Champions League predictions: Lionel Messi drags Barcelona through, Manchester City sail into semi-finals

Europe's premier club competition reaches the quarter-final stage and we take out our crystal ball to see who makes the last four

Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 Second Leg - Paris St Germain v Borussia Dortmund - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - March 11, 2020 Paris St Germain's Neymar celebrates after the match UEFA Pool/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINAL PREDICTIONS: (All kick-offs 11pm UAE time) Wednesday; Atalanta v Paris Saint-Germain - A potential banana skin in PSG's desperate battle to lift European club football's most prestigious trophy. The ultra-wealthy French club should be overwhelming favourites to win this. They have just secured a domestic treble and are now chasing a quadruple, have the most expensive footballer of all time - €222m (Dh904m) Neymar - in their team and have spent €1bn in less than a decade in their pursuit of European Cup glory. Atalanta, meanwhile, are playing in their first Champions League with a squad put together at a fraction of the cost. But the Italians just keep on surprising on the domestic and European fronts and should not be underestimated. Prediction: Atalanta 1 PSG 3 (AET). Reuters

Gareth Cox

Aug 12, 2020

After a coronavirus-enforced extended tournament, we are now down to the final eight of the Champions League – a mammoth 414 days after the first preliminary qualifying round match.

And, also due to the pandemic, the quarter-finals will be decided during a whirlwind four games in as many days in Lisbon, with the usual two legs discarded for one knockout match.

Atalanta's Italian coach Gian Piero Gasperini gives a thumbs-up as he arrives with his team to the Corinthia Hotel in Lisbon on August 10, 2020 ahead of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. / AFP / LLUIS GENE

Cinderella side face wealthy princes as Atalanta take on Paris Saint-Germain in Champions League

Benfica's Estadio da Luz will host two games, with Atalanta against Paris Saint-Germain taking place on Wednesday, then a potentially epic battle between Barcelona and Bayern Munich on Friday.

The other two games kick-off at Sporting Lisbon's Estadio Jose Alvalade and sees RB Leipzig take on Atletico Madrid on Thursday, followed by Manchester City versus Lyon on Saturday.

Whoever is victorious in that latter match will take on the winner of Barca and Bayern in the last four next Wednesday, at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. The other semi-final will be at the Estadio da Luz on Tuesday.

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