UEFA Champions League Prediction 2021: Rating each team's chance of winning the tournament

Liverpool will take on Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League
Liverpool will take on Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League

We move onto the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and the competition is populated by some of Europe's heavyweights.

The UEFA Champions League comes down to eight teams and they will go into battle in midweek as they try to book a spot in the semi-final. The Premier League has the most number of representatives in the final eight with Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool all competing in separate matches.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund remain from the Bundesliga while Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Porto take up the rest of the spots. We have a delectable set of fixtures and this week promises to deliver a lot of exciting action for football fans.

Without further ado, let's take a look at who among the final eight has the best chance to get their hands on the UEFA Champions League title this term.


#8 Porto - 3/10

Sergio Oliveira (left) celebrates with Manafa and Diaz after scoring against Juventus
Sergio Oliveira (left) celebrates with Manafa and Diaz after scoring against Juventus

Porto are the minnows in the final 8. They stunned Juventus in the Round of 16, beating them on away goals at the end of a resilient display over two legs. In the quarter-finals, they go up against Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea, who are yet to taste defeat after the German coach took over in late January.

Though the win over Juventus ought to give them a lot of confidence, Porto will be without key players Mehdi Taremi and Sérgio Oliveira who will miss out due to suspension. Chelsea are a difficult side to break down and even if they get past the Blues and advance to the semi-final, they could be caught out of their depth.

#7 Borussia Dortmund - 4/10

Borussia Dortmund v Sevilla FC - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg Two
Borussia Dortmund v Sevilla FC - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg Two

Borussia Dortmund suffered a 1-2 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt at home this past Saturday. They have not been in great form and have won just one of their last five matches. They will have their work cut out for them as they square up against a well-settled and incredibly powerful Manchester City in the quarter-finals.

Dortmund will find it difficult to unlock Manchester City's defense and there is no way they will be able to keep the talented City attackers at bay over the course of 180 minutes or more. Dortmund have the slightest chance of advancing but it won't be advisable to put your money on them.

#6 Chelsea - 5/10

Chelsea FC v Atletico Madrid - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg Two
Chelsea FC v Atletico Madrid - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg Two

Undefeated in 14 games across all competitions ever since Thomas Tuchel took charge, Chelsea's honeymoon phase could stay intact for longer. They've got a relatively easy Champions League fixture against Porto but Tuchel won't take them lightly after what they did to Juventus.

However, Chelsea seem assured at the back and have tidied up over the past couple of months. Chelsea beat Atletico Madrid, one of the most formidable sides in Europe, in the Round of 16 and they did that quite comprehensively.

However, Chelsea need their attackers to start firing on all cylinders as otherwise, they won't be able to measure up to the kind of quality that the rest of the competition will be able to showcase.

#5 Liverpool - 6/10

RB Leipzig v Liverpool FC - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg One
RB Leipzig v Liverpool FC - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg One

Despite being one of the strongest performers in Europe over the past few seasons, Liverpool are not being viewed as strong contenders this time around. Their form at home in the Premier League has been awful of late. Injuries to their three main centre-backs have weakened Jurgen Klopp's unit greatly as well.

Liverpool will be looking to exact revenge on their quarter-final opponents Real Madrid for the 3-1 defeat in the Champions League final of 2017-18. Real Madrid could be a tricky proposition and though Diogo Jota is back and looking like he has not missed a beat, the form of the other attackers is suspect.

#4 Real Madrid - 6/10

Real Madrid v Atalanta - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg Two
Real Madrid v Atalanta - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg Two

Real Madrid beat Atalanta in comprehensive fashion to advance to the quarter-finals. Zinedine Zidane and co. have more experience than anybody remaining in the competition on how to win these things. That's exactly what they'll be banking on as they take on Liverpool in the quarter-finals.

Los Blancos have also been in good form of late, winning nine of their last 11 matches. The likes of Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio have been in good goalscoring form and they will be hoping to draw confidence from their superior record over English clubs in the knockout stages going into the game against Liverpool.

It's a difficult road to the UEFA Champions League title from here but it is so for everyone but only one side has an abundance of experience on how to navigate it and that's Real Madrid.

#3 Bayern Munich - 7/10

Bayern München v SS Lazio - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg Two
Bayern München v SS Lazio - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg Two

Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain to win the UEFA Champions League title last season. They will need to do that again over two legs to advance to the semi-finals this time around. Whoever wins this tie has a great chance of going onto win Europe's elite competition.

Bayern Munich have won all of their last seven matches across all competitions and beat their closest title-rival RB Leipzig over the weekend to extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table.

However, in the absence of Robert Lewandowski, who is nursing a knee injury, Bayern Munich will need to rely on other players for goals and that's not great news against a team that's as good as Paris Saint-Germain are.

#2 Paris Saint-Germain - 7/10

FC Barcelona v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg One
FC Barcelona v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg One

Finalists in the UEFA Champions League last year, Paris Saint-Germain are among the favourites to win the competition this term. But they will have to first overcome the challenge posed by reigning champions Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. The Bavarians have been in great form.

But Mauricio Pochettino's side will be feeling confident now that Neymar has returned to the side after a bout with injury. Kylian Mbappe has been firing too but they will need to shake off their weekend defeat at the hands of Lille as they go into this one.

PSG will need to be at the top of their game if they are to win against Bayern Munich. If they are able to do that, our money will be on them.

#1 Manchester City - 8.5/10

Manchester City v Borussia Moenchengladbach - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg Two
Manchester City v Borussia Moenchengladbach - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg Two

Ever since Ruben Dias settled down in that Manchester City defense, Pep Guardiola's team have been a different proposition. Just like Virgil van Dijk's addition was key to unlocking Liverpool's abilities, the sense of safety that Dias provides at the back has now transformed Manchester City into title-favourites on all fronts.

Manchester City have been flying and save for a loss against cross-city rivals Manchester United, they have not looked capable of stuttering. Manchester City will lock horns with Borussia Dortmund, who have seen better days in terms of form.

The Manchester City midfielders and attackers are playing well and on their day, they will run rings around their opposition and cause problems in the final third throughout the ninety. Manchester City are hot favourites to win the UEFA Champions League title this season.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith