not expecting it to be pretty, but we’re definitely expecting it to happen.
5. Gareth Bale’s exit will be hastened
We’re predicting a win for Real, and that means a win without Bale – who picked up a calf injury at the weekend. Bale has been a target for disgruntled Madrid fans of late, and a big win without him in the team would do nothing to improve the Welshman’s standing. Expect a new round of transfer speculation – Chelsea, Manchester United, PSG… take your pick – to begin soon.
6. Monaco’s limitations will finally be exposed
People have been underestimating Monaco right through this tournament, and we’re not going to stop now. With Juventus leading 1-0 from the first leg, it will be up to the hosts to force the play at Stade Louis II – and this doesn’t play to their strengths. Juve are likely to be without Paul Pogba, a man who can win a game on his own – but they don’t need to win this one, only draw it. And without going too far down the stereotyped road of tactically astute Italians, surely the Serie A leaders can manage that…
Source: SNAPPA
