Champions League 2014: Quarter-Final 2nd Leg Predictions and Live Stream Info
April 7, 2014The 2013-14 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals return this week, with the second legs of all four ties bringing us yet another dose of the very best football Europe has to offer.
Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid will be looking to finish the jobs both teams started with excellent results in the first legs when they take on Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund, respectively.
Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid all battled to 1-1 draws last week, as Wednesday's fixtures are still very much up in the air and promise to be packed with emotion.
All matches will start at 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. EST
Chelsea v PSG (1-3)
Tuesday, ITV/ITV Player app
The visitors will be defending a two-goal lead when they travel to London thanks to last week's 3-1 win at the Parc des Princes, but Les Bleus will have to face Chelsea without star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as reported by Football Facts 101:
The hosts are amongst the most experienced squads left on the European stage and know that a simple 2-0 would suffice to secure qualification, and with no major injury concerns troubling the Blues, coach Jose Mourinho will feel better about his chances than some may think.
As shared by Chelsea Transfer Gossip, the coach is already looking forward to the all-important match:
Both teams rested some of their starters and still came away with easy wins in their respective leagues, so fans should get ready for 90 minutes of pure heavyweight action with little excuses on either side.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 PSG, PSG advance
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid (0-3)
Tuesday, Sky Sports 2/Sky Go app
Dortmund's injuries finally caught up with the team as last year's finalists fell 3-0 at the Bernabeu stadium on Wednesday, all but ensuring the Schwarzgelben won't make it out of the quarter-finals.
Los Blancos are on cruise-control following last week's dominant performance, and with one eye on a Spanish La Liga title race that looks set to go down to the wire, coach Carlo Ancelotti might opt to rest one or two key starters.
But in light of last year's semi-final defeat at the hands of this very same Dortmund team, it seems unlikely the biggest stars like Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema would sit.
Robert Lewandowski will return for the hosts following his suspension, and with his team in need of four goals to advance, fans are almost forced to think back of what happened last season:
But this year's Real team has been a lot more consistent and effective as opposed to the one that took to the pitch last year, and it would seem very unlikely they'd give away such an excellent advantage.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Real Madrid, Real advance
Atletico Madrid v Barcelona (1-1)
Wednesday, Sky Sports 2/Sky Go app
Four meetings, four draws. The season-series between both teams has been a truly epic one, and Wednesday's fixture will give both teams yet another chance to finally claim bragging rights.
Barcelona still have to rely on Jose Manuel Pinto in goal and overcame some sloppy defending to record a 3-1 league win over Real Betis on Saturday. The club needs to recover fast from FIFA's decision to impose a transfer ban on the Catalan giants earlier this week, as reported by CNN.
La Blaugrana can't focus on the ban with the La Liga title race and Champions League deciders right around the corner, as a trip to the Vicente Calderon would be daunting enough in the best of circumstances.
But as reported by AS's Dani Hidalgo, the hosts have enough concerns of their own, as star striker Diego Costa is still a question mark for this match. The forward himself is confident he'll be ready, but no one will be able to gauge his effectiveness until the first whistle blows.
Will the fifth meeting between both clubs finally yield a different result?
Prediction: Atletico 2-2 Barcelona, Barcelona advance on aggregate score
Bayern Munich v Manchester United (1-1)
Wednesday, Sky Sports 1/Sky Go app
The Red Devils hung on for an impressive 1-1 draw against the reigning champions, but now they face a difficult trip to the Allianz Arena with the last semi-final ticket on the line.
Bayern will be without the suspended Bastian Schweinsteiger following his controversial red card during the first leg, but as reported by FutbolBible, Wayne Rooney, who injured his toe during the challenge that led to the dismissal of Schweinsteiger, could also miss out on Wednesday's tie:
The Bavarians have already locked up the Bundesliga title and have been able to rest some of their starters as they've shifted their focus onto the Champions League, while United have several players with injury concerns (most notably Robin van Persie, as reported by UEFA.com) and are still fighting for the Premier League's last European tickets.
But a big weekend win over Newcastle United suddenly has the Red Devils believing in their chances, and with every analyst out there already assuming the hosts will simply discard United, the team will be able to play Wednesday's match free of any pressure.
Will that be enough to overcome the powerful Bavarians?
Prediction: Bayern Munich 3-1 Manchester United, Bayern advance