When it gets to this stage of the season, you can always rely on the Champions League draw to create some much-needed excitement. And this year is no different. Several narratives have already been formed thanks to the several ties- creating an action-packed April.
It is the most wonderful time of the year when it comes to European football. Underdogs are beginning to believe. Dominant sides are looking to make their mark and, potential first-time winners are seeking glory.
With the last eight drawn and route to the final decided, the Champions League is set to create several talking points once more.
Champions League Draw Forms Several Intriguing Narratives
Jadon Sancho Out to Prove a Point After the Champions League Draw
Since swapping the Manchester City academy for first-team action at Borussia Dortmund in 2017, Jadon Sancho has thrived. And now, four years later, he’ll be out to prove a point as the Bundesliga club head to the Etihad.
Sancho, of course, has already proved many doubters wrong since leaving England, but it would be the icing on the cake if he were to score past Ederson in the City goal.
For his teammate, Erling Haaland, it could well be his opportunity to put on a show against what could be his next club. With Aguero ageing and Haaland shining in Germany, one would expect the forward to be linked with the club in the coming years.
And what better way to introduce yourself to the Manchester City squad than by bulldozing your way through them?
Chance for Liverpool Revenge Against Real Madrid
Revenge can come in the strangest of ways and at the most unexpected of times, but when it does arrive, it is always sweet. And the Champions League draw has created a narrative surrounded by potential revenge with Liverpool up against Real Madrid.
The last time these two sides met, of course, was the final in 2016 when an injury to Mohamed Salah soon led to a Gareth Bale overhead kick to win the trophy for Madrid. Since then, Liverpool have gone on to win the Champions League themselves as well as their first-ever Premier League title.
Four years on from being dragged down and out of the final, Salah has a chance to finally make his mark on Real Madrid. It will be a spectacle worth seeing.
Should Liverpool go through against Madrid and Chelsea advance against Porto, the two Premier League sides will meet in the final four with a place in Istanbul up for grabs- creating an extraordinary throwback to 2005.
Pep Guardiola Could Face Former Side
With the winner of Bayern Munich v Paris Saint-Germain set to face the winner of Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund, there is a large possibility that Pep Guardiola will come up against his former side.
It would form some narrative, too. A story that centres around the quote, ‘to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man’ as City face the possibility of overcoming the Champions.
On the flip side of that, we could see a repeat of the 2020 Round of 16. We could see a replay of that fiery affair. We could see the showdown of all showdowns between Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
The fact is, everywhere you look, a narrative is forming after the highly-anticipated Champions League draw.
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