Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg Preview: Who will be the victors or the disappointed?

Champions' League quarter final second leg preview: Will Real Madrid win another Champions' League or can PSG overcome Bayern Munich?

Feature Image for Article
The ball Europe's best stars will be playing with. Photo Credit: Steffen Prößdorf

With the previous week showcasing four intriguing and exciting games in the 1st leg of the Champions League Quarter Finals we look ahead to the 2nd leg of these fixtures this week.

All the games still have something to play for as we eagerly look to see who will progress.

Tuesday 13th April  

Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich  

After the first leg being played in Bavarian April snow storms the Bayern team can be hoping for a hotter performance when they arrive in Paris.

The reigning champions lost at home to the team they beat in last years final 3-2, the German team were without their top goalscorer and FIFA player of the year Robert Lewandowski.

Bayern Munich lifting the trophy after their victory against PSG in last years Champions League Photo.
Credit: XENEIZE195

This injury proved costly as they created 30 chances but only scored twice, but with the Polish forward in the team it’s more than likely a few of those chances would have hit the back of the net.

The French side earned a well fought victory with their two star players, Neymar and Mbappe highlighting just how good they can be.

Paris should consider themselves favourites for the tie as they earned an away win with Bayern needing to get a victory at the Parc de Princes.

Both teams have injury worries, Bayern have Gnabry out with Covid-19 and main man Robert Lewandwski will still be injured too.

PSG on the other hand have a few doubt, with goal scoring centre back Marquinhos a big doubt, there may be returns from the Italian duo of Alessandro Florenzi and Marco Verratti.

What we can expect is Bayern to really go for the win from the off, this will put Mauricio Pochettino’s side to a test as there are major question marks on their defensive solidity.

For neutrals this game is very unpredictable but they can expect a high-quality game like the first leg.

Chelsea v Porto  

Like the first leg this tie will played at the neutral Seville stadium due to international covid restrictions.

Chelsea earned a 2-0 away win against an underdog Porto side.

The game was fairly equal with both teams defending well, but two lapses of concentration for Porto has made their chances of progression very slim.

A wonderful spin for the first goal scored by Chelsea’s inform man Mason Mount with Ben Chillwell capitalising on an error to extend the lead late in the game.

Apart from Chelsea’s shock 5-2 loss to West Brom, since Thomas Tuchel arrival as manager his team has been very solid defensively, this will be tough for Porto as they too rely on defensive stability more than an attacking style of play.

When the team return to Seville it looks unlikely we will be getting a Portugese side in the semi-final.

If Sergio Conceicao can get his team to play more expansively and show a similar performance to the one against Juventus then there may be a chance.

Both teams should have near to full strength squads available, with Porto’s man of the season Sergio Oliveira back from his suspension.

Wednesday 14th April  

Borussia Dortmund v Man City  

As Man City aim for the first ever Champions League, they historically always struggle at the Quarter Final stage.

Although strong favourites against the German side who are having a seriously underwhelming season, the 1st leg showed why some City fans may be worried for the away day.

Despite losing 2-1, Dortmund’s young team impressed at the Ethiad stadium and were unlucky to concede late as well as have a goal disallowed incorrectly by the referee.

This recurrence of shaky performances from City in the knockout stages could signify a lack of composure from Pep’s men.

One City player it didn’t bother however, was 20-year-old Phil Foden who was sublime in the 1st leg, have the better of his defensive counterparts and scoring the last-minute winner for his side.

With young prodigy Erling Braut Haaland not scoring in the first leg we can expect that has been on his mind all week, so City should be prepared for a determined opponent when the game kick offs.

The game is perfectly poised, but Dortmund must be wary of conceding to make their task less arduous.

Will Dortmund captain Marco Reus be able to inspire his team to victory over Man City.
Photo Credit: Werner100359

Pep Guardiola’s City lost at home to Leeds on the weekend so could be a sign of possible fatigue but with the league almost wrapped up all the focus will be on getting into the semi-finals or further.

Dortmund on the other hand look as if they won’t qualify for the champions league next season so the hard task of winning the champions league is their only option.

Liverpool v Real Madrid  

With the tie being a replay of the 2018 Champions League final big expectations came from the game.

Although Real Madrid turned it up, the 2019 Champions did not, as Liverpool failed to create and impact the Spanish giants, losing 3-1.

One positive was that Liverpool got an important away goal, which can give them confidence when Madrid come to Anfield.

However, without the Anfield crowd behind Liverpool, this year’s home form has been dreadful and Real Madrid will not see the ground as a daunting one.

Zidane’s side also come into the game with a huge win against rivals Barcelona as they make strides for a consecutive league title.

If Liverpool manage to get the first goal, then the tie should lighten up and Real may become nervous.

Real Madrid are without their starting defenders, Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos but so far have coped well without.

If Liverpool can get through this fixture, it could help redeem a poor season as they struggle to even get into next year’s Champions League despite cruising to the league title last year.