The Champions League quarterfinal matchups are set. At this stage in the competition, there are no bad teams and no teams that are truly out of it (except maybe Sevilla, sorry guys).
The quarterfinal matches will be played April 3-4 and April 10-11.
Real Madrid vs. Juventus
Add another zero to Antoine Griezmann’s transfer fee. After the Atletico Madrid forward leads France to 2018 World Cup glory while winning the tournament’s Golden Boot, he will now cost either Barcelona, Manchester United or PSG roughly sixty-eight trillion dollars.
It’s a princely sum to pay, but as showcased here and on the evidence of last five years of European football, it’s totally worth it. The Greasy Spice is the man your club needs, the man your father wishes you were and the boyfriend everyone wishes they had.
The attacking trifecta of Lionel Messi (two goals, one assist), Luis Suarez (two assists) and Ousmane Dembele (scorer of his first goal for Barca) combined to devastating effect to send Barcelona into the Champions League quarterfinals, 4-1 on aggregate over Chelsea.
Samuel Umtiti was the standout performer in Barca’s defense, and although Chelsea twice struck the woodwork, the 3-0 victory on the night was well deserved for the La Liga leaders.
What do Lionel Messi Champions League goals number 99 and 100 have in common? Both humiliated Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois by rolling through his legs before nestling into the back of the net.
Lionel Messi scored the opener before Chelsea really touched the ball. Luis Suarez created Barcelona's second without touching the ball. Ousmane Dembele put Barcelona up 2-0 in the 20th minute on Wednesday, putting the Blaugrana up 3-1 on aggregate in their Champions League Round of 16 tie, and Suarez deserves much of the credit.
It’s an absolute disaster for Chelsea as three minutes of Barcelona possession straight from kick off has been ultimately rewarded with the opener from Lionel Messi.
Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic dictated play in Chelsea’s half straight away, but there was no penetration before the ball was suddenly in the back of the net.
19 - After failing to score in his first 10 Champions League appearances against English teams, Lionel Messi has since netted 19 goals in his last 18 games. Haunt.
Oh baby. It’s that time of year again. Nearly seven weeks after a Copa del Rey exit put manager Zinedine Zidane’s position on the brink, Real Madrid has since gone 9-1-1 while elevating itself back to the position of Champions League favorite following a 5-2 aggregate humbling of PSG.
Over that period, Cristiano Ronaldo has recorded 15 goals and two assists in nine starts, including a brace against Eibar on Saturday.