Champions League: 3 storylines to watch for in the quarterfinals

With the Champions League entering the quarterfinal stage, here’s three storylines to watch for as the tournament starts up again on Wednesday.

Europe’s top club competition enters the quarterfinal stage starting Wednesday with plenty of juicy storylines.

The tournament, stretched into August because the coronavirus pandemic forced the tournament to be paused back in March, is single-elimination from this point forward. That means teams will only have 90 minutes (and potential overtime and penalty kicks) to slug it out if they want to advance to the semifinals, scheduled for Aug. 18 and 19.

All the remaining Champions League matches will also be played at two Portuguese venues — split between the Estadio da Luz and the Estadio Jose Alvalade, both in Lisbon — as part of this new World Cup-style bracket format. The aim is to reduce travel across Europe as COVID-19 continues to be a global health concern.

The quarterfinals will be contested between this Wednesday and Saturday. The final will take place on Aug. 23 at the Estadio da Luz. The tournament, like sporting events across much of the world, will feature no fans.

With the competition down to the final eight, here’s a look at three storylines to watch for this week.

Lionel Messi takes on Bayern’s defense

The Argentine superstar plays at his best when it matter most, especially with Barcelona in the Champions League. He and his Barca teammates face their biggest opponent of the season when they take on Bayern Munich on Friday. The German club, among the favorites to win it all, will need to contain Messi if they hope to have any chance of reaching the semis.

Bayern’s backline conceded just 32 goals in 34 Bundesliga games this past season, an average of less than one per game, in the Bundesliga. In the Champions League, the Bavarian giants gave up just five goals in six games during the group stage and annihilated Chelsea 7-1 on aggregate over two legs in the Round of 16.

In turn, Barca’s defense will need to contain Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski, who has been in top form since the pause. In other words, it won’t be easy for Messi, but he and Barcelona have overcome tougher opponents in the past at the knockout stages of this competition.

Manchester City and PSG look to (finally!) go all the way

Infused with money from Arab owners, both Manchester City and PSG have won domestic honors in England and France, respectively, over the last few years. What eludes these two clubs is European glory.

https://twitter.com/ManCity/status/1292469896476065793

The rapid rise of these two clubs in recent years has been fueled by large sums of money, but that doesn’t mean either one will win it all this summer. England’s lone representative in the competition is owned by one of Abu Dhabi’s wealthiest families, while PSG belongs to Qatar, a tiny, rival gulf state.

Coached by Pep Guardiola, Man City is among the favorites to advance (they take on Lyon this Saturday) to the semis, but one can’t have that sinking feeling that something will go wrong for both these teams when it matters most.

Atalanta aims to prove that the slipper fits

Playing in their first-ever Champions League, the Italian club is looking to make a surprise run to the final. First, Atalanta will need to get past PSG, a prospect not entirely out of the question.

https://twitter.com/Atalanta_BC/status/1292092044064759813

Atalanta continues to dazzle, like they have the past few seasons, and remain the true Cinderella side of this competition. Should they get past PSG on Wednesday, expect neutrals everywhere to cheer on the plucky Serie A side.

What they’ve done this season has been short of miraculous already. We will soon learn if they still have any more surprises up their sleeves.