Barcelona And Arsenal Aim To Join Europe’s Power Teams In Champions League Quarterfinals – News18

The huge weapons are lining up within the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Defending champion Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have already booked their locations within the final eight of European soccer’s prime membership competitors and the complete lineup will likely be accomplished this week.

All 4 remaining final-of-16 matches are finely balanced, with no a couple of objective separating any of the groups after the primary legs.

Barcelona hosts Napoli on Tuesday in a conflict between the reigning champions of Spain and Italy respectively. They drew 1-1 within the first leg in Italy.

In the day’s different recreation, Arsenal is 1-0 down towards Porto forward of its match at Emirates Stadium.

On Wednesday, Atletico Madrid should overturn a 1-0 deficit at house towards Inter Milan, and host Borussia Dortmund and PSV Eindhoven are tied at 1-1 forward of their recreation.

The quarterfinal and semifinal attracts will likely be held on Friday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

UNCONVINCING TITLE DEFENSES

Neither Barcelona nor Napoli have made convincing defenses of their home league titles.

Napoli faces a struggle to even qualify for final season’s Champions League because it sits seven factors off fourth-place Bologna within the Italian league and is on its third coach this time period after appointing Francesco Calzona final month.

Barcelona is third within the Spanish league and coach Xavi Hernández has introduced his intention to go away on the finish of the season after an underwhelming marketing campaign.

He would like to exit on a excessive by guiding the membership to a sixth Champions League trophy. First issues first, he must navigate a well past Napoli to guide Barcelona to the quarterfinals for the primary time for the reason that 2019-20 season.

ARSENAL’S AIM

Mikel Arteta’s precedence is more likely to be the Premier League, with Arsenal locked in a 3-means battle with Liverpool and Manchester City for the title. But the Champions League quarterfinals are in sight — even when his group is a objective behind to Porto.

Arsenal returned to the Champions League for the primary time in seven years this season and has impressed in advancing to the spherical of 16.

The Londoners appeared to have secured a goalless first-leg draw at Porto till Galeno’s ninetieth-minute objective.

That was the one defeat in a surprising run of kind that has seen Arsenal win eight of its final 9 video games and rating 4 or extra targets in 5 of these matches.

INTER IMPRESSING

Last yr’s crushed finalist Inter Milan is powering on once more this season.

Simone Inzaghi’s group is cruising towards the Italian title with just one league loss this season. Marko Arnautovic’s objective at Atletico within the first leg secured a 1-0 victory and was a part of a 13-recreation successful run in all competitions.

By distinction, Atletico’s kind has been removed from convincing with 5 defeats in its final eight video games.

PSV HOPE

Luuk de Jong’s penalty means there may be nothing separating Dortmund and PSV forward of Wednesday’s second leg.

The PSV ahead scored from the spot to cancel out Donyell Malen’s earlier strike for Dortmund to go away the tie within the stability going again to Germany.

If the Dutch group can safe a win, it will advance to the quarterfinals for the primary time for the reason that 2006-07 season.

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)