After Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen finished their European campaigns prematurely, three Bundesliga clubs are left to fight for continental glory. Bayern Munich are the only German side still fighting …
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After Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen finished their European campaigns prematurely, three Bundesliga clubs are left to fight for continental glory.
Bayern Munich are the only German side still fighting for the Champions League crown, while Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig are embroiled in the race for the Europa League title.
Let’s take a look at their upcoming challenges in continental action.
Bayern Munich – Champions League
Bayern shrugged off frustration following a 1-1 draw at Red Bull Salzburg in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie to beat the Austrians 7-1 in the return leg at the Allianz Stadium.
Julian Nagelsmann’s men are now looking to better their last season’s result when they bowed out of the quarter-finals to Paris Saint-Germain, courtesy of away goal rule.
According to Football Today, the perennial Bundesliga champions are the third-favourites to lift the trophy this season, behind the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
However, they should have no problems overcoming Villarreal in their upcoming quarter-final tie despite the Spaniards’ outstanding last-16 achievement.
Unai Emery’s side defied the odds in the opening knock-out round to defeat Juventus 4-1 on aggregate and reach the Champions League last eight for the first time since 2008/09.
During his trophy-laden stint at Sevilla, Emery established himself as a Europa League specialist, having led the Andalusian outfit to unprecedented three successive titles between 2014 and 2016.
Villarreal’s spectacular 3-0 second-leg win in Turin last time out has solidified the Spaniard’s European credentials, but ousting Bayern would require something special.
Nagelsmann’s men have scored 81 Bundesliga goals this season, more league goals than any other side across Europe’s top-five divisions.
Bayern have added 30 in the Champions League, where they remain the most prolific club this term.
Eintracht Frankfurt – Europa League
Frankfurt squeezed past La Liga’s surprise package Real Betis in the previous Europa League knock-out round to set up their first quarter-final bow since 2018/19.
But they have encountered no luck in the draw as they will have to crash Barcelona out to maintain their hopes of winning a first-ever European title. Their clash is expected to be the highlight of the Europa League quarterfinals and will easily be the most popular soccer stream on that night.
Die Adler are lagging seven points behind fourth-placed Leipzig in the Bundesliga top-four run-in, leaving the Europa League as their best chance of making it to next season’s Champions League group phase.
Unfortunately for Oliver Glasner’s side, Barcelona have hit a purple patch under Xavi’s stewardship, soaking up the limelight as leading candidates to conquer the competition this season.
Xavi is shaping up a new era at Camp Nou.
After completing a few high-profile deals in the January transfer window, the Catalan heavyweights are again a force to be reckoned with in Spain and Europe.
In addition to their impressive 5-2 aggregate triumph over Napoli in their Europa League knock-out play-off round, Barca cruised to an overwhelming 4-0 win over Real Madrid in the latest edition of El Clasico.
Yet, the Spaniards barely went past Galatasaray in the previous knock-out round, showing they are not invulnerable.
RB Leipzig – Europa League
Leipzig’s first appearance in the Europa League knock-outs since 2017/18 has been a consequence of their first failed attempt to negotiate a Champions League group phase campaign in three years.
Already well off the Bundesliga title pace, Leipzig will hope to give their fans something to shout as they take on Atalanta in an intriguing Europa League quarter-final tie.
Domenico Tedesco’s arrival at the helm has inspired a renaissance at the Red Bull Arena following a troublesome first half of the season under Jesse Marsch.
Die Roten Bullen are flying high under the former Spartak Moscow manager, as witnessed by their 5-3 aggregate success of Real Sociedad in the Europa League knock-out round play-offs.
UEFA’s decision to ban Russian clubs from continental tournaments has handed Leipzig a walkover of non-other than Spartak in the previous knock-out round.
The German giants will be favourites to get past Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta, who have been a shadow of their former selves this season.
Unlike some previous years, when they were one of the most entertaining teams to watch, La Dea have faltered this term.
They currently languish in sixth in the Serie A table, while their attacking output is no match for their eye-catching exploits from the past couple of seasons.
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