After a short hiatus, the UEFA Champions League is back in action this week as the quarter-final round kicks off.
Eight teams continue the long journey, all of them focused on working their way towards May’s final at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Sportsnet’s Gerry Dobson and the crew of Sportsnet 590 the FAN’s European Weekly Football podcast (Derrick Brandao, Gordon Brunt and Dan Riccio) offer their picks, predictions and analysis of Wednesday’s matches.
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Wednesday programming alert: Watch Galatasaray v Real Madrid (on Sportsnet ONE) and Malaga v Borussia Dortmund (on Sportsnet World). Live coverage begins at 2:30 pm ET/11:30 am PT.
Real Madrid vs. Galatasaray
Gerry Dobson: Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is putting everything into this competition. A 1-1 draw against Real Zaragoza in La Liga on the weekend leaves them 13 points behind leaders Barcelona. Mourinho rested many of his first team players in preparation for this match. But barring goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who is still recovering from a broken hand, he’ll have a full and healthy squad from which to choose.
This may not be so easy, though. Galatasary have put a lot of resources into this team. The pedigree is there with the likes of Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba — they can rip any team apart on their day. They also boast the Champions League joint top goal scorer in Burak Yilmaz. They dispatched a very tough Schalke team in the last round and are poised to make like difficult for Real Madrid.
Galatasaray’s only potential stumbling block could be a mental one. The Turks no doubt have one eye on a very tough league fight, as they hold a slim two-point margin over rivals Fenerbahce.
Prediction: Real Madrid wins 2-1.
Gordon Brunt: Galatasaray will arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu a confident side, but their dreams of advancing to the semifinals could be crushed in the first leg as they face a surging Real Madrid, chasing their tenth European title.
The Turkish giant’s late winner against Schalke in Germany propelled them to the quarter-finals and set the stage for a daunting task against Jose Mourinho’s men. With their La Liga title hopes slipping away with every passing week, Madrid’s focus is solely on winning in Europe.
The match features the tournament’s top two scorers in Burak Yilmaz and Cristiano Ronaldo (eight goals each) but will likely see the Portuguese superstar pull away as the leader. Madrid needs to approach this match with the same plan they executed against Manchester United in the previous round and hope for another world class performance from Angel di Maria down the wing, spreading out the attack and creating scoring chances.
Look for Madrid to put on a dominating performance for the home crowd and come away with a comfortable victory.
Prediction: Real Madrid wins 4-1.
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Malaga vs. Borussia Dortmund
Dan Riccio: The intriguing thing about this tie is that neither team has much to play for other than the Champions League. Malaga’s La Liga position does not matter due to their one-year suspension from UEFA tournaments for financial irregularities, while Dortmund has not been able to keep up with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, but should safely cruise to Champions League qualification for next season.
From a sheer talent perspective, I’d have to take Dortmund in this tie, but Malaga has been the phenomenon that no one can explain. What interests me about Malaga is the fact they are at home for the first leg. Against Porto, Malaga sat back in Portugal and was able to attack in the second leg when playing in the comfort of the Estadio La Rosaleda. It will be interesting to see Malaga having to impose itself in the opener because Dortmund can hurt them on the counter attack. I think the pace of Dortmund will overwhelm Malaga as they try to get something out of this first leg.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund wins 2-1.
Derrick Brandao: Malaga manager Manuel Pellegrini will be looking to his cast of experienced players to once again defy the odds. Can Jeremy Toulalan, Julio Baptista, Joaquin and Martin Demichelis continue to perform at a high level that will allow them to compete with one of the most dynamic teams in this year’s Champions league? Can Isco continue to provide that little bit of cutting edge that could make the difference for Pellegrini’s side?
Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp has stated that no matter which team moves on to the semifinal from this tie it will be a surprise to have made it so far. That might have been true if we were to travel back in time to September. But after winning the Group of Death (over Real Madrid and Manchester City), it should come as no surprise that Klopp’s team is now on the verge of reaching such lofty heights.
Dortmund is breathtaking to watch at times. Marco Reus and Mario Gotze are two of the game’s brightest young stars and when you throw in Robert Lewandowski, you have an attacking trio that few in European clubs can compete with. Unfortunately for Malaga, Dortmund’s pace will be too much for them.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund wins 3-0.
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