Is Barcelona vs. Real Madrid the Champions League final we all want?

Barcelona are excessively young, inexperienced and daring successful their precocious antiaircraft enactment -- they are not acceptable for this trial of each tests.

Real Madrid are struggling, bushed from excessively galore games, and severely miss their injured and departed stars.

That's precisely what the harshest cynics volition beryllium saying successful effect to the thought that we could beryllium 2 knockout rounds distant from a first-ever Clásico UEFA Champions League/European Cup last crossed the 70 years since this mighty contention was born.

Then determination are the diehards who enactment Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain oregon Internazionale (those teams successful particular), each of whom crave reaching the Munich finale. They'll beryllium grinding their teeth angrily astatine the precise thought that it's going to beryllium a Madrid vs. Barça winner-takes-all showdown. Understandably too!

And though the past clip Bayern Munich qualified for the last successful their ain Allianz Arena they suffered indescribable symptom and humiliation (losing to Chelsea successful simply singular circumstances) their players, unit and fans would astir apt each chopped disconnected a insignificant appendage successful speech for the warrant of them being determination connected May 31.

The Champions League is simply a quixotic, often bittersweet entity of tendency truthful let's look the truth: the 2 Spanish behemoths could, if they driblet their standards this week, already beryllium clinging connected to endurance successful this elite contention and we're lone astatine the quarterfinal stage.

Just a small dose of realism.

But, for the moment, fto maine effort to marque the lawsuit that it's desirable for Madrid and Barcelona's fanatical fans and besides the world's neutral shot lovers that there's a Clásico last successful Bavaria conscionable implicit 7 weeks from now.

First things first.

Over the past 30 years the Clásico has inarguably proven to beryllium the lone gigantic global-impact shot lucifer which never, ever, fails to supply superb entertainment. The lone lucifer that is ne'er strangled and reduced by nerves and tension, oregon risk-averse tactics, is erstwhile Barcelona and Real Madrid play 1 another. No substance wherever -- nary substance nether what circumstances -- quality, drama, method excellence and strategical brilliance are a nailed-on guarantee.

That's not a atrocious lawsuit for them gathering successful the Champions League final, is it?

Then the spice successful the sauce.

Losing, for either of these expansive clubs is an anathema astatine the champion of times. But losing a Champions League last to their most-hated, most-feared rival is the worldly of screaming nightmares.

As Atlético Madrid recovered retired successful 2014 and 2016 acknowledgment to last defeats against Real Madrid, to observe that determination truly are bogeymen nether the furniture -- that those noises successful the wardrobe erstwhile the lights spell retired astatine nighttime aren't your imaginativeness but your worst fears made existent -- hurts similar thing connected Earth. The harm stings for years and years and years.

This is precisely what draws a monolithic satellite assemblage erstwhile 2 bitterly opposed rivals meet: deliberation of boxing's George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali, New Zealand vs. South Africa successful rugby, England vs. Australia successful the Ashes of cricket, and USA vs. Europe successful golf's Ryder Cup.

The lawsuit is huge, the prime is gigantic, the victor's laurel wreaths guarantee that you are an all-time great. But the edge, the communal dislike, the cognition that decision volition marque you arsenic a "loser" for each clip -- that's what makes the combat irresistible to supporters, neutrals, advertisers, sponsors, broadcasters, reporters and fanatics alike.

Case made? I deliberation so.

Inconveniently, however, determination is ever the question astir "the field." The rivals. Despite a wide assortment of bookmakers selecting European champions Madrid and the young-pretenders, Barcelona arsenic 2nd and 3rd favorites for the tournament, down PSG, some clubs look tests of occurrence if they are to scope Munich.

Let's commencement with Los Blancos. The adjectives astatine the apical of this file are true. Madrid aren't playing peculiarly good and portion they're not rather moving connected bare and surviving connected fumes, it has been grit, determination and quality alternatively than effervescence, invention and superb endowment which person precocious kept them live successful LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the defence of this trophy which they astir crave: the Champions League.

Against Arsenal they should beryllium amended antheral for man, manager vs. coach, successful experience, know-how and, if we're brutally honest, hunger.

Right now, however, determination are a mates of cardinal elements.

Madrid simply can't support a cleanable expanse (just 2 successful their past 16 matches). And the antheral who's been truthful cardinal to them doing antithetic things to immoderate different European clubs successful caller years, Vinícius Júnior, is not lone retired of signifier he's a small spot retired of favour with teammates and fans.

Maybe they decision Mikel Arteta's side, but Carlo Ancelotti's squad are making a wont of conceding from corners this season, portion Arsenal person made a wont of scoring from them.

For the involvement of argument, let's accidental the European champions stride onwards and look the recently re-crowned French champions, PSG, who, astatine their best, look similar they are acceptable to snatch distant Real Madrid's crown. They are daringly coached. The squad person wholly grasped however Luis Enrique wants them to play and, if you get Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué simultaneously hitting 5th cogwheel past PSG tin look unstoppable.

That would beryllium a semifinal for the ages. Arguably the nine that person ne'er yet won the Champions League would commencement favorites against the nine which person done truthful 15 times. Wow.

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Moreno: Dortmund don't person a accidental vs. Barcelona successful the UCL

Alejandro Moreno assesses Borussia Dortmund's Champions League hopes aft their 4-1 triumph vs. Freiburg.

Let's spell to the different broadside of the draw.

Those penning disconnected Borussia Dortmund successful their trial against Barcelona whitethorn person forgotten 2 things: erstwhile the 2 sides met this play it was a humdinger of a match, ending 3-2 successful Barça's favor. But Dortmund could easy person won.

Equally, immoderate whitethorn person forgotten that the luck of the gully means Barcelona play the 2nd limb successful beforehand of the Yellow Wall -- not a spot for the faint hearted, and successful theory, not a spot for the young and inexperienced. A Catalan squad afloat of teenagers are playing arsenic if they were each battle-hardened, seen-it-all warriors. But they're not: lone the 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski has lifted this trophy before.

Should Barcelona marque it through, they spell up against 1 of 2 clubs who cognize what it's similar to triumph whether they're playing good oregon not. You instrumentality your champion conjecture astir whether Inter oregon Bayern volition beryllium semifinalists, but I deliberation it volition beryllium Simone Inzaghi's Inter team.

Recent collisions betwixt Barcelona and Inter person been perfectly knife-edge stuff. This clip determination would beryllium a menace that the physically bigger, much experienced, much ruthless broadside mightiness bully a clump of talented kids similar Hansi Flick's team. We shall see.

Spain already has 2 much imminent Clásicos: April 26 successful the Copa last then, a fortnight later, a imaginable LaLiga title-decider. Bear successful caput that the past 2 Clásicos this play produced 11 goals connected a 9-2 aggregate successful Barcelona's favour; astir a extremity each 4th of an hr and a brace of staggeringly entertaining matches.

So, with the quarterfinals looming, support these things successful mind: each clip there's been a Clásico successful the European Cup oregon Champions League the victor has ever gone connected to the final; the past clip Madrid and Barcelona met, successful those brutal 2011 semifinals, it produced seismic events of prime and contention which captivated the full world; and, if these 2 clubs do scope the last successful Munich then, considering the rivals they'll person near behind, they'll merit our attraction and respect.