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The Champions League quarter-finals action did definitely not disappoint. There were some thrilling matches and some shock eliminations as the race for the Champions League title truly heated up.
Two teams which were favoured to go through: PSG and Barcelona, found out exactly why it is so difficult to win this amazing competition. Manchester City, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich made it through to the semi-finals and it is unsurprising that the quarter-finals best XI is made up of players from these teams.
There were some brilliant individual and collective performances in these matches and we attempt the difficult task of picking the best XI from the quarter-finals stage of the Champions League
Goalkeeper – Joe Hart
Manchester City’s goalkeeper Joe Hart put in a stunning performance in both the home and away legs against Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain. The England number 1 commanded his box with authority and composure, standing like a wall between the city goal and PSG attackers.
Hart’s penalty save in the first leg turned out to be crucial as City came away with a 2-2 draw. In the second leg, Hart along with the Manchester City defence were simply superb as they frustrated Zlatan Ibrahimovic and co to maintain a clean sheet and go through 3-2 on aggregate.
Hart’s shot stopping skills and communication with his defenders was brilliant in both the legs and City will be hoping for a similar performance from their custodian in the semi-finals against Real Madrid.
Defenders – Daniel Carvajal, Nicolas Otamendi, Diego Godin, Filipe Luis
There were a number of heroic performances in defence. The Atletico Madrid backline put in a typically solid performance with Diego Godin and Filipe Luis being particularly good. Keeping a clean sheet against the likes of Messi, Neymar and Suarez is no easy task, however, the Atletico Madrid backline led by Godin and Luis were absolutely brilliant.
At right-back, we have Daniel Carvajal. The Real Madrid man played only the second leg, but he had a huge impact as Madrid scored a stunning 3-0 victory over Wolfsburg at the Bernabeu. Carvajal made a lot of difference as he replaced the ineffective Danilo. With his incisive runs and vital interceptions, Danilo was arguably the second best player in the Madrid side after Cristiano Ronaldo.
The other centre-back in this team is Nicolas Otamendi. The Argentine initially had a tough start in his Manchester City career, but in the absence of Kompany, he has become the leader in defence for Manchester City. Otamendi performed really well in both the legs putting in plenty of last ditch tackles and blocks to deny PSG.
Midfielders – Fernandinho, Arturo Vidal, Kevin De Bruyne
Fernandinho and Kevin De Bruyne ran the show for Manchester City in the midfield with the latter scoring in both the home and away legs. The Belgian midfielder was the difference between victory and defeat as he put in a performance full of class and guile to knock out the Ligue 1 Champions.
Putting in a tireless performance was Manchester City's Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho. His running, drive and interceptions were crucial to City's commendable performance. Fernandinho read the game brilliantly as he broke up PSG’s attacks time and time again. Fernandinho ensured that Yaya Toure's absence was hardly felt by City.
Arturo Vidal was absolutely vital against Benfica and his goals ensured Pep Guardiola’s side would go through to the semi-finals. The Chilean put in a typically enterprising performance and his efforts were crticial for the Bundesliga giants to go through.
Wingers and Forwards – Saul Niguez, Antoine Griezmann and Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid were beaten 0-2 in Germany last week and faced an uphill challenge on Tuesday as they trailed 0-2 heading into the second-leg at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Ronaldo spectacularly overturned the deficit with a treble, firing home twice in the space of 90 seconds to level the tie just 17 minutes in before he settled matters with a superb chipped free-kick near the end of the game. The Portuguese superstar showed the world why he is considered to be one of the best players ever.
On a run of ten goals in his last ten games, Atletico Madrid’s Griezmann has recorded a figure of 29 goals and 5 assists in a sum total of 45 appearances in this season. With the goals against a top team in a crunch tie like the Champions League quarter-finals, however, Antoine Griezmann has indeed announced himself as an elite player.
Although Saul had a relatively quiet game in the first leg, he had a stunning second leg as his wonderful pass helped Griezmann unlock the Barcelona defence. The versatile midfielder had a great game playing in a more advanced role on the right wing.
Find out the formation and how the team will line up in the next slide.
Formation
We have gone for a 4-3-3 formation with Griezmann being ably supported by Ronaldo and Saul Niguez in the front line. De bruyne and Vidal provide drive, running and incisive passing while Fernandinho is given the role of the midfield destroyer.
The back 4 is pretty solid with Otamendi partnering Diego Godin at the heart of the defence. Filipe Luis and Daniel Carvajal are the two full-backs of this team. Joe Hart is given the responsibilty of guarding the sticks.
Do you agree with our Champions League quarter-finals XI? Let us know in the comments.
The Champions League semi-finals draw was done on Friday and this is how the matches are:
Manchester City – Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid – Bayern
The Champions League is definitely heading for an exciting finish.
