Champions League Predictions: Quarterfinals, Leg 2

It's already time for some more Champions League! You know what that means. In less than 24 hours, we get to experience some more terrific, pulsating football, and more importantly, the greatest anthem in the world.

From a predictions standpoint, I did alright for myself last week; I only narrowly missed on my scoreline predictions, and accurately forecasted 3 of the 4 winners, Benfica representing my only miss. For the neutral observer, the first leg of quarterfinal matches was a bit of a dud, one has to say. At least half of the games were pretty stale affairs on the pitch, and all but one of them were decided by more than one goal. First, Manchester City and Inter Milan etched their names into the semifinals in pencil, if not pen. City were stunningly dominant in attack against Bayern Munich, and the 3-0 scoreline arguably flattered the Germans when all was said and done. Inter, meanwhile, flattened Benfica's attack completely and made out of Lisbon with a stodgy 2-0 road win. The next day, reigning champions Real Madrid dispatched of Chelsea by two goals in the first leg of the quarterfinal stage for the second consecutive year. And, in the only entertaining match from start-to-finish of the round, Ismaël Bennacer's first-half goal was good enough for A.C. Milan, who managed to keep high-flying Napoli off the scoresheet (and get two key Neopolitan players suspended for the next leg in the process).

Now, to this week's slate of games:

Chelsea vs. Real Madrid

The first leg of this quarterfinal was the rare instance of a match where there's a winner, but likely neither team comes away truly happy. Chelsea's reason for unhappiness is obvious: despite a bright start, and a first-half performance that probably trumped their hosts' in quality, they left Madrid with a 2-0 loss and a starting fullback suspended for the second leg. Carlo Ancelotti and Madrid fans, though, can't exactly be thrilled either. The champions were heavy favorites and are the vastly superior side on paper, and despite that, a home crowd, and Chelsea playing with 10 men for the majority of the second half, they were only able to muster two goals, the second of them coming in the last ten minutes. I mentioned last week that, given what we saw happen in the crazy 2022 quarterfinal, if the West Londoners stay within striking distance after the first leg, it's far from over, and I would say "two goals down" is on the cusp of staying within striking distance. That said, Thomas Tuchel isn't walking back through that door. I expect Frank Lampard's Chelsea to look much more motivated and prepared than they have in their last couple Premier League matches, but I cannot fathom this Blues side overturning a 0-2 deficit to Real Madrid.

The Pick: Draw, 1-1 (Real Madrid advance on 3-1 aggregate)

Napoli vs. A.C. Milan

There can be little doubt Milan came out the better prepared team in the San Siro last week. Whether it was the hostile crowd, the aggressive play, or the injury absence of star player Victor Osimhen, Napoli looked a little shellshocked and were on the back foot the majority of the first half, getting pegged one back at halftime. All the more reason for them to rue that second half, then; they were so much better after the intermission, exhibiting much more of the positive play that has them primed to take home their first Serie A trophy this year. But, for all their shots on goal, and a couple off the woodwork, they came up emptyhanded, losing 1-0 on the night and losing star defender Kim Min-Jae and midfielder Zambo Anguissa for this second match due to cards. All signs seem to be pointing to a Derby di Milano semifinal, but I think Napoli has fight in them still, contrary to what their recent form might suggest. With the Scudetto firmly (if not officially) in their grasp, and such a wide open lane to the Final this year, I have to imagine they will go all out for this second leg, and Osimhen's return will be a very welcome one. I expect more goals than the first leg, and though I worry Milan may be able to easily pick off a pushing Napoli on counterattacks, I manifested too much negative energy last week. Not making that mistake again this week!!! Napoli's got this!!! Believe!!!!

The Pick: Napoli, 3-1 (E.T.) (Napoli advance on 3-2 aggregate)

Inter Milan vs. Benfica

Inter's Serie A season, in which they are in serious risk of finishing outside the Top 4 and missing next year's Champions League altogether, has been a confusing one, considering the talent on their roster and how close they came to winning the league title last season. So I guess I should have seen it coming that the Champions League would be where they actually play up to their potential. Benfica did not, as I predicted last week they would, seize the opportunity to "to break through and reach new heights." I'd like to say that this is still anyone's tie, but Inter's calm control of the first leg suggest they are locked in and hyper-focused on the goal of playing in Istanbul for this trophy, and I can't see anything Benfica could do to throw off that focus in a hostile atmosphere in San Siro.

The Pick: Inter, 1-0 (Inter Milan advance on 3-0 aggregate)

Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City

I hate to end this piece with negative energy after disavowing it earlier in the article, but yeah, this one is over. Likely the last piece of the semifinal puzzle to be officially laid on Wednesday is the one that seems most obvious of all: Erling Haaland and Manchester City come swaggering into Munich with a 3-0 advantage, and riding a 10-match winning streak, in which they've outscored their opponents 37-4 (yes, you're reading that correctly... essentially an average scoreline of 4-0). Bayern Munich, meanwhile, responded to the blowout loss by watching two of their star forwards get in a highly-publicized brawl, then settle for a listless draw against Hoffenheim over the weekend that ran the risk of seeing the team cede first place in the league I'd love to see Bayern get an early goal or two, to at least make Pep and the Mancurians sweat it out for a while, but I honestly think City will get the win in the match this week, not just the tie overall. Bayern looked completely beat last time out, and even with a home crowd at their back, have not looked altogether interested thus far in rallying for Thomas Tuchel to finish the season on a strong note.

The Pick: Manchester City, 2-1 (Manchester City advances on 5-1 aggregate)