The UEFA Champions League quarter-finals commence today, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, and here are the 4 clubs we believe will qualify for the semi-finals of the competition.
With this old version of the UEFA Champions League slowly coming to an end, the quarter-finals of the competition which will commence today, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, is perfectly poised to be an entertaining encounter in deciding the teams that would feature in the semi-finals of the competition.
The UEFA Champions League has continued to be one of the most coveted trophies in Europe and this is understandable given the calibre as well as the quality of the clubs that compete in the knockout stages of the competition.
The round of 16 of the 23/24 season of the UCL had been eventful with top teams such as Bayern Munich defying all odds and securing a qualification in the quarter-finals after picking up a victory over Lazio in the second leg of the double fixtures. Napoli fell short and Barcelona returned to the quarter-finals of the tournament for the first time in over four years.
To say the quarter-finals is perfectly poised to be an eventful one is not short of the truth with some of the biggest football rivalries being reignited in this stage of the competition for many.
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Fixtures to be played in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League
Here are the fixtures to be played in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the 2023/2024 club football season:
- Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
- Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund
- Real Madrid vs Manchester City
- PSG vs Barcelona
Clubs that would qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League
Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
Arguably one of the highly anticipated fixtures in the quarter-finals of the Champions League Arsenal vs Bayern Munich is poised to be an unexpected game of shocking results. Arsenal would be looking to further cement their impressive run in the 2023/2024 club football season with a qualification for the semis but Bayern is definitely an opponent that would make such a feat incredibly hard.
Arsenal are currently in the form of their lives for the first time in over 10 years which has been an impressive accomplishment under Mikel Arteta as compared to previous seasons under his leadership. It is safe to say the Spanish coach learnt from his past mistakes last season and corrected the errors with key signings and also in tactics.
Bayern Munich have continued to struggle in the 23/24 club football season which is the first full season under the leadership of the Champions League-winning coach Thomas Tuchel, these struggles have however been in the club's league (German Bundesliga) but the UCL has been a different ball game for the German giants as the club has managed to grind out results in the knock out stage of the competition so far.
For a tournament like the Champions League, past results as well as experience influence the outcome of results and the Arsenal vs Bayern Munich fixture would not be any different.
This is why we predict that Bayern Munich will qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League over Arsenal.
READ ALSO: 4 clubs that might qualify for the Europa League semi-finals
Why Arsenal might not qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League
Here are 2 key reasons Arsenal might not qualify for the semi-finals of the UCL:
- Head to Head: The current head-to-head statistics do not favour the North London side, Arsenal in any way over their rivals Bayern Munich. Both sides have met a total of 12 times in the Champions League alone and Bayern have won 7 of those fixtures with Arsenal winning just 2 and the remaining 3 ending in a draw. Figures like this already tilt the fixture to favour Bayern because from all indications the German giants know how to get the job done.
- Experience: The experience of Bayern Munich in the Champions League is what already gives them an edge going into any fixture in the Champions League. Aside from the experience of the crop of players, the club also possesses an undeniable amount in their history in the Champions League. This is one that can not be ignored in any way as they know how to get the job done even with a bad run of form.
Mikel Arteta and his side would need to be resilient to have an edge over Bayern Munich, their attack is clinical and with the team receiving a huge boost with the return of key players any slight error from the Gunners could be punished immensely.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Arguably one of the biggest rivalries in the Champions League in recent times, Real Madrid vs Manchester City is another fixture football neutrals would be looking forward to today as well.
Man City had the edge over Real Madrid in the 2022/2023 season which saw the Cityzens lift the UCL for the first time in their club football history. Real Madrid had also gotten the better of the team a season before as well.
The game is perfectly poised to be a blockbuster and a fight to the finish for both sides. The first leg being played at the Santiago Bernabeu is very instrumental in deciding if either Manchester City or Real Madrid would play in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Both sides have improved the quality of their squads by adding new players and also having a few returning from injury as well. Real Madrid is however poised to secure the qualification to the semi-finals in our opinion.
Why Real Madrid would qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League over Man City
With this UCL being the last for influential figures like Toni Kroos and Luka Modric it is expected that there would be much on the line for both players going into this fixture. The battle of the midfield would be a key factor in determining the outcome of the fixture.
Jude Bellingham has been tipped to be the joker for Real Madrid in this fixture but this would be a match where the differentials from the bench would make a difference. Differentials like Arda Güler, Brahim and Joselu are poised to be the players that would steal a win for Real Madrid over Manchester City.
Manchester City also possesses differential like Rico Lewis, Nunez and Jeremy Doku but the experience and quality of these differential is why we are tipping Real Madrid to qualify for the semi-finals of the UCL.
Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund
With Atletico Madrid now possessing a more lethal attacking side, the quarter-final fixture against Borussia Dortmund is expected to be one that would surprise many for its exciting nature. Dortmund would be looking to take their title chase in the 2023/2024 season a step further by qualifying for the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League but this might just be the end of the road for the German side.
We believe Atletico Madrid would have the edge going into this fixture in terms of their experience as well as their squad quality and the coach as well. Diego Simeone is known for his strict way of approaching the knockout stage of the competition and Atletico would be looking to do more damage in the first leg to a Dortmund side many might categorize as young and inexperienced.
Atletico Madrid to qualify for the semifinals is our prediction.
PSG vs Barcelona
A fixture of young stars and unanticipated reunions is what the PSG vs Barcelona meeting in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League is poised to be later today. Luis Enrique and Dembele would both be facing their former club side in Barcelona and although the first leg would be played in France many can not rule out the possibility of PSG with the help of the club's captain Kylian Mbappe getting the job done before the visit to Camp Nou.
Yamal would bring his class to the pitch once again but the experience the PSG side possesses in terms of the players in the team is likely what would give the French Champions an edge going into this fixture.
The PSG vs Barcelona meetings in the past have not gone as seamlessly as many might think, which is why we believe this would also be an action-packed fixture filled with a lot of drama and excitement as well.
PSG to edge Barcelona and qualify for the Champions League semi-finals is our prediction.
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