The Champions League quarterfinals draw will take place on Friday. The remaining teams are arguably all contenders so it should be interesting to see which sides will face stiff competition along the way. Here are the four matchups that we want to see in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Chelsea vs. Real Madrid
Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid ended their relationship on bad terms. Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo's relationship went from bad to worse as the 2012-13 season wore on. It would be interesting to see these sides compete on the largest stage, as it would increase the stakes significantly.
From a soccer perspective it will be interesting to see a top defense take on a juggernaut offense. Is Mourinho's imperious defensive wall enough to shut down the famed BBC (Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo)? What kind of mind games will Mourinho try to play with his former club?
Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid
There are three Spanish sides and two German teams remaining so there is a major likelihood that there could be two Spanish teams and two German sides in the final four. Why not do away with one of those teams in the quarterfinals in order to create a potentially more interesting semifinal?
However, the real interest here is how these two sides matchup. Both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have faced off three times in 2013-14 and have drawn in each one of those games. In fact, only two goals have been scored in those three games. It would be interesting to see how these teams stack up against one another on the biggest stage possible.
Diego Costa and David Villa have been great in the UCL and would likely step up against Barcelona. How will Neymar fare after such a poor start to 2014? Will Atletico Madrid, the team that he scored against in the Spanish Super Cup (the clinching goal no less), be the team that wakes him out of his current slumber of ineptitude?
Another interesting story to consider is whether Atletico will be able to bounce back after being annihilated by Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey?
Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich
This was the final a year ago, but Dortmund has not been as strong in 2013-14 as it was in 2012-13. It would be interesting to see how the rivals respond to one another at this early stage in the tournament; this should certainly make for entertaining viewing.
PSG vs. Manchester United
This matchup should be a give-me for Paris Saint-Germain and is the main reason why PSG was grouped with the weakest remaining side in the tournament. Manchester United has failed all season long and is unlikely to make a deep run in this tournament.
PSG would be the uncontested favorite in this match, as it would give Zlatan Ibrahimovic a chance to run rampant on against a weaker side. More importantly, who does not want to see Ibrahimovic in the semifinal against one of the major sides?
On the flipside of things, Paris Saint-Germain is not as intimidating for United as someone like Real Madrid or Bayern Munich would be. The team might actually have a side at winning this contest; that would add some excitement and tension to this tie.
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