EPL elite get reality check in Europe

18 March 2018 - 00:00 By espn.com and The Daily Telegraph

And then there were two.
So much for the Premier League planting its flag deep in the Champions League landscape by claiming at least half of the eight quarterfinal berths for this season's competition.
For the first time in Champions League history, five English clubs made it through the group stage to contest the round of 16, but only two - Manchester City and Liverpool - survived to fight another day on the road to the May 26 final in Kiev.
When the draw for the round of 16 was made last December, the bullish view from within the Premier League was that at least four of England's top clubs would make it to the final eight. There was even a hope, if not an expectation, that the Premier League would provide both finalists for the first time since Man United defeated Chelsea to win the European Cup in Moscow in 2008.
An unwanted meet
And now, after Friday's draw in Nyon, Switzerland, only one English side will be left to fly the flag for the Premier League all the way to Kiev when Liverpool were paired with Manchester City.
Man City, under Pep Guardiola, are perhaps England's best hope for success in the Champions League this season, but they remain relative novices in this competition. Will they be able to overcome Real, Barca or Bayern over two legs or in the final?
And while Liverpool are a club steeped in European tradition, their route to the last eight has been nothing short of a meander through the backwaters of the competition. Their true strength can only be gauged when they come up against a powerhouse.
Only Barca, Bayern and Real have won the Champions League since Chelsea in 2012, so their accumulated wealth of experience and belief in this competition cannot be underestimated. The English clubs are dragging themselves back off the canvas, but their naivety among the elite is why they continue to fail when they are expected to succeed.
And so, the Premier League's hopes of an all-English final were dashed as City and Liverpool were the final clubs paired. Liverpool will play their home leg first, which will be a significant advantage to Guardiola's side.
It was certainly the meeting the Merseyside club wanted least - City being the dominant force in English football this season. City will be the more confident, but also wary as Liverpool is the only team to have defeated Guardiola's side in the Premier League in this campaign.
City are pursuing their first European Cup while Liverpool are hoping to win the competition for the sixth time. They have never looked so equipped to go all the way. The last time Liverpool reached this stage in 2009 they lost to Chelsea.
City's director of football, Txiki Begiristain, admitted he would rather be facing an overseas side.
Elsewhere, the draw pitted the La Liga giants against Serie A, Real Madrid and Juventus replaying last season's final. Madrid have the advantage of playing at home in the second leg. Barcelona will meet Roma and the final Spanish representative, Sevilla, will meet Bayern Munich.
The quarterfinal draw
Barcelona vs Roma; Sevilla vs Bayern Munich; Juventus vs Real Madrid; Liverpool vs Man City...

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.