Champions League returns next month with quarter-final spots still up for grabs

Five months after suspending competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Champions League is set to resume in August with a number of tantalizing potential quarter-final matchups. 

The Champions League was in the midst of the Round of 16 in March when it opted to suspend play as the pandemic began to sweep across Europe. 

Four clubs – Atalanta, Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig, and Atletico Madrid – have all secured spots in the quarterfinals, but there is still much to be decided with eight additional clubs still having to finish the second leg of the Round of 16. Those matches will take place Aug. 7 and 8, before the quarter-final round begins the following week. 

The battle to get into the quarter-final round

The second leg of the remaining Round of 16 matches will take place at the club’s home stadium, but fans will not be allowed to attend, which has become the norm for the vast majority of professional sports leagues because of the pandemic. 

Here is a breakdown of the remaining Round of 16 fixtures:

Juventus vs. Lyon

Juventus goes into the second leg of their Round of 16 match with Lyon as significant favorites to win at home on Aug. 7. Lyon scored a 1-0 victory in the first leg at the end of February, scoring late in the first half and then holding on to record a clean sheet against Ronaldo and Juventus. 

Lyon could get a boost to its lineup if forward Memphis Depay plays in the second leg. Lyon’s captain started in 12 matches during the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season, notching nine goals and two assists. His name is also flying around in a number of different transfer rumors heading into the competition next month.

The club that advances from this matchup will face either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the quarter-final round. 

Manchester City vs. Real Madrid

Manchester City is in the driver’s seat heading into its second leg against Real Madrid, thanks to a 2-1 win in the first leg.

This could be Manchester City’s last run at the Champions League for a few years. Manchester City was in February issued a two-year ban from European competitions for what UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body stated were “serious breaches” of financial fair play regulations. 

Manchester City filed an appeal, and a decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport is expected to be announced on Monday.

With that hanging in the air, Manchester City is still the favorite to win next month’s fixture with Real Madrid and advance to the quarter-final stage.

Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea

Is it possible to stop Bayern Munich this season? 

There was little suspense in the lead-up to their Bundesliga title at the end of June, after a three-month hiatus to that league’s season. 

When play resumed in Germany, Bayern Munich picked up where they had left off, dominating the competition in Bundesliga. Now, they have their sights set on winning Champions League, and they’ll look to take another step toward the title when they face Chelsea in the second leg on Aug. 7. 

Bayern Munich scored a 3-0 road win against Chelsea in the first leg, and will now look to advance at home next month. Chelsea has won four of five matches in the Premier League since play resumed last month, but that is despite some up-and-down, heart-stopping moments against clubs considered well below their caliber in league competition. 

Barcelona vs. Napoli

Changes to quarter-final, semifinal format

Once the Round of 16 is complete, the next two rounds will feature a different format deemed necessary in the face of the ongoing pandemic. 

The quarter-final and semifinal rounds will both now be single-leg ties, and all matches from the quarter-final round to the final will take place behind closed doors in Lisbon, Portugal. 

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