Champions League Quarterfinal And Semi-Final Opens The Door For A Shock Winner

The competition that all players in Europe want to win restarts in August and the draws for the quarterfinal and semi-finals of the tournament were made recently. Manchester City and Bayern Munich are still prominent in the betting as they are the leading chances.

However, both sides still have to successfully navigate the second legs of the respective ties against Real Madrid and Chelsea before looking too far ahead.

The task for Bayern is much easier than it is for City, with the Citizens likely to be taking on the newly crowned champions of Spain. Madrid have been excellent since action in Europe restarted as they have won all of their fixtures.

So, the quarterfinal and semi-final draw mean that City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Juventus are in the same half of the draw. But, could that open the door for a shock winner of the Champions League this season?

🛣 🏆 Who do you 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗧 to win the #UCL? 🤔#UCLfixtures | @GazpromFootball pic.twitter.com/bFggUZOirD

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) July 16, 2020

Who Are In The Other Half?

The other half of the draw still has some high-calibre sides, with Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain among those. Atletico will be one of the favourites to reach the final as they overcome the reigning champions, Liverpool, in the previous round.

There are doubts surrounding PSG, as they haven’t played a competitive game since play around Europe was paused. They will be thrown straight back into competitive action with a difficult looking tie against Atalanta.

The Italian side may be the underdogs in the competition, but their league form since the restart could prove that they are one of the sides to watch when the competition resumes. They are unbeaten since the restart of Serie A, and have scored nearly 100 goals in the league so far this season.

On their day, they will be capable of causing problems for even the best sides in this competition. This is the furthest that they have got in this competition in their history, and there is a sense that the unique knockout format played in Portugal could favour one of the less fancied sides.

Also, in the other half of the draw, there is RB Leipzig. However, their chances of success could be depleted as it has been revealed that Timo Werner will not be able to play any further part in the competition following his move from Chelsea.

The decision will be a huge blow to their chances, as Werner had scored 28 goals in 33 games in the Bundesliga this season. His performances also caught the eye in the Champions League as he scored four goals in seven games.

There will be extra pressure on Marcel Sabitzer, Yussuf Poulsen and Patrick Schick to get the goals, but they have scored only 31 goals between them in all competitions this season, which is three fewer than the tally recorded by Werner.

Which Side Will Progress Out Of This Half Of The Draw?

The door is open for any of the sides, but the loss of their star striker will hinder Leipzig’s chances. They will come up against Atletico Madrid in their quarterfinal, while Atalanta will face PSG. The latter of those could be a thrilling encounter, with Atalanta’s forward line likely to pose serious questions of the PSG defence.

Atletico will be the side that will likely be the first to progress through to the semi-finals, but the side that will be joining them will likely depend on who is better on the night. The neutrals will be hoping that Atalanta could reach an unlikely first Champions League final, but it is hard to ignore what Atletico have already done in this competition to this point.

There you have it, our analysis on the upcoming Champions League mini tournament. It will be a competition exciting to follow for fans and for betting enthusiasts as much as the TwinSpires Kentucky Derby odds. Stay tuned and try to guess the outcome!