This Tuesday, February 13, the UEFA Champions League 2023-24, the great festival of world football at the club level, with the round of 8 finals. The 16 best European teams begin the direct elimination path towards the grand final at Wembley. Each of their matches can be experienced on Star+ (only for South America).
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The group stage was demanding but the big favorites reached, one way or another, the head-to-head stage. The usual giants are still on stage while other clubs are excited about causing a surprise. The 8th draw gives us very even crosses, in the previous one, and others that seem simple but will not be so simple.. Below are the reasons not to miss each of the 8 matches that begin to define the next European champion.
– First leg matches on February 13
The champion does not want surprises in Viking territory
It would seem that no one can stop Guardiola’s City, the best symphony in the world, but Copenhagen has already known how to complicate things in the past. In their only 4 duels, there were 2 English wins and 2 draws. The Danes will not leave the scene without sounding the Nordic battle horns. They know how to make the European champion uncomfortable and they will fight him this time too.
Haaland (left), Julián Alvarez (center) and Foden (right), three of the great figures of Manchester City. AP
Copenhagen was almost eliminated after the first round but ended up surpassing the group stage with a great final sprint over Galatasaray and Manchester United. The Neestrup team is a consolidated unit. Without featured soloists, the entire team runs, strives and attacks in synchronization. His quick play on the wings surprised and provided the majority of his goals. Guardiola’s City took note and should know how to protect yourself. His perfect group stage, stringing together goals, confirms him as great candidate to defend the title. All its luxurious operation, a highly tuned orchestra, defensive and offensive talents, such as Rodri, Julián Álvarez and Haaland, do not leave too many doubts about what should happen in this series. But it will be nice to see it anyway.
The usual candidate seeks to refine himself in Germany
If there are Champions Leagues, there has to be Real Madrid, a must-see at this festival. The top European champion is always a favorite and it is also a favorite this time against RB Leipzig. The Germans argue that they already knew how to complicate them. The few precedents, 2 games in the 2022 group stage, mark one victory per side. We’ll see who tilts that parity.
Bellingham (center), a kid who plays like a veteran, the new great figure of Real Madrid. EFE/Quique Garcia
RB Leipzig’s present is better than a few years ago. This time, they qualified for the round of 8, as second to City, after just 4 games. Marco Rose’s team is once again offensive and noisy but his players are younger, Xavi Simons and Loïs Openda stand out. The Spanish Dani Olmo, who suffered many injuries this campaign, can be a key piece if he is fit because he knows his rivals well. Real Madrid won their group perfectly, as if it were an essay in which he tried just enough. Ancelotti’s men seem to have found a perfect balance between youth and experience. A balance that sounds classic and modern. With the usual melodies, elegant dominance and offensive voracity, and more fashionable versions, pressure and counterattack. Bellingham, an experienced young man, is the heart of this Madrid that knows how to do everything and has answers for every occasion.
-First leg matches on February 14
Mbappé’s last concert?
PSG approached this opportunity to win the Champions League as it always does: as the last. However, this time, The possible departure of Mbappé at the end of the season adds arguments to a possible farewell Tour. Luis Enrique’s team emerged alive from the group of death (with Dortmund, Milan and Newcastle) on the final day. Now they will have their first meeting with Real Sociedad, a Basque team that won their zone only to be disappointed in having this very challenging draw.
Kylian Mbappé is the star of PSG and will seek to win the Champions League. Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
For the first time in a long time, PSG reaches the 8th as 2nd, without home advantage. The Parisian band is in formation. In this semester he became strong from the sides, with Hakimi and Lucas Hernández. In addition, they have a tireless midfield, patrolled by Ugarte, and Kylian, their rockstar, at the top. His destiny is tied to Mbappé’s inspiration. That is the greatest concern of the Basques. How to stop the offensive machinery of the French champion (which has accumulated 49 games with goals in the Champions League). Real Sociedad arrives undefeated on its return to Europe. Being in the 8th would be enough but their great group stage invites them to get excited. Alguacil is a team of youth players, strong and feisty, who knows how to handle the ball as well as make dominant teams uncomfortable. If he imposes his intense music, under the overwhelming rhythm of Zubimendi, he can give Mbappé a premature farewell.
The Bavarians promise to conquer the Roman Empire
Another duel with a clear favorite in a series that can also be a trap. Bayern, always a candidate to win the Champions League, will try to impose their classical music against a rival they beat both times they faced each other. Lazio, with the prominence that Sarri demands, will try to reach a higher note and surprise in the round of 8. We’ll see if he succeeds.
Bayern is a very organized classical orchestra in which Kane, the English goalscorer, now stands out. EPA
The Italians became strong in the Olympic stadium this season and thus came 2nd in their zone. Sarri’s Lazio will try to match Bayern’s decibels, which promises two very attractive and loud duels. Without the defensive solidity of last season, Sarri’s team will need not only Immobile’s goals but also greater consistency to avoid succumbing to German power. Bayern had an overwhelming performance in their group: finished undefeated for the 3rd consecutive year, winning 5 games and only equaling 1. The fast and fluid game that Tuchel proposes ensures an offensive and vertical football that almost always ends with Kane scoring a goal. Overconfidence, or a bad night, could complicate a series that seems judged.
