1. Bayern Munich will rip United apart
No team has ever retained the UEFA Champions League, but it is United that stand between Bayern and a place in the last four. I don’t see David Moyes’ men stopping the Bavarians at this stage and I fully expect Ribery and co to run riot both at Old Trafford and the Allianz Arena.
2. Chelsea vs PSG is a battle of egos
In the last round, Jose Mourinho faced one of his former strikers in Didier Drogba and Chelsea marched into the last eight without much drama. This time around, it is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is in a rich vein of form. It will be a close one, but the big Swede will not be in any mood to do favours.
3. Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona is a tricky one
Diego Simeone’s men are the dark horses in this season’s competition and they know Barcelona all too well from La Liga. The Catalans are not the swashbuckling team they used to be in years past, but this will be a close one.
4. Real Madrid’s revenge
When Jose Mourinho was in charge of Real Madrid, he found it almost impossible to beat Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund. The last time around was last year, when the Germans progressed all the way to the finals, where they were beaten by Bayern at Wembley. Carlo Ancelotti has stepped in at the Bernabeu and the Ronaldo-Bale axis is on fire at the moment. I don’t see Dortmund causing much problems here.
5. The semi-finals will be a tasty one
If you put a gun to my head, I will go for Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona, to be this year’s last four standing. However they are paired in that stage, you just know there will be some classic ties to look forward to. So mark the date for the draws – April 11.