Champions League 2023/24: Dream quarter-final ties
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Champions League 2023/24: Dream quarter-final ties
Lack of round of 16 upsets should set up blockbuster quarter-final ties
Kylian Mbappe could face future employers
Potential derbies in last eight
By James Cormack
7:00 AM GMT
Kylian Mbappe could be drawn against his future employers in the last eight
Kylian Mbappe could be drawn against his future employers in the last eight / Quality Sport Images/GettyImages
So, there we have it. The Champions League round of 16 is in the books and we have our eight quarter-finalists.
The remaining competitors will learn their respective paths to Wembley during Friday's draw, and we're bound to enjoy some blockbuster ties no matter how the draw plays out given the lack of upsets in the first knockout round.
There's always a dream draw the be had, however. Here's what 90min thinks that looks like for the upcoming quarter-finals.
Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund
Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund haven't faced off in Europe since the 2013 Champions League final / Chris Brunskill Ltd/GettyImages
There's nothing novel about Der Klassiker. Germany's two behemoths meet at least twice a year, but very rarely have they locked horns in the continental sphere.
Bayern and Dortmund haven't faced off in a two-legged Champions League affair since 1998, with their last European clash arriving in the 2013 final.
Imagine how the Allianz and Yellow Wall would respond to a pair of Klassikers of this magnitude with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
We've seen Milan and Madrid derbies in this competition as of late, now's the time for a Klassiker.
Manchester City vs Barcelona
Ilkay Gundogan
We'd love to see Ilkay Gundogan line up against his former club / Pedro Salado/GettyImages
Man City were inexperienced upstarts during their previous knockout stage meetings with a seasoned Barcelona.
The pair met in the round of 16 back-to-back between 2013 and 2015, with Barca winning all four games. While City had established themselves as a force in the Premier League, they remained a gulf away from Europe's elite.
The tables have very much turned since those matchups, however. With Pep Guardiola at the helm, City have been regarded as Europe's best season after season for the best part of six years, but they only have one Champions League crown to their name. Barca, meanwhile, have only once come close to continental glory since they last won the competition in 2015.
Another knockout duel between these two would see Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo line up against their former club.
Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain
Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham
Real Madrid fans are already preparing for Kylian Mbappe's arrival / David Ramos/GettyImages
We saw these two go at it just two seasons ago, but would you really turn your nose up at a repeat of their 2021/22 round of 16 duel?
PSG controlled the large majority of the previous two-legged affair, but a Karim Benzema second-half blitz during the return leg in Madrid ensured the Spaniards progressed. Benzema's heroics from out of the blue set the tone for what was an utterly remarkable journey to Champions League success.
Luis Enrique's greater emphasis on the collective in the French capital will aim to dissipuate PSG's knack for crumbling on the grand continental occasions, but the Spanish coach is still reliant on the ruthless instincts of Kylian Mbappe.
A duel against his inevitable future employers would function as the obvious sub-plot here.
Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone
You can never write off Atletico Madrid in the Champions League / Denis Doyle/GettyImages
Any of the potential ties are bound to be dripping in tactical intrigue, but perhaps none more so than this possible draw.
Arsenal struggled against a side of similar ilk in the round of 16, and Atletico, despite their domestic issues in 2024, proved against Inter that you can never write them off in this competition.
These two have never faced off in the Champions League, and Diego Simeone vs Mikel Arteta on the touchline would be absolutely box office.
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Harvey Elliott: The versatile talent digging deep for the team he loves
FotMob - March 14, 2024, 8:45 AM
When Liverpool came from behind to beat Luton Town at Anfield last month, one of their most experienced players on the pitch was 20-year-old Harvey Elliott.
By Matt Ladson, ThisIsAnfield.com
The match was Elliott’s 100th appearance for the club he supported as a boy, and as the full time whistle blew he slumped to the floor in exhaustion. “Tonight he had not a great first half,” acknowledged Jürgen Klopp afterwards. “But the reaction in the second half is the main difference, that’s the thing.
“He will definitely play another 100, 200, 300 – if you ask him, 500! – games for this club.”
Klopp’s correct, of course; that Luton match represented the first time Elliott had moved into the right forward position for Liverpool, due to the absence of Mo Salah, Diogo Jota and Darwin Núñez. The first half saw him peripheral, but the second half saw him completely take the game by the scruff of the neck, earning a highly impressive 9.1 rating on FotMob, with a hugely impressive 17 touches in the opposition box and 8 chances created.
Since then, the technically gifted Englishman hasn’t looked back, the only Liverpool player to have started all five of the fixtures since – playing a quite ridiculous 553 minutes in six games across just 19 days.
That included playing all 120 minutes of the Carabao Cup final, then starting the FA Cup tie vs. Southampton just three days later.
“This is why you’re a footballer,” he enthused after the exertions at Wembley. “Digging in deep, [this] is what you live for.
“You need to push yourself to the max in order to get the results and we did that.”
He added: “I can’t wait for another game.”
When you speak to Elliott as media, his enthusiasm and maturity is striking. Before the 2022 Champions League final he was at ease, answering questions in a mixed zone at Liverpool’s training ground, including plenty about the fact he’d been at the 2018 final as a supporter!
Injury return – and England potential
When Elliott suffered a serious injury against Leeds in September 2021, it arrived when he had been seriously impressing in a new, deeper role in midfield – being selected ahead of the likes of Thiago, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
“Two days later, I saw him at the training ground and I was in a worse mood than he was,” explained Klopp later. “He was pretty much like ‘boss, head up, I will be back.’ He is an exceptional talent in a lot of departments.”
Again, Elliott’s positive approach, enthusiasm and sheer passion for playing are clear.
His first goal for the club, at the Kop end, against Cardiff City in an FA Cup tie in February 2022 was described as a “fairytale” by Klopp.
This, too, explains why even when he isn’t in the team, Elliott never looks despondent, instead his positive approach and personality mean he is ready to take the next chance that he is offered. “I’m always grateful for the opportunities I’m given,” he explained earlier this season, at a time when his minutes were far less. “Whether it’s as a starter or coming off the bench, I’m always grateful and happy for the opportunities.”
“It’s part of the job,” he added pragmatically when asked about being seen as more of a squad player.
This means that Klopp has come to rely upon the talented youngster, even more so amidst the recent injury problems, knowing that the player is tactically able to carry out instructions.
Elliott has really developed this season, improving his ability to control the tempo, play cross-field passes when appropriate, and be a creative outlet from deep.
Against Man City he was back in the right forward role, but dropped deep with great effect, allowing Dominik Szoboszlai to move higher up the pitch when the team was in possession – a link-up that almost worked perfectly when Elliott produced a superb chipped cross for the Hungarian who couldn’t quite get his header on target in the first half.
Elliott is from the new school of technically gifted English players, alongside the likes of Phil Foden.
Before that injury two and a half years ago, there were serious discussions around whether he might be able to force himself into the England reckoning ahead of the 2022 World Cup, now with the Euros to come this summer, Gareth Southgate should be giving him a call up for this March international break.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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