The quarter-finals stage of the UCL (UEFA Champions League) begins tomorrow as fans are set to see two highly competitive fixtures featuring Real Madrid against Bayern Munich, and Arsenal against Sporting CP in Lisbon.
In the first match between the Spanish and German clubs at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, it is expected to be an entertaining clash that pits two giants of European football against each other, but there are doubts regarding the current form of Real Madrid, having failed to show consistent performances in the league and in the UCL playoffs.
Nevertheless, Los Blancos proved to be one of the better teams in the competition by disposing of Manchester City in the last round with ease. They are considered to be a team that excels under pressure situations especially at home.
On the other hand, Bayern Munich seem to be in excellent form going forward into the knockout stages following their strong showing in the league and their convincing victory over Atalanta in the previous round. History seems to be against them as they haven’t been able to defeat the Spanish team in the past nine years. There will be concerns regarding Harry Kane’s fitness level in this game.
On the other hand, Arsenal will play away from home against Sporting CP, taking place in the Estadio José Alvalade. Sporting CP have shown good resistance in this season’s European competition, exemplified by their miraculous turn of events against Bodø/Glimt when they fought back from a first-leg defeat to score a resounding victory on their home turf.
However, the current campaign also saw some remarkable results for Sporting, including a win against the mighty Paris Saint-Germain, who are the current UCL holders.
Nevertheless, Arsenal go into the game as favorites after suffering some domestic troubles. The Premier League champions have been one of the best-performing teams during this season’s European campaign, winning all of their games and coming first in the league phase, where they beat Bayern Munich and Inter Milan convincingly.
The Londoners passed through a tough round of 16 clash against Bayer Leverkusen, but Mikel Arteta’s team will be aiming for a comfortable advantage heading into the second leg back in London.
Mikel Arteta’s side is also considered to be a favourite to win the UCL at the end of the season.
