The Champions League qualifiers are currently underway with a number of teams looking to find their way throughout the playoffs and into the group stage. While some of these sides could surprise, the likelihood of any emerging as major title contenders is unlikely at best. Latin Post.com predicts the top teams most likely to make deep runs in the tournament.
All this means is that the teams most likely to win it all are already qualified. Here is a look at the teams most likely to make noise at the European showcase.
Real Madrid officially announced last week that German star Toni Kroos would be joining the club. The former Bayern Munich star adds tremendous depth to Real Madrid's the midfield and gives coach Carlo Ancelotti a diverse array of tactical options.
Manchester City, which recently won their second English Premier League (EPL) title in three years, has accepted UEFA's sanctions - including a €60 million ($82,056,000 USD).
The Spanish League title will be decided on Saturday when Atletico Madrid and Barcelona face off at the Camp Nou. Los Colchoneros were seen as the favorites to take the trophy, but slip-ups in recent weeks have given Barcelona a chance to lift the trophy on home turf with a win.
While Manchester City celebrates their second English Premier League (EPL) title in three years, the club faces a murky as they plan to appeal UEFA's sanctions against the team for failing to meet their "Financial Fair Play" requirements. Man City faces £49 million ($82,530,700 USD) fine paid over three years, a 21-player limit on next season's Champions League competition and a salary cap to the current payroll level.
Chelsea and Atletico Madrid played to a scoreless draw in their first Champions League semifinal leg on Tuesday. The match, which was played in Spain's capital, featured major victories for both sides. Here is a look at what each team won and what each side lost.
The Champions League gets back underway this week with the final leg of the quarterfinals. A few matches are pretty much settled while most have some interesting storylines that are worth considering.
The first leg of the Champions League round of 16 has come to an end. It is safe to say that some matchups are essentially finished with most away teams taking advantage in the first leg and pulling away with favorable results.
Arsenal was defeated by Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League draw. the match featured some exciting end to end action in its opening half and two missed penalties. Here are five things that we learned from the first leg of this round of bout.
The Manchester City and Barcelona matchup did not go quite as many expected. The English side stayed strong for the majority of the game's opening half but faltered after a red card and a goal from Lionel Messi. After a 2-0 win, Barcelona has all but clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.
The other big match of the week is slated to take place Wednesday when Bayern Munich and Arsenal lock horns. The tie is a repeat of last season's round of 16 matchup when Munich won 3-1 at the Emirates before losing 2-0 at home. The aggregate was tied but the away goals favored the German side, which went on to win the entire tournament.
This year's matchup features two significantly different sides. Here is how Munich and Arsenal look heading into Wednesday's first leg.
Champions League soccer is back and the biggest matchup of the round of 16 will kick off the festivities on Tuesday when Barcelona visits Manchester City.
While most of the world will undoubtedly be paying close attention to the matchup between Barcelona and Manchester City, a smaller portion will take note of an equally engaging Champions league draw between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayer Leverkusen.
The two teams enter this matchup with similar chances at passing onto the quarterfinals. Here is a preview of what each side has to offer.
The Champions League round of 16 gets underway on Tuesday. Back in December this publication ranked the remaining 16 clubs based on their previous performances. On the eve of the actual round of 16, we will relook at that list and see how the teams rank based on recent form. This is a look at which teams have the best chance to win the trophy and this also includes a look at their upcoming matchups and how that affects each team's respective tournament chances.
