Champions League Super Tuesday: Julián Álvarez’s City and Lautaro’s Inter are looking to qualify for the quarter-finals

Round of 16 Champions League They enter the definition phase starting this Tuesday. With duels that are not defined at all, with the presence of Argentines and with the expectation of seeing who will be the bottom four in the next round, an analysis must be made of how each team arrives and how each key can be solved.

The biggest surprise of the first leg was Real Madrid’s sensational victory against Liverpool 5-2, while Manchester City drew in Germany against Leipzig and will have to define their rankings in England. Both Napoli and Inter managed to take the lead in the first leg and, despite having put qualification on track, they cannot be trusted.

Manchester City versus Leipzig

This Tuesday, from 5pm, Manchester City and Leipzig will meet again in a series which finds both with chances of qualification. After the 1-1 draw on German soil, the chances are very even. Although the two teams are heated to battle in their leagues, Europe’s top competition is the main focus of the season.

Manchester City come on after beating Crystal Palace 1-0, with an Erling Haaland penalty, and were 5 points behind leaders Arsenal. In the last few hours, in a press conference, Pep Guardiola took stock of his time at the English club and the importance of the Champions League. “Yes, I’m sure my time at Manchester City will be judged by the Champions League. I don’t mean I agree with it. From day one they asked me if I would come and win it. If I were the Real Madrid manager, I’d understand, but here… I don’t know.”He explained. If they reach the quarterfinals, it will be the sixth time in a row that they will be featured in this instance.

Leipzig, led by Marco Rose, beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 with goals from Timo Werner, Emil Forsberg and Josko Gvardiol. The German team is in third place in the Bundesliga with 47 points, 5 behind Bayern Munich, and represents a latent threat at European level. His increasingly consolidated project and the individual quality of his players are a threat.

Julián Álvarez played 32 games during the season and scored 10 goals, but he is in the shadow of Haaland’s magnificent season, who scored 34 goals in 35 games.

Without a doubt, it will be one of the most anticipated meetings. The great quality of the protagonists, the uncertainty of who will go to the next round and the possibility of a bump are the condiments that add a lot of flavor to this duel.

Porto-Inter

In Portugal, Porto and Inter will face off in what is likely to be a very even match. The first leg was very balanced, in fact the Italians took the lead 5 minutes from the end. With a goal from Romelu Lukaku, who is not having his best season, the neroazzurri broke the parity barrier and gained a crucial advantage in Milan.

The realities of both teams are quite different. Those led by Simone Inzaghi, despite being in second place in Serie A, are 18 points behind Napoli, who, barring catastrophe, will be champions of Italy, and the chances of victory are almost obsolete. In this context, the Champions League appears as the great objective.

For its part, Porto is one of the revelations of the current edition of the European championship. After topping a group that had paired them with Atlético de Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Bruges, the Portuguese managed to qualify in first place and progress to the round of 16. In Italy, despite being defeated, the result has left them alive and with the possibility of qualifying for the quarter-finals if they play a good game.

Lautaro Martinez, the main offensive weapon of the blue team, is going through a great moment. After conquering the World Cup in Qatar 2022 with the Argentine national team, despite not having played the World Cup he expected, El Toro is of the highest level. In total, he wrote 17 goals in 36 games and is one of the soccer leaders of his team.

While it is true that neither of them occupy a place among the best teams in Europe, the one I managed to qualify will be among the best eight on the continent. And while the qualifier will likely face a top-notch rival, his heart and dedication will make him a tough opponent to beat. Of course, in the first instance Inter will have to assert their advantage or Porto will have to overturn the result to find out who belongs to the table. The match will be played this Tuesday from 5pm.