Ranking the teams most likely to advance to Champions League semifinals
We’re just over a month away from the Champions League 2021/22 finals at Stade de France, and the tournament’s quarterfinals are already underway. After drawing each other and completing the first leg of their respective games, the remaining eight clubs now await the fast-approaching second leg.
The four games in the quarterfinals were entertaining, with two of the outcomes being somewhat predictable, while the other two utterly defied expectations. A few teams underwhelmed in proportion to their round of 16 performance, while others sustained their run and some even surprised.
Nevertheless, the round of the last eight was as entertaining as you’d expect from a Champions League night. Now that we’re halfway through the schedule, this article will provide you with a list of all the teams ranked according to their chances of advancing to the UCL semifinals.
The scale of the rating is as follows, which you should comprehend before digging in:
The list is sorted in increasing order of the possibility of the teams going to the UCL semifinals, suggesting that as we scroll down, the likelihood of the teams advancing to the next round grows. For example, the team ranked 8 has the lowest probability of reaching the semifinals and is most likely to be eliminated, whereas the team placed 1 will almost certainly make it to the last four.
Where did Real Madrid end up? Let’s find out!
8. S.L. Benfica
Benfica hosted Liverpool FC at their home stadium on Tuesday night for the first quarterfinal match of the season, and it was all but pleasant for the Portuguese side. Benfica being the only Portuguese team left in the tournament is a step away from getting eliminated, thereby ending the country’s representation in the UCL.
Early in the game, Verssimo’s team made reasonable attempts to exert control in front of their home crowd, but Jurgen Klopp’s side proved entirely unaffected by the pressure. The defence looked sturdy at times, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the clever play of Liverpool’s front three, who were aided by a fantastic midfield.
Even after surrendering two goals in the first half, the team was unable to threaten the Liverpool defence, regardless of their actual struggle; full points for that, despite the outcome.
The game concluded with a score that Benfica will not be able to overcome in the second leg if they put up a similar performance at Anfield. As a result, it is virtually a farewell for the team, as their trip is very certainly coming to an end.
7. Atlético de Madrid
Atletico Madrid is ahead of Benfica in the fight to qualify for the semifinals, and their prospects of doing so are slim as of now. Their stalemate against Manchester City did not look good, and many considered it to be one of the most mundane performances of football from the Spanish team.
At the Etihad Stadium, Atletico had one aim in mind: to protect the goal no matter what. This Simeone technique is not a new sight, but it has been highly criticized and labeled as “boring football,” which I agree with to some level since, at the end of the day, if the plan pays off, there is no harm.
But that is precisely what did not occur. Even after Simeone’s attempt to defend the goal with all 11 players on the field, the club was unable to stop Kevin De Bruyne’s 70th-minute goal.
Things do not look good for Atletico as the second leg approaches. They host Manchester City and Pep Guardiola, who must devise a strategy to break through the block this time, which Atletico can’t even go with for the entire 90 minutes of the second leg since they need to score at least twice to pass through.
Simeone’s strategy, rather than benefiting the squad, has become their Achilles’ heel, and they have little chance of progressing to the next round.