Hi there everyone! Hope you all are in good health. Today I’ve decided to shift my focus back to sports and will take a look at the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals 2nd leg which set to resume on the 7th of August.
For those that don’t know much about this competition, just to let you know that it is one of the biggest European club completion where some of Europe’s top clubs battle it out on the football pitch to become Europe’s BEST football club and earn a chance to represent the Europe at the FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP held annually.
I know the trophy looks big & beautiful right? To be honest it’s more than just representing Europe at the Club World Cup or calling yourself “CHAMPIONS OF Europe”! It’s also about the trophy you’re seeing above and the pride and prestige that comes with it. Plus so much money involved to be earned. That’s why clubs don’t take this competition lightly at all.
But I think what makes this competition & the sport more beautiful is the “UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ANTHEM”. Just imagine standing in front of thousands of football fans in a stadium and that music is played at the highest volume possible. Just think what it feels like at that moment? And what would be going through each player’s mind while the anthem is going on.
Let’s now turn to the games then. Before we progress to the quarter- finals, let me remind you that on the 7th & 8th of August the remaining Round of 16 2nd leg ties will be completed at the club’s home ground.
Whereas, from the quarter-finals all matches have been split around two stadiums in Lisbon, Portugal. This includes; Estadio do sport Lisboa e Benfica which will also host the final and Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Switching back to the remaining round of 16 2nd leg fixtures will see Juventus host Lyon and Manchester City welcome Real Madrid on the 7th of August.
Both Juventus and Manchester City will bring a lead with them into their respective matches having won the 1st leg.
The Italian club Juventus led 1-0 on aggregate against the French club Lyon while the former English Premier League champions Manchester City are 2-1 up against Spanish side Real Madrid.
Then, on the 8th of August we’ll see Bayern Munchen host Chelsea while Barcelona will welcome Napoli in a fascinating fixture.
Looking at these two matches, Bayern V Chelsea might seem to be a mismatch as the German giants Bayern lead 3-0 on aggregate following that away win in England while Barcelona v Napoli is tight to call as both sides are locked at one a piece on aggregate with the Italian club Napoli having a slight edge on away goal rules and will be hoping to ruin their chance of making it to the last eight.
Just to let you know, the quarter-finals & semi-finals will be played a single leg and not as the usual home & away basis.
Looking at the quarter-finals, only two have been confirmed. Starting on the 12th of August Atlanta take on Paris Saint Germain and RB Leipzig face Athletico Madrid a day later.
On the 14th of August, Napoli v Barcelona winner will play the winner of the Chelsea v Bayern winner. Likewise, Real Madrid v Manchester City winner will play Lyon v Juventus winner which will be on the 15th of August.
The semi-final draw sees the winner of RB Leipzig V Athletico Madrid game to play the winner of Atlanta v Paris Saint Germain game in the 1st semi-final on the 18th of August while Real Madrid v Manchester City or Lyon v Juventus winner will take on Napoli V Barcelona winner or Chelsea v Bayern winner in the 2nd semi-final on the 19th of August.
Winners of the two semi-finals will then play in the final itself for the ultimate prize on the 23rd of August.
Before I take leave, please note that the game date and time may differ in your region. For example, in Fiji the remaining round of 16 matches will be aired on the 8th & 9th of August, quarter-finals can be watched from the 13th to 16th August, semi-finals on the 19th & 20th while the final on the 24th of August with all matches starting at 7am.
And don’t worry if you are too confused with the fixtures. Once all round of 16 matches are complete all your doubts will be cleared automatically. So just enjoy the games
So with that, I’ll take leave. Hope you enjoyed reading it. Do take very good care of yourselves till we meet again. Bye for now.
IN THE WHITE 