Les Grandes Equipes, The Champions!
After many months without sports, we celebrate any time a league resumes action. Some leagues have resorted to bubbles like the NBA, NHL and MLS, while most are playing in their home stadiums without fans. Now, we celebrate the return of the grandest stage in soccer’s club competition: the UEFA Champions League. While most of the round of 16 legs were finished before the competition shut down, they were 4 matchups who were unable to play the second leg and will now do so at the corresponding home team’s stadium. The winner advances to the quarterfinal stage, which will be played in Lisbon along with the semifinals and final, serving as a bubble for the final stages. All of the remaining matchups except 1 are up for grabs. So, who will win?
Real Madrid vs Manchester City
The joke when competition shut down was that God is clearly a Manchester United fan because Liverpool’s Premier League title was likely going to be suspended, Leeds United would have to wait another year to be promoted, and Manchester City’s best shot at winning a continental title would have to wait. Lo and behold, here we are in August, with City in a comfortable spot. Pep Guardiola’s squad won the away game in Madrid, are in the driver’s seat with a lead on aggregate and will feel comfortable closing out at home. Yes, the stadium will be empty, but then again is it ever full (There’s a reason some call it the Emptihad)? However, the greatest asset Real Madrid might have is head coach Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman is in his second stint as the man in charge in Madrid. In his first stint, all he did was win 3 Champions League titles in a row, and add to an extensive trophy case at Bernabeu. Zidane will make head scratching moves at times and is set in his ways, but there’s no doubt he knows how to win on the big stage. Guardiola and Zidane faced off as players while each played for Barcelona and Real Madrid, and will now face off as tacticians. Madrid has history on its side, but in this matchup, I think City advances.
Chelsea vs Bayern Munich
Bayern did what they usually do in the Bundesliga: win. The Bavarian squad overcame a sluggish start which led to the dismissal of coach Niko Kovač. Hans-Dieter Flick took over on an interim basis, but was promoted to a permanent position in April, and showed why he earned that title as the team won their 8th consecutive league title. Chelsea on the other hand, started off the season with no expectations, due to having a relatively young squad, transfer ban and this being Frank Lampard’s first year as coach, where he was expected to be baptized by fire. All Lampard did was lead to Chelsea to a 4th place finish, another Champions League berth, and the FA Cup Final. However, they happened to run into the buzz saw that is Bayern Munich and lost the first leg at home 3–0. Bayern will close out at home and be in a very comfortable position, where they can rest some starters before the next stage. However, anything can happen in the Champions League, and Chelsea can attest to that as they were the unlikeliest of champions back in 2012 when they beat Bayern in the final at Allianz Arena. That was due more to Chelsea’s limited choices to start the game, as many starters were lost due to injury or suspension, not being down 3–0. While Chelsea won’t go down without a fight, I don’t see Bayern blowing the lead on aggregate.
Juventus vs Lyon
Juventus comes in the same way Bayern did, winning their 9th consecutive league title, but looking to win something on the continental stage. Now led by Maurizio Sarri, Juve will look to win their first Champions League since 1996. The Italians have made the final several times since then, most recently, in 2017. While Mario Mandžukić scored a spectacular goal in that game, they came up short against Real Madrid and a player they now have on their side, Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano continues to score goals and win league titles in Italy, but will now try to win a Champions League with a 3rd club, having won one at Manchester United, and four at Real Madrid. While Juventus closes out at home, they will do so trailing in the aggregate as they lost 1–0 in Lyon. The French squad had a disappointing season as they finished 7th, and didn’t qualify for any European competitions next season. Their sluggish start led to the dismissal of head coach Sylvinho, who was replaced with Rudi Garcia. You can expect Garcia to instruct Lyon to sit back and defend their narrow lead, but they’ll have to be careful as that strategy didn’t work out so well last year when Atletico Madrid did the same after beating Juventus 2–0 in the away leg, only to lose 3–0 in Turin. Juventus should overcome the surprising loss in Lyon and move onto the next stage.
Barcelona vs Napoli
FC Barcelona’s season can be summed up in one word: frustrating. Turmoil led to head coach Enrique Valverde being replaced by Quique Setién. Barcelona crashed out of the Copa del Rey tournament after losing in stoppage time to Atheltic Bilbao in the quarterfinals. When La Liga resumed, the team’s sluggish form led to them losing their lead in the table, and Real Madrid overtaking them to win the title. If there’s anything that can save their season from being a complete failure, it’s winning the Champions League. Napoli had a disappointing season in Serie A, as a lackluster start led to Carlo Ancelotti getting replaced by Gennaro Gattuso. Gattuso led Napoli to the Coppa Italia title, which means they’ve assured themselves of participating in next year’s UEFA Europa League, but they’ll aspire to do more since they still have the chance. If Napoli wants to make a statement on the continental stage, this is a very good chance as Barcelona appears as vulnerable as it has been in quite some time. However, I expect Lionel Messi and company to advance in this match up, though not without giving their fans a good scare.
