Champions League quarter-final preview: Liverpool’s remontada hopes, Arsenal’s flaws and Barcelona’s history test

The Champions League quarter-finals have reached boiling level, with each first leg producing a winner, leaving every tie finely poised as sides both chase a comeback or look to guard their benefit from the opening conferences.

Liverpool face a steep uphill activity as they try and engineer one other European miracle, whereas Arsenal should deal with mounting questions over their kind following current home setbacks which have successfully ended their hopes of a quadruple.

Elsewhere, Barcelona as soon as once more discover themselves up towards historical past in a contest that has hardly ever proven mercy in such conditions, whereas Actual Madrid head into their tie as underdogs in a tightly contested heavyweight conflict towards one of many match’s early favourites.

With the race for the semi-finals set to be determined this week, Sports activities Mole assesses every workforce’s probabilities of development, with historical past, momentum and mentality more likely to play decisive roles.

Liverpool vs PSG: Can the Reds spark one other European comeback?

On the verge of being eradicated by Paris Saint-Germain in consecutive Champions League campaigns, Liverpool discover themselves in an much more tough place than final season, after they exited on penalties regardless of taking a first-leg benefit from Paris.

This season’s assembly within the French capital noticed Arne Slot’s males endure a 2-0 defeat in a sport the place the Reds struggled to create clear possibilities, leaving them with an enormous activity to overturn the deficit in Tuesday’s return leg.

The historic report in such conditions makes for grim studying, as Liverpool have misplaced 9 of their earlier 10 European ties when crushed by a two-goal margin within the first leg, with the one exception coming towards Auxerre in 1991-92.

Nevertheless, that very same historical past presents a glimmer of hope, given the Reds famously overturned a three-goal deficit towards Barcelona in 2019, profitable 4-0 within the return leg at Anfield to progress 4-3 on combination in what stays one of many competitors’s most iconic comebacks.

PSG usually are not with out their very own historical past of collapse, having surrendered a 4-0 first-leg lead towards Barcelona in 2017, ultimately shedding 6-5 on combination in a tie that also defines their European story.

Liverpool head into this encounter after ending a three-match shedding run with a 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday, and whereas that consequence presents some encouragement, it stays to be seen whether or not it is sufficient to encourage one other well-known European evening.

Arsenal vs Sporting Lisbon: May Gunners’ home woes override their continental kind?

Arsenal head into the second leg with a slender lead over Sporting Lisbon due to Kai Havertz’s late strike in Portugal, which means Mikel Arteta’s aspect have now gained 10 of their 11 matches on this season’s Champions League marketing campaign.

Historical past additionally favours the Gunners, who stay unbeaten in six earlier conferences with Sporting throughout 90 minutes, leaving the North London aspect in a robust place to progress.

Nevertheless, current kind tells a barely completely different story, with Arsenal shedding three of their final 4 matches in all competitions, a run that has uncovered some vulnerability at a vital stage of the season.

That concern was evident once more in Saturday’s defeat to Bournemouth on the Emirates, a consequence that not solely dented the Gunners’ title hopes but additionally raised contemporary doubts about their skill to handle stress, and Sporting will take confidence from that, figuring out in addition they stand an excellent likelihood towards an already demystified Arsenal.

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona: Can Flick’s aspect defy historical past?

Barcelona face the toughest activity of the spherical, with Hansi Flick’s aspect needing to overturn a two-goal deficit after their 2-0 first-leg house loss to Atletico Madrid, the place Pau Cubarsi’s purple card proved pricey for the Blaugrana.

Apart from being with no key defensive possibility for the return leg, the Catalan membership additionally face a frightening take a look at towards historical past, having by no means overturned a two-goal deficit from a first-leg house loss in a Champions League knockout tie.

Flick’s aspect at the very least have the Metropolitano on their aspect traditionally, having gained 5 of their final six visits to the bottom, although the reminiscence of a 4-0 cup defeat on the identical venue serves as a stark warning of what Diego Simeone’s males can produce at house.

Bayern Munich vs Actual Madrid: Los Blancos’ uphill battle towards the competitors’s favourites

With regards to Champions League soccer, it will be unwise to rule out Actual Madrid, with a number of of their current triumphs within the competitors coming when Los Blancos have hardly ever been considered as favourites.

The Spanish giants are clear underdogs for his or her quarter-final tie towards Bayern, who strengthened their credentials as one of many competitors’s frontrunners following a 2-1 victory when either side met on the Santiago Bernabeu final week.

Nevertheless, Madrid followers will take perception from their aspect’s robust away report on this fixture, having gained three of their final 4 visits to the Allianz Enviornment, although whether or not that report holds any weight towards a Bayern aspect enjoying one of the best soccer in Europe proper now’s one other query fully.

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