Ranking Real Madrid’s potential opponents in the Champions League Quarterfinals

The draw for the Champions League Quarterfinals will take place this Friday and Real Madrid will surely face a tough team in the next round of the European competition. This might be one of the strongest Quarterfinals draws in recent years. Here’s who Real Madrid should want to avoid next Friday.

1. Manchester City. You don’t want to face a team coached by Guardiola this early in the Champions League. While City were some kind of a fluke last season, Guardiola has managed to finally establish the football he likes and they are an extremely dangerous team. Furthermore, they can afford to rest some of their starters as they have all but clinched the Premier League title.
2. Barcelona. Just like City, coach Ernesto Valverde will be able to rest Messi and Co. before playing against Real Madrid. Barça dominated Los Blancos last December and while it’s clear that Madrid should offer a much better version of themselves now that they’ve found some of their groove, you just don’t want to face Messi for 180 minutes. Ask Chelsea.
3. Juventus. It’s hard to pick one between Juve and Bayern, but Italy is always a tough place for Madrid. While they aren’t as brilliant as last season and have shown some issues, they know how to compete. Everyone thought they were going to be knocked-out by the Spurs and they turned things around in just five minutes.
4. Bayern. Lewandowski, Muller, James or Ribery are not a joke. It’s not clear whether James’ loan deal with Bayern would allow him to play, but the German side have been performing well and will also rest some of their stars as they have secured the Bundesliga title.
5. Liverpool. Here’s where it gets somewhat easier for Madrid. Klopp’s team are still unproven in Europe. They are still very dangerous but their midfield will struggle against Kroos and Modric. However, Salah and Sane would be problematic for Real Madrid’s defensive line.
6. Sevilla. They played very well against Manchester United. Still, it’s clear that Madrid should be able to beat Montella’s side over two legs.
7. Roma. They will fight very hard until the very end of the Serie A season to clinch the third spot in the table that would grant them a ticket to the 2018-19 edition of the Champions League. That third spot could be more valuable to them than a tough tie against Madrid...