Manchester United’s Champions League opponents ranked in order of difficulty

Manchester United have made it to the Quarter Final stage of European football’s Premier Competition for the first time since the 2010/11 season when we made it all the way to the final. Olympiacos away aside, Moyes deserves some credit for the football we’ve played on the continent this year, especially Leverkusen away where we won 5-0.

We’re now into the business end of the tournament, and the seven teams that potentially await United are all group winners. There are no easy games in this tournament, and we’re going to rank the seven potential opponents in order of difficulty from the best possible draw right through to the worst.

First choice – Borussia Dortmund

It seems mad to think last years runners-up are the team that we’d prefer to draw later today. Dortmund have lost some key players over the past 12 months, and six of the players who started the final against Bayern are unavailable for the first leg of the QF stage. Robert Lewandowski is banned, Marcel Schmelzer is out for the season and as we all know Ilkay Gundogan has been suffering with injury problems.

Second choice – Chelsea 

The current Premier League toppers Chelsea are next on the list. Mourinho’s men beat Galatasaray to get this far and although I feel we could beat them over two legs, I’d rather draw somebody else because we’ve already played them twice this season.

Third choice – PSG

This is a draw I wouldn’t mind as we’ve never played PSG in Champions League history. Thiago Silva is one of the best, if not the best centre-back in the world and they have an extremely strong midfield consisting of Blaise Matuidi, Yohan Cabaye and Thiago Motta. Who can forget about Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani up top, too…

Fourth choice – Atletico Madrid 

Diego Simeone has been a revelation for Atletico. He’s guided them to Europa League and Copa del Rey victory over the past couple of years, and they’re still in with a shout for the La Liga title this season. All this whilst losing one of the best strikers in the world in Falcao. They play nice football and are certainly dangerous opponents. I wouldn’t fancy our chances against Atleti over two legs.

Fifth choice – Barcelona 

Barca beat City without really playing all too well for the most part, and they currently sit third in La Liga which is considered a failure by the Catalan fans. Lionel Messi seems to be getting back to his best though after he hit a super hat-trick at the weekend in a 7-0 victory. Xavi and Iniesta seem to be ageing, and now is definitely the best time to play them over the past five years. They’ll still blow most teams out of the water though. I wouldn’t mind drawing Barca, because I think they can be got at this year.

Sixth choice – Real Madrid

A repeat of the last sixteen stage of last season is one we’d want to avoid. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice against us a year ago, but the glamour tie was marred by the poor refereeing performance of Cuneyt Cakir who dubiously sent Nani off when United were leading the tie. Under Ancelotti Real Madrid have gone from strength-to-strength. They currently sit top of La Liga, Ronaldo and Bale are both in excellent form and they’ve been using younger players such as Jese, Morata and Isco who have all been superb. Definitely one to avoid.

Seