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Bayern Munich stamped their place in the Champions League quarterfinals by virtue of two impressive wins over Paris Saint-Germain; 1-0 and 2-0, respectively. It was touted as one of the marquee ties of the round of 16 next two Liverpool and Real Madrid in what was a rematch of last year’s final from Paris, France in which Real Madrid were victorious.
Now, Bayern is joined by SL Benfica, Chelsea, Manchester City, Inter Milan, AC Milan, SSC Napoli and Real Madrid in the next round of the competition, where there are several possibilities of mouth-watering ties to be drawn. Bayern has played all of the remaining teams at different times throughout their history in the competition, but on paper, Bayern would surely want to avoid certain clubs that are left.
Man City showcased their sheer dominance over RB Leipzig in the second leg of their round of 16 tie and Erling Haaland scored an unprecedented five goals during the clash. Pep Guardiola’s side booked their place in the next round in ruthless fashion, though they were perhaps lucky not to have had Ederson sent off early on in proceedings.
Despite City’s routing of Die Roten Bullen, former Bayern and Germany midfielder Lothar Matthäus recently said that he doesn’t feel they’re the favorites in the competition this season. “That’s nonsense (Man City being favorites). I’m thinking of Real Madrid, who refer the CL as their competition. It’s not for nothing that they’ve won it five times since 2013/14,” he recently proclaimed (via @iMiaSanMia)
SSC Napoli are also having a remarkably good season bar getting knocked out of the Copa Italia by Cremonese in penalties. They aren’t far away from clinching the scudetto and they’ve been incredibly impressive in the Champions League this season, so Matthäus doesn’t want to write them off, either, nor SL Benfica. “You should not underestimate Napoli either. In the Italian league they are 18 points ahead of second place and the team has already made a mark in Europe this season. I wouldn’t want to play against Napoli at the moment. Not even against Benfica. Benfica are well organized under Roger Schmidt,” he explained
As far as both of the Milan clubs, Matthäus feels that either of the Serie A sides would be easier draws than the rest of the other remaining opponents. “They made it through with a bit of luck,” he said.
