The draw for both competitions took place this Friday as the quarter finals nears. All top six teams are still in European elite competitions for the first time in 48 years which is impressive. Could this be a sign of dominance by English clubs in Europe in the foreseeable future?
For the Champions League;
Ajax vs Juventus; Ajax have never won against Juventus in 9 meetings (W0 D4 L5). Cristiano Ronaldo may look continue his prolific form in front of goal especially in this competition following the Atletico Madrid turnaround. Ajax will go in confident after eliminating Champions Real Madrid with the young side they’ve got.
Liverpool vs Porto; Liverpool have not lost to Porto in this competition (W3 D3 L0). These two met last year in the last year with Porto being eliminated 5-0 aggregate. Sadio Mane registered his first Liverpool hat trick here last year.
Tottenham vs Manchester City; An all English tie here. First meeting in Europe for these two. Note that they play thrice in the space of 11 days in April as things get tough domestically and in Europe. Must make the premier league top 4 enthusiasts happy about the prospects.
Manchester United vs Barcelona; A tie with lots of memories. United’s Manager Solskjaer for one remembers his last visit in the Camp Nou. They meet for the first time since 2011 final in which Barca won 3-1 at Wembley. Barcelona rarely loses against English teams. Lionel Messi will look to add to his 22 goals against English opposition.
For the Europa League;
Arsenal vs Napoli; Tough draw for the gunners this one. They’ve met twice with each winning once. An interesting match-up nevertheless.
Villareal vs Valencia; An all Spanish tie here. Winner faces Arsenal/Napoli.
Benfica vs Eintracht Frankfurt; Personally huge fan of both teams especially Frankfurt with their attacking style of football which makes the game enjoyable.
Slavia Prague vs Chelsea; The Europa league favorites are set put on a show after eliminating Dynamo Kyiv 8-0. Easy match-up for Chelsea, they should win both legs with ease.
