I sat with some of our top analysts in GreenHunters Sports International to rank the eight teams left in the Uefa Champions League. And this is what we came up with.
8. Porto
8. Porto
Porto have the toughest battle on paper, and now
face one of the favorite in the competition after scraping past Roma on the
right side of controversy. Their quarter-final opponents, Liverpool, absolutely
blitzed them at the same stage last season: 5-0 on aggregate, with all the
goals coming in a cakewalk first leg.
That match was a counter-pressing masterclass from
Jurgen Klopp’s men, and Porto simply couldn’t cope with their lack of space and
Liverpool’s width. The Primeira Liga title-chasers are solid defensively this
year, though, and head coach Sergio Conceicao may opt to shift his Real
Madrid-bound centre-back Eder Militao to right-back, in order to deal with
overloads.
That would allow him to keep his experienced pair of
Pepe and Felipe in the middle – although they do catch a break not having to
play against the suspended Andrew Robertson in the first leg. The odds are
stacked against them, regardless of the tactical changes.
7, Tottenham
Tottenham are not the seventh-best team left –
they’re above that. But their upcoming hurdle against Manchester City is among
the toughest to leap.
What they have going for them now, however, is a
relatively healthy squad. After beating Borussia Dortmund convincingly without
key players in both legs, Spurs now have everyone available apart from Eric
Dier, who is still recovering from a muscular injury.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men play Manchester City
thrice in the span of 11 days: twice in the Champions League, and once in the
league. Both teams are in the thick of each competition, and will have the
challenges of rotation, tactical tinkering and keeping their best players fresh
for a season-defining stretch. City have more depth to deal with it.
6. Ajax
Since a mini-slump earlier this season, which had
most pundits seeing Ajax as huge underdogs against (even this version of) Real
Madrid, Erik ten Hag’s men have turned a corner. They dominated Madrid over two
legs, flattering them with a 6-2 aggregate scoreline. They’ve won all their
games since then bar one uncharacteristic loss to AZ Alkmaar, keeping the
pressure on Feyenoord in the Eredivisie title race.
Ajax won’t let Juventus breathe as much as Atletico
Madrid did in the second leg of their disastrous last-16 tie. But while
Massimiliano Allegri’s men won’t have as much comfort building from the back –
the Dutch side are good at providing coverage on the flanks to prevent crosses
– Matthijs de Ligt and Daley Blind face one of the most unenviable tasks in European
football by having to deal with Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo in the
box.
5. Machester United
This is perhaps generous. United barely pulled
through against PSG, and now have a gigantic task against Barcelona. Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer’s men haven’t played well of late, and are going against a team that
seemingly can’t lose – one with the unstoppable Lionel Messi and in-form Luis
Suarez.
Fred will get annihilated if Solskjaer plays him as
the team’s anchor, given how poorly he usually does when pressed deep. United
will have counter-attacking opportunities, but must take the few chances they
get.
Barcelona are good defensively in transition, and
the margin of error against them is virtually zero. But United proved in Paris
that they can be clinical from limited opportunities, and with their backs
against the wall. It’s a glimmer of hope.
4. Barcelona
Really, the top four are interchangeable in this
list. Any team with Messi or Ronaldo will always have a chance to win a title,
even if surrounding players underperform. Barça’s challenge against Manchester
United may be relatively comfortable, but it’s the tests beyond that could
stifle them.
No team has properly punished Barcelona for their
mistakes in any season-threatening way. Ernesto Valverde’s men have steamrolled
La Liga, and have dealt with their biggest Champions League tests. Real Madrid
and Atletico Madrid have been unable to punish them for their gifts when
pressed deep, or the space left behind their full-backs.
Recently, Villarreal were up two goals against a
Barcelona side full of defensive holes – but they couldn’t hold on. Manchester
City, Liverpool or Juventus won’t be as merciful.
3. Juventus
This is the stage where watching Juventus becomes
really interesting. They’ve laughed away at yet another league title, and
Allegri pulled off a remarkable gameplan to come back against Atletico Madrid
in the last-16 second leg.
You can’t sleep against a talented Ajax side, but
Juve have a tight defence structure, behemoths up front, and big-time players
who thrive in the Champions League. They should be able to iron out any kinks
from poor domestic form when it comes to nights like this.
But maybe that’s optimistic. They struggled against
Atletico in the first leg when faced with waves of pressure. Ajax have proved
that they can sustain that energy over the course of two legs (where Atleti
couldn’t), and won’t be afraid to go at Juve away from home. It’ll be a
pulsating tie.
2. Liverpool
Liverpool were already among the favourites for this
competition. Now they have the easiest draw of the round, and can get
Robertson’s suspension out of the way early.
While there were concerns about the Reds not long
ago, and they didn’t look that impressive against Bayern Munich over two legs,
they’re starting to peak at the right time. Sadio Mané is absolutely lethal in
current form, and the entire team is rallying around him. They are ready.
1. 1. Manchester
City
It’s not that City don’t have a tough opponent to
leapfrog this round – they do. Tottenham could feasibly beat anyone over two
legs.
But when you’re the best, you’re the best. And right
now, Manchester City are equipped to go deeper than anyone given their talent
pool, deep squad and flexible systems.
Tottenham should offer a stern enough test, but City
should progress and cement their status as favorites. That impending
Liverpool-City tie, if it arrives again for the second season running, will be
juicy indeed. Pep Guardiola must conquer his kryptonite that is Jurgen Klopp.
Let us have your own ranking, drop your own opinion in the comment box below
Let us have your own ranking, drop your own opinion in the comment box below
