The Champions League Round of 16 concluded last night, with an average of almost six goals per game scored. Bayern Munich secured their place in the next round by hammering Atalanta 10-2 on aggregate. With Bayer Leverkusen beaten 2-0 by Arsenal on Tuesday (3-1 on aggregate), Bayern are the last German side in the competition.
The quarter-finals have a few tasty matchups, perhaps the biggest of all being Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich. Here is the quarter-final draw for the Champions League:
- Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool
- Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich
- Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid
- Sporting CP vs Arsenal
The first
leg fixtures will take place on April 7-8, with the return legs scheduled the following week. The winner of PSG vs Liverpool will face Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the semi-final, while Barcelona or Atleti will face Sporting or Arsenal.
I think Arsenal should be heavy favorites, in part because the draw has been very generous, but also because Arsenal and Bayern are probably the two best teams in the world right now and Arsenal’s playing style suits cup competitions. Apparently Opta agrees, giving Arsenal a ~30% probability of winning the Champions League, with Bayern Munich second favorites with a ~18% probability of going all the way. Though Opta’s model is notoriously terrible, so maybe being in agreement with them is a bad sign.
Anyway, here’s the roundup of the latest football news in Germany.
BVB News
- Borussia Dortmund are looking to bring Jadon Sancho back for a third time, with the 25-year-old forward’s contract at Manchester United set to expire in the summer.
- Luca Reggiani is set to sign a contract extension, with only the final details being finalized now.
- BVB are interested in Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall. Reports suggest the 21-year-old full-back is attracting interest from both BVB and RB Leipzig. I am very skeptical that Newcastle will let Hall go, and even more skeptical that a whole host of English clubs wouldn’t be queueing up to grab him if they did.
- Serhou Guirassy is attracting interest from a number of clubs around Europe, including soon-to-be Championship playoff contenders Tottenham Hotspur.
Bundesliga News
- The Germany squad for the March international break has been announced, with both Jonas Urban and Lennart Karl receiving their first senior call-ups. Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Felix Nmecha were all included in Nagelsmann’s squad.
- Bayern Munich have activated the buy-back option for Hannover’s 20-year-old midfielder Noel Aseko.
- FC Köln prodigy Said El Mala is close to securing a move to Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer, with a ludicrously low fee of just €35m being reported.
Your Thoughts?
Would you like to see Jadon Sancho return to Dortmund this summer? Where do you see him fitting in the team, if he does come home? Let us know in the comments.
