Predicting the likely qualifiers in the 2023 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals
Europe's biggest football club competition, the UEFA Champions League, resumes today (11 April) with some tantalizing fixtures. The UEFA Champions League quarterfinals draw, as we all know, always pairs European heavyweights against each other.
Manchester City and Bayern Munich will go head-to-head, while Benfica and Inter Milan will lock horns against each other. Real Madrid will take on Chelsea for the third consecutive year in the competition, while familiar foes Napoli and AC Milan will revisit their rivalry on the European stage. The 2022–23 UCL campaign made it the first time that three Italian clubs will be playing in the quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years.
European giants like Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain were knocked out in the last 16, and this round will produce nothing short of that. Teams like Napoli, Benfica, Inter, and AC Milan would be ecstatic about the draw. However, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Bayern might have been furious with how it panned out for them as they were handed the route of ephialtes.
Perhaps it's the year of Manchester City, as an in-form Erling Haaland can get them their first ever Champions League trophy. An Osimhen-led Napoli could capitalize on their supposedly easy route to claim the famous 'big ears.' However it goes, let's make a prognostication of who is likely to make it to the semis.
Manchester City vs Bayern Munich - UEFA Champions League
This tie is arguably the most anticipated by football fans as an in-form Manchester City lock horns with the current Bundesliga leaders. This will see Pep Guardiola come up against the club he once managed and the coach who denied him his first UEFA Champions League trophy in 2021 - Thomas Tuchel.
Having comfortably brushed RB Leipzig aside in the last 16, Guardiola's men will be ready for a tougher test as they face six-time champions Bayern Munich. Whilst Manchester City are the top favorites to lift the UCL this season, Bayern are ranked first in the UEFA club's coefficient rankings, which somehow makes it an evenly-matched tie.
Erling Haaland has been the backbone for the Sky Blues this season, as he has been firing from all angles. He has a total of 44 goals to his name in 38 games across all competitions this season. As the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League this season (10 goals), the Norwegian hitman will be keen to continue his fine scoring form.
Bayern, on the other hand, is the only team with a 100% record in the UEFA Champions League this season. Whilst they may be struggling domestically, their performances in the UEFA Champions League indicate that they are a force to be reckoned with.
The last time both sides faced each other was in the group stages in 2014. Bayern won 3-1 at home, while Manchester City won 3-2 at the Etihad. This is the first time both sides will be meeting in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Unlike Manchester City, Bayern don't have a target man, which makes their style of play very difficult to comprehend.
Whilst Haaland could be the difference for City, Bayern have a plethora of goal scorers in their ranks. They can always count on the likes of Sadio Mane, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sané, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to help them glide through obstacles.
Should Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland be caged by Bayern players, that could spell disaster for Guardiola's men in front of goal. As such, Bayern are tipped to go through.
Benfica vs Inter
Having narrowly defeated Porto in the round of 16, the Nerazzurri will look forward to making huge strides to return to their glory days. Since they lifted the trophy in 2010, they have not advanced to the quarterfinals. Benfica, as well, have had a kind of hoodoo in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, as they have been eliminated every time at this stage since winning the trophy in 1990.
Apart from Bayern Munich and Manchester City, Benfica are the only side that haven't recorded a loss in the ongoinf UEFA Champions League campaign. Having taken the top spot from Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe-led PSG and Juventus in the group stages, other teams will be kind of wary of them.
Simone Inzaghi's men have been unsteady in their last six games across all competitions [W0, D3, L3], and they're currently in fifth place in the Serie A table. Benfica, on the other hand, are at the top of their league table and have had a decent run of form. They walloped Club Brugge 7-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16 to get to this stage.
Apart from that, the Portuguese juggernauts also have some high-flying players in this UEFA Champions League campaign, as three of their players are among the six top scorers.
Gonçalo Ramos is enjoying the form of his life with João Mário, and Rafa Silva providing him with support. The tempo of this current Benfica squad is way too much for Inter to handle, and as a result, Benfica are prognoticated winners of this tie.
Real Madrid vs Chelsea
This is another crunch tie that football fans will look forward to watching. Having survived an exit scare from Borussia Dortmund, a struggling Chelsea will take on Carlo Ancelotti's men in the quarter-finals. A repeat of last season's tie will take place here.
The last time they met, the 14-time champions needed an additional 30 minutes to see off Chelsea after they produced a spirited comeback at the Santiago Bernabeu. Despite Chelsea's good record against Real Madrid, the odds are not in their favor at the moment.
Just this season, they've employed three different managers, with club legend Frank Lampard recently taking over the managerial reins. Chelsea's woes have worsened, as Karim Benzema looks unplayable at the moment. He ran riot against an in-form Barcelona, scoring a hat-trick, and doing it against a struggling team like Chelsea should not be an impossible task.
Chelsea might have a good record against Real Madrid in European competition, but their current form is nothing to write home about. Real Madrid are therefore expected to go through without any hiccups.
AC Milan vs Napoli
This is another nervy UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie as two of the three remaining Serie A teams in the competition meet for the first time in a European competition. This will be the first time that the Rossoneri will appear in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals since 2012.
Napoli, on the other hand, have proved impregnable in Serie A, having maintained the top spot with a 16-point lead. Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia seemed to be the missing pieces in Napoli's jigsaw this season. They've both been a threat to all their opponents, and there's no doubt that they will cause havoc for AC Milan's defense when they meet in the UEFA Champions League.
However, AC Milan's incredible 4-0 win against Napoli a few weeks ago could boost their confidence ahead of the tie. Whilst many football fans see Napoli as the top dog in this tie, it is important to note that AC Milan have more European pedigree, which could spur them on.
But truth be told, no European heavyweights would love to be paired with Luciano Spalletti's men at the moment. Their recent defeat to AC Milan would whip some sense into them that they shouldn't allow Rafael Leão enjoy the same space they gave him again.
Presently, Napoli are an absolute powerhouse with Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in their ranks. If they both continue their fine-scoring form, they will get past AC Milan over the two legs.