The Champions League quarter-final matchups have just been determined, all through blowout wins. The contending teams are exceptionally strong, and many of the next matchups could be slated as final-equivalent in terms of team ability. The strongest match based on league tables is Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid. Real Madrid is coming off a 5-1 aggregate massacre of Manchester City, a team that’s second in the Premier League with a top-10 offense in Europe. They have won 10 of their last 12 matches and have the experience and talent to win it all. If Kylian Mbappé stays healthy and Federico Valverde keeps playing at a world-class level, Madrid is set for glory. 

Unfortunately, Madrid must first get through Bayern Munich. Munich looks disgusting — in a good way. They’re precise and destructive without sacrificing playmaking flair. Bayern dominated a defensive Atalanta team 10-2 in the last round, sending a signal that no defense is safe from them. Michael Olise, a winger for Bayern, is performing extremely well. He’s like a more efficient version of prime Antoine Griezmann. Their striker, Harry Kane, is the slowest, oldest and most destructive scorer in European football. He’s closer to my dad’s age than my own, yet he remains the shoo-in for the Golden Boot and will likely be the catalyst for a Munich win over Madrid. In a vacuum, I would say Munich edges out Madrid. However, Munich has not defeated Madrid since 2012, so Madrid may sneak through with experience and confidence alone. Whatever the outcome, these matches will be historic.

The other Madrid team, of the Atletico variety, is also in the quarterfinals. Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona will be the scrappiest and most violent game of the bunch without a doubt. We’ve already seen how this matchup plays out. Atleti and Barca played two legs in the Copa Del Rey semi-final about a month ago. Atleti won 4-0 in the first leg at home, and despite a three-goal “Hail Mary,” Barca couldn’t close the gap in the second. Barcelona later protested with a complaint over Video Assisted Referee (VAR) decisions they considered unjust. In my opinion, the reason the first leg was so one-sided was that Atleti flooded their field beforehand to nullify Barca’s pacey and technical playstyle. Atleti had a tactical and physical advantage on the slippery terrain and broke down Barca’s inhibited high line again and again. 

In the second leg, the quality gap between the two became apparent. Barca’s world-class attack led them to a 3-0 win, just barely missing out on a comeback victory. In this matchup, the question isn’t which team is better. The winner will be determined by whether Barca can out-talent the creative genius of the Atleti manager, Diego Simeone. Simeone utilizes the stellar attackers Antoine Griezmann, Julián Alvarez and Ademola Lookman. At the time of writing, Griezmann has transferred to the American Major League Soccer (MLS) team Orlando City SC. While Lookman and Julián are skilled, Atletico will undoubtedly struggle without his veteran captainship and playmaking. Atleti will try to outwit them, but Barcelona is too strong to lose.

Meanwhile, the no-brainer of the quarters is backing Arsenal, the favorite to win the tournament, against Sporting CP. I’m not so sure. I’d be crazy if I didn’t think Arsenal would win, but I think Sporting have a better chance than analysts give them credit for. They came back from down being 0-3 against Bodo/Glimt to win 5-3. Bodo was looking like a true Cinderella story, defeating a monstrous Internazionale Milano 5-2 through the first two legs. In group play, Bodo beat both Atleti and Manchester City, tying against Slavia Prague and Tottenham. When Sporting was backed into a corner after a three-goal Bodo performance, they locked in and demolished Bodo in their next game. So, Sporting is a capable team. But what makes them good enough to beat Arsenal? 

Nothing. However, the rigor of the Premier League’s schedule may inhibit Arsenal enough for Sporting to sneak by them. Arsenal plays Southampton before the first game, then Bournemouth between games. Arsenal is nine points clear of second place in the Premier League table, meaning that they can’t fully rest their players over the weekend. Their on-field product during the week will suffer a little. Arsenal also wasn’t commanding the last round against an underperforming Bayer Leverkusen. The betting odds suggest Sporting has a 20% chance of winning. I’d put it closer to 30%. I’d still put my mother-in-law's house on Arsenal winning, though.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) vs. Liverpool will be insane. Liverpool is currently fifth in the Premier League, but is a consensus top-10 team talent-wise. Liverpool is chock full of famous players, who are famous for a reason. Unfortunately, their best player for the last decade, Mohamed Salah, has experienced a notable decline in the eye-test. Salah is still a solid player, but he wasted one too many chances against a weak Galatasaray in the last match. I worry that Arne Slot won’t be able to make the hard decision and bench the legend for at least one start against PSG. However, sad about the decline, his production has been successfully replaced by Hugo Ekitiké, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai, all undeniable difference-makers. Just like Arsenal, there are questions to ask about how the rigor of the Premier League season will affect player performance. 

Liverpool is playing in the FA Cup Final against giant Man City just four days before the first leg in Paris. Because of that match’s congestion, Liverpool will likely lose big in game one, and must pray for a miracle comeback in the second leg. Now, let’s talk about PSG. The winners of the last Champions League, PSG, are my favorites to win the competition again. Liverpool is solid and star-studded, but PSG is organized, technical and murderous. They are just better than you. Try to hold possession and Désiré Doué, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembélé, the last Balon d’Or winner, will press your players like rabid dogs. You can’t outscore them when Hakimi, Mendes and Vitinha will counter and punish reckless play. All teams can do is what Inter Milan did in the last CL final: park the team bus in front of the goal and pray for goals on counterattacks. 

Unfortunately, Inter still lost that game 5-0. Liverpool could still find success in this strategy, though, because they’re younger, faster and more technical than Inter. I’m getting lost in the weeds here. The important thing is that Liverpool is great, but PSG is greater. I’m predicting a PSG blowout in game one and a tie in game two.