1. Would Arsenal progression be the biggest upset ever?
THERE HAVE BEEN some pretty incredible Champions League upsets from down through the years – BATE Borisov beating Bayern Munich 3-1, Deportivo overhauling a 4-1 first-leg defeat to beat Milan 4-0, Liverpool overhauling a 3-0 first-half loss to comeback and overcome Milan on penalties.
However, surely Arsenal knocking out a Barcelona side that is already being compared to the greatest teams in history would be the biggest shock in the competition ever.
Unlike the Gunners, Barca are in brilliant form – Saturday’s 6-0 victory against Getafe was the Catalan side’s 37th consecutive game without defeat.
The match seems like such a hopeless cause that there would be a case for Arsenal to play a second-string team and re-focus elsewhere were it not for the fact that they have little else to turn their attention to.
While Luis Enrique’s side remain on course to become the first team in history to win back-to-back trebles, Arsenal were dumped out of the FA Cup by Watford at the weekend and they currently trail Leicester by 11 points in the title race (albeit with a game in hand).
So barring a miracle tomorrow night, it seems a top-four finish will be the most Arsenal fans can hope for this season, even during a campaign when the Premier League has arguably been at its weakest in years.
2. Bayern have the edge over Juve
With an hour of the first-leg played at the Juventus Stadium, this tie appeared to be all but over.
Bayern led 2-0 and had largely dominated proceedings, however goals by Paulo Dybala and substitute Stefano Sturaro earned Juve an unlikely 2-2 draw and gave them hope for the second leg.
Yet despite this dramatic turnaround, Bayern remain odds-on favourites to progress — the German side tend to be particularly strong in home European matches. For instance, after losing to them away, they walloped Arsenal 5-1 at the Allianz Arena.
Juve, meanwhile, look a weaker side this year with the loss of key players like Carlos Tevez and Arturo Vidal (to Bayern) — they are nowhere near as dominant in Serie A this time around, as they’re currently ahead of second-place Napoli by three points, while they probably even overachieved slightly by reaching the Champions League final last year.
Moreover, the Italians’ renowned defensive solidity — they conceded just three goals over the course of the entire group stages — may not be enough against arguably the greatest attacking team in the world, barring Barcelona.
Former Juve coach Fabio Capello has given the Turin-based club a “40%” chance of progression, telling Fox Sports:
The Germans have more big personalities and top-level players. We have to expect a much more decisive Juve, and a stronger one than was seen in the second half of the first leg which everyone raved about.
“To beat this Bayern, Juve will have to do something exceptional. I think Bayern are superior to Juve.”
3. City on course to make history
With Manuel Pellegrini leaving at the end of the season and the club’s Premier League title challenge seemingly ending following the 0-0 draw with Norwich at the weekend, it would be fair to suggest it’s seeming like another disappointing season by City’s high standards.
That said, they did at least win a trophy (the League Cup), while they are on the brink of a first-ever Champions League quarter-final appearance.
The English side also hold a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 lead ahead of tonight’s second leg at home to Dynamo Kyiv.
The Etihad outfit imploding is not unheard of, of course, but so palpable was the Ukrainian team’s lack of quality in the first leg that anything other than a City success would be genuinely astonishing.
Given that they trail Arsenal, Tottenham and Leicester by one, seven and 12 points respectively, the league title is seeming like a write-off at this point.
However, the argument that City can now relax and focus fully on the Champions League is counteracted by the fact that, with both West Ham and Man United breathing down their neck, a top-four place is far from secure, and so there surely won’t be much of a let-up in terms of domestic pressure.
That said, whether City can go much further after tonight is doubtful — they tend to struggle against top-quality opposition more often than not, as evidenced by the fact that they are winless in games against their rival top-six Premier League sides this season, while they also lost both matches against fellow qualifiers Juventus in the group stages.
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