The first leg of the Quarterfinal round is will begin this week. Bayern will host Man United, Lyon hosts Bordeaux, Arsenal hosts Barcelona, and Inter Milan hosts CSKA Moscow. So, who will happen in each first leg? Well, it’s never easy to make predictions but let’s take a look at each match.
Bayern Munich v Manchester United
Bayern need a win this first leg with the second leg heading to Old Trafford. While they’ve gotten some wins on the road in the Champions League earlier, they haven’t played a team the level of Manchester United. It should be a close match and Bayern will likely be without Arjen Robben. This combined with the fantastic form of United’s Wayne Rooney will make or a draw.
Prediction – 2-2 Draw
Lyon v Bordeaux
The two French sides have done very well in the Champions League and it should be an interesting match on Tuesday. Bordeaux leads Ligue 1 and has been one of the best defensive teams in the world this season. Lyon was impressive in defeating Real Madrid and should have enough to get the win in the first leg. With the defensive strength of both teams, it would be surprising to see more than 2 goals in this match.
Prediction – Lyon wins 1-0
Arsenal v Barcelona
A match-up that is worthy of the final and will feature two of the most talented teams in the world. Lionel Messi continues to shine and show why he’s the best player in the world. Arsenal have done well in the Champions League but could be without captain Cesc Fabregas. If he plays then Arsenal will have a good chance to earn a victory. Even without him, Arsenal are capable of winning but they will have their hands full with Barcelona. It should be a high scoring match and Barcelona will be able to get a draw heading to the Camp Nou for the escond leg.
Prediction – 3-3 Draw
Inter Milan v CSKA Moscow
This is probably the easiest match to predict as CSKA Moscow are the weakest team remaining in the tournament. Inter Milan are the clear favorites at the San Siro and will get the win. They’ve struggled a bit in the Serie A but Jose Mourinho has them performing well in the Champions League. CSKA could get a goal or two but they don’t have the depth or quality to compete with the top teams in Europa. It’s been a great run for the Russian side but Inter Milan will get a solid win in the first leg.
Prediction – Inter Milan wins 3-1
Jonathon Feyerherm is creator/editor of The 90th Minute Soccer Blog, Free Soccer Highlights, and Free Live Sports TV
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Can’t believe in 6 goals for a CL Quarterfinal. I believe in the talent that exists for both Barcelona and Arsenal, but their success cannot have come without some quality in the back. The men who play defense for these squads will no doubt realize that it is they who will make the difference between a win or a draw. I predict much less scoring, MAYBE 2-1. It is a shame that both squads may be missing key players which would have made this match a classic.
I believe Bayern will be underestimated by manu, therefore getting the win. Klose is gonna completely own rooney
While 6 goals for Arsenal/Barcelona may seem high I think it will be a high scoring match. Barcelona can score goals quickly and Messi has been in incredible form lately. Also, if Arsenal get a lead they aren’t likely to start playing defensive and not take chances. Both teams play very attacking and open styles that can lead to a lot of goals. Although it seems when a match is expected to be high scoring it ends at 0-0 so who knows.
I think Bayern could be a dark horse but they really need Robben fit to have a chance to win the first leg.