-First leg matches on February 20
Crossroads in the opera of Simeone’s life
This Inter-Atlético is the most attractive duel of the 8th round of the Champions League. The European runners-up and an always complicated Spanish team that bears the imprint of their coach come on stage. Cholo Simeone is the main protagonist of the series. The coach, with a glorious past in both clubs, wants to take Atlético to the grand final again. Up front, Inter trusts in the scoring leadership of Lautaro Martínez to be more than just a finalist in this edition.
Cholo Simeone, technical director of Atlético de Madrid. Getty Images
Atlético won its group undefeated and made us forget the failure of the previous season, where it finished last. This edition, with a rocky 5-3-2, better expressed the brave mentality of his coach and has the perfect interpreters in Morata and Griezmann. The Nerazzurri finished 2nd in their area but is also undefeated. Inter 2024 is more solid and trusts more in the system of Inzaghi, its coach. The 3-5-2 ensures a strong defensive block, tireless full-backs, a dynamic midfield trio, and a suffocating offense with Thuram as second guitar for a decisive Lautaro. They are two strong teams, with similar drawings and similar styles, warriors and fast. The series will be very even. Whoever interprets Simeone’s football score best will win.
An intersection without a sign to get a surprise
The perfect opening act for any good recital. Perhaps the least attractive duel in the 8th round but it could be one of the most even and best played of this Champions League stage. PSV wants to take its dominance in the Netherlands to Europe and an irregular but deceptive Dortmund generates excitement. For both of them, the draw gave them an opportunity to shine to get on a bigger stage. No one wants to waste it.
Haller is one of Borussia Dortmund’s offensive references. Alex Grimm/Getty Images
PSV was 2nd to Arsenal and advanced despite the poor start to the season. Memorable performances, such as the 3-2 comeback in Seville, raised the confidence of the team led by Peter Bosz. A student of the classic Cruyff school, his team relies on a 4-3-3 formation of possession and rotations. The Mexican Lozano in the band, Veerman in the middle and Luuk de Jong in attack are his best musicians. Dortmund plays similar football, perhaps more fierce and more vertical. That formula allowed them to win the most difficult group of all, against PSG, Milan and Newcastle with Sancho, Haller and Brandt as leaders. The drawing of Terzic’s team has changed during the season but always maintained its premises. The Germans, historically, are very strong at home, they have only lost 2 of the last 19 Champions League games. That advantage can be decisive to advance to the 4th finals.
-First leg matches on February 21
All guns are pointed at Portugal
A dangerous series for Arsenal and very attractive to all viewers. Porto presents itself as a partner in the series but has the tools to eliminate the English team who have dominated in history (3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses). The Gunners, somewhat behind in the Premier, are aiming everything for the Champions League but they will have to prove their favoritism in front of their fans.
Martin Odegaard (left) with Saka (right), offensive references for Arteta’s Arsenal. EFE
The Portuguese overcame a complicated group in which they had to fight until the last day, when they eliminated Shakhtar. The strength of Sérgio Conceição’s team is on the wings, both in its formation with one or two forwards. The Brazilian Pepé, his figure, sets the tone for his ambitions by occupying all the positions on the sides. Arsenal knows that he is the man to follow but the great value of the English is in being able to impose their own conditions. This is how they won their group, not without surprises, in this return to the Champions League. Arteta’s team is a guarantee of a melodic game. In this edition, he appears more serene and confident with Declan Rice as conductor and with Ødegaard as a reference in a segment of offensive strings where Saka also shines. If Arsenal prevails in the middle and controls the wings, they should have no problems advancing to the 4th finals.
Good game duel in honor of Diego Armando
With Maradona looking from the sky at two of his clubs, Napoli and Barcelona star in a very attractive and even series. The record does not favor the Italian champion, who was never able to win in 4 games (2 draws and 2 Catalan wins). But the present is more auspicious for a Neapolitan team that is resurgent while Xavi’s team, which has the last chance of glory in this Champions League, has been out of tune in its most recent concerts.
The statue of Diego Maradona in the Napoli stadium Getty Images
Napoli was 2nd in a complicated area that they resolved with solvency. Mazzari’s team knows how to play several scores. His 4-3-3 is flexible, allowing him to withdraw or dominate, play with the ball or counterattack. In that virtue lies his strength. Also in the breadth that his sides give him, in the talent of Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen’s scoring instinct. Barcelona is a similar but opposite team. Xavi proposes the same drawing but flexibility is one of its shortcomings. The season started very well but it lost momentum over the months. They have a young squad, with Pedri as a reference, that has been suffering from injuries and inconsistency. That makes it so difficult to give a favorite in this key.
2024-02-08 19:26:21
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