Yesterday’s games wrapped up the first leg of the Champions League Quarterfinals. From controversial calls to brilliant goals, the closely contended matches left fans anxious for more. With a total of 18 goals scored across the four games, it's safe to say that this year's Quarterfinals has been filled with action. It's a truly one-of-a-kind experience to witness the world's greatest teams compete on such a big stage, but who will ultimately come out on top?
Manchester City
Manchester City continue their role as the heavy favorite in this year's tournament. However, they must get buy a potentially dangerous Real Madrid team. The action in their first leg against Madrid started early, but ultimately ended in a 3-3 draw. As the two teams prepare their second leg in Manchester, we can certainly expect a close one. However, I expect to see City coming out victorious, as their home crowd may simply be too much. With a victory over Real Madrid, City would have a clear path to the final. Erlind Haaland’s dominant presence up top matched with De Bruyne’s composure in the midfield have made it very difficult for the world’s strongest teams to take Manchester City down.
Real Madrid
Ironically, Real Madrid is another team that I could see winning the Champions League. Obviously, they must first get by a dominant opponent in Manchester City. In their first leg matchup against City, Real Madrid looked excited, leading for many periods of the match. Although it will be difficult to take them down in Manchester, it’s certainly possible. Manager, Carlo Ancelotti, has arguably the most experience in Champions League games, completing his 200th match on Tuesday. Madrid also has some of the world's most exciting players, such as Jude Bellingham and Vinicius. If they can pull of the incredible win over Manchester City, they will be the favorite to win this year's Champions League final.
Barcelona
The world-wide powerhouse hasn’t won a Champions League final since 2015. Despite being filled with young, potentially unexperienced players, Barcellona has all the momentum after Yesterday’s thrilling victory over PSG. The substitute, Adreas Christensen scored the game winner in Paris. As Barcellona return home for their second leg game, all the odds are in their favor. If they can complete the upset, Barcelona may be the team that could finally take down Man City or Real Madrid. Many people argue that Barcelona’s young group will hold them back. However, the youngsters are adapting to the big stage impressively. Lamine Yamal has been a dominant force throughout the tournament at just 16 years of age. Overall, Barcelona could be the team that flies under the radar and beats one of the favorites, winning the Champions League.
Brendan Gray, Senior Writer
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