Who Can Still Win the 2019-20 Champions League? Part 1

As part of the rebooting of football known as Project Restart, the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League final has been scheduled for the 29th of August, with all other remaining knockout fixtures to be played in the month prior to this date. The competition was postponed in March at an awkward moment, with some teams having only completed one half of their two-legged Last 16 tie, while others had already secured their passage to the quarter-final stage. As a result, there are still 12 sides in with a chance of lifting Europe's biggest trophy before the summer is over. So who has the best chance of being crowned champions of Europe, and which club's days are already numbered?

RB Leipzig
The first of four sides to secure their passage to the quarter finals after a 3-0 home win over last season's finalists Tottenham Hotspur in March, Leipzig fans will have been waiting in more anticipation than most supporters for the competition to resume given that this is the furthest the East German side have ever got in Europe. Founded in 2009, Leipzig's extraordinary rise through the German footballing pyramid to the upper echelons of the Bundesliga has not been without controversy, as many fans in Germany have raised objections to energy drinks giant Red Bull's involvement in their continued success. Despite this animosity within their homeland, Leipzig's pace and quick passing has made them a fan favourite this season among neutrals, with centre-backs Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate and Nordi Mukiele arguably being the fastest and most skilful players on the pitch. Striker Timo Werner's 31 goals in all competitions this season has elevated him into the upper bracket of strikers in Europe, but Germany's No.9 will need to be at the top of his game if he is to lead Leipzig deeper into the competition before his likely departure this summer.

Atletico Madrid
After a major overhaul last summer that saw 11 players leave and 12 new faces arrive, including £113m teenage sensation Joao Felix, Atletico have largely failed to deliver the consistent results that has seen them do so well under Diego Simeone this past decade. Currently outside of the top four in La Liga and having only scraped through the group stage, reigning champions Liverpool were expected to steamroll Atletico, whose new-look defence had failed to gel as a cohesive unit. However, Simeone was able to mastermind victories in both legs, including a comeback 3-2 win at Anfield to hand Liverpool their first European home defeat in 6 years. Such a gutsy performance could perhaps make Los Rojiblancos appear unbeatable, but the reality is that there are still gaping holes in the line-up, most notably up front with Felix struggling in his debut season and neither Alvaro Morata nor Diego Costa being able to act as an effective strike partner. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak's ability to save almost anything gives Simeone's men a chance, but an over-reliance on having 11 men behind the ball means tactically they will eventually get caught out.

Chelsea
All but out of the competition after a 3-0 first leg battering from Bayern, Chelsea's stay in the competition has been extended only by coronavirus. Ageing full-backs Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso were brutally exposed by Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies, with Alonso being sent off late in the game, and a trip to the Allianz Arena, where Chelsea won the Champions League against Bayern in 2012, will not be enough to inspire a stalling attack into producing an upset in Munich.

 

Man City
With Chelsea hanging on by a thread, Man City are realistically the only English team left with a shot at being crowned champions of Europe, and are in a good position to progress having defeated Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu in the first leg of their Last 16 tie. Trailing with a quarter of an hour to go, goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus helped turn around a game that City had dominated and finally gave Pep Guardiola his first major European scalp since he arrived in Manchester in 2016. The job of progressing to the quarter-finals is only half done but with De Bruyne playing like the best midfielder in the world and defensive leader Aymeric Laporte fully recovered from knee and hamstring injuries, it is hard to see City throwing away their aggregate lead. Persistent weaknesses at full-back, with Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy looking indecisive at best despite costing £102m collectively, casts doubt over whether City will will be able to cope when facing world-class wingers, but with club legend Sergio Aguero leading the line in what will likely be his last shot at the Champions League if the 2-year ban from European competition is enforced by Cas later this month, the Sky Blues have a better chance than most of winning the one major trophy that has eluded them since Sheikh Mansour's takeover in 2006.

Juventus
Having won 7 consecutive titles before the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in July 2018, it's safe to say Juventus didn't spend £100m on a then-33 year old to help them win domestic trophies. Now 35, time is running out for Ronaldo to guide Juve to a first Champions League title since 1997. A shock defeat to Ajax in last year's quarter-finals was viewed by many as a failure, but the Italian champions may not even reach the last 8 this year having lost the first leg of their Last 16 tie 1-0 to Lyon. Ronaldo and Co. will still be expected to overturn this deficit in the return leg, but their performance in the first game was emblematic of their season so far, with a lethargic start followed up with an inability to finish off a plethora of chances created late in the game. Ronaldo has been firing on all cylinders domestically with 21 goals in 22 league games, but just 2 goals in Europe so far this season has meant Juventus have had to turn to Paulo Dybala on repeated occasions, whose late goals and creativity has left many wondering why on earth Maurizio Sarri wanted to sell the Argentinian No. 10 in August. If Lyon can be overcome then there is always a chance with CR7 in the side, but a lack of potency up front, with Gonzalo Higuain scoring only 7 goals in 30 appearances, leaves the Old Lady at too large a disadvantage to be able to overcome Europe's best and claim the ultimate club prize.