How the UEFA Champions League Draw has Majorly Benefitted Liverpool
Liverpool have just received a huge advantage over their Premier League title rivals due to the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final draw. Both Arsenal and Manchester City remain in the competition after wins over Porto and Copenhagen respectively.
The draw for the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals of that competition were made earlier today, but the results of the draw could play a huge part in the title race. Many of you will wonder how that could be, so let’s look…
Arsenal’s Haunting Past
Mikel Arteta’s side have been drawn against the current Bundesliga title holders, Bayern Munich, in a tie that will bring back a range of bad memories for the Gunners. Arsenal have won just one of their last six meetings with the German Giants, as well as a run of three heavy 5-1 defeats to Bayern, too.
Despite Bayern Munich’s patchy domestic form, they remain one of the favourites to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy in May. Thomas Tuchel’s side easily finished top of their group with 16 points from 6 games, before defeating Lazio 3-1 on aggregate in the last 16. All of this whilst Arsenal scraped past a pretty average Porto side on penalties earlier this week.
City’s Crown Under Pressure
The current Champions League holders Manchester City also suffered similar fate as Arsenal, as they drew Real Madrid in the Quarter-Final. Regardless of Madrid’s current form, they’re always the team you want to avoid in European competitions, due to their massive pedigree on the European stage.
City actually hold an impressive record against the European giants over recent years, losing just one of their last six meetings. Their most recent meeting ended in a 4-0 demolition at the Etihad Stadium last season on their journey to triumph last campaign. However, it’s impossible to rule Madrid out with the likes of Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Luka Modric.
Semi-Final Fate
What makes this draw even more beneficial for Liverpool, is that the winner of those two Quarter-Finals will face each other in the Semi-Finals. There’s every chance that after two tiring legs against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, that they have to do it all again against each other.
It’s either that or their winning streaks will come to an abrupt end, which could have an impact on the confidence and momentum of the two sides. There’s positives to take from every situation if you are a Liverpool fan, but it’s definitely hard to deny that these fixtures make Arsenal and City’s run-ins much harder.
The timing of these ties will be crucial as well. For Arsenal, their Quarter-Final ties will be placed between two tricky away games at Brighton and Wolves, as well as a home clash with high-flying Aston Villa.
For City, it’s even worse. The timing of the Quarter-Finals mean that they will have to play six games in 17 days. Their ties with Real Madrid will come after a tricky away game at Crystal Palace and just before their huge away clash with Tottenham Hotspur.
