Champions League Wednesday Quarter-Final Predictions: ManUtd v Bayern, Bordeaux v Lyon

If you’re a little hungover from the Messipocalypse, no one blames you. It was a performance deserving of its own holiday for celebration, even if just a quarterfinal.

However, there are a couple of those Champions League games today, and both have their own intriguing subplots. Arjen Robben & Wayne Rooney are doing battle on the one end as team-driving superstars racing desperately for unlikely fitness, while on the other end it’s – tell me you’ve never heard this before – Ligue 1 league leaders Lyon taking on defending champeens Bordeaux*.

* – It’s a bit more complicated than all that, but it hardly dramatizes the tie appropriately. It’s all theatre.

Manchester United (1) v Bayern Munich (2)

Some circles are still wondering if Bayern can pull off the “upset”, but would it really be that? Manchester United are hardly the team of recent past, and Bayern, particularly with Robben, are a worthy heavyweight in their own. Seems a draw, even at Old Trafford, after being outplayed at the Allianz would be a long, long way from anything resembling an upset.

Of course so much about this game centers on Robben & Rooney. Bayern were able to beat a ManU with a Rooney without a Robben, but it’s no secret they’re a much better team with his pace leaving tire marks up the backsides of defenders. It should help that he’s declared his availability to Louis van Gaal, but that’s no guarantee he’ll play.

On the other side, the news is less rosy. Manchester United are an entirely different team – some may say they’re a one-man team – and Wayne’s race to fitness is not looking good, no matter how much beer he tries to consume.

Prediction: Bayern are more likely to “collapse” than ManU, but Bayern at or near tip top should be able to at least hold a Rooney-less United. It’s a mighty difficult game to predict, so let’s go the obvious route. 1-1

Bonus Prediction: This one’s going completely off script, off the rocker, but…Mark van Bommel will get a card.

Bordeaux (1) v Lyon (3)

This looks like it: the year when Lyon will finally become more than just Ligue 1’s annual parade throwers. And all it took was a year of losing their stranglehold on the trophy to make it happen.

Without seeing too much of either team outside the purview of the Champions League, Lyon has been the team which seems far more impressive independent of their results. And when looking at the scoreline of the first leg…well, three to one is pretty good result to take into the second leg.

Unfortunately, there is no precedent to take into this match from the current season – these two will meet again in wine country ten days from now for a game of what we assume will only be slightly less significance – but since 2004, Lyon have only lost two away fixtures which would overturn the 3-1 first leg advantage: both times to Barcelona.

Bordeaux have a very, large large hill to climb.

Prediction: Lyon simply look like this is their year – maybe not to win it, but they’ll make some noise into and during the semifinal. 2-1 Lyon

Bonus Prediction: Laurent Blanc will gameplan to double down on Lisandro Lopez’s beard, stifling its powers, and, though it will come too little too late, in the process will devise the blueprint which will eventually retain the Ligue 1 crown with a win next weekend.

And now, it’s your turn….

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Category: Champions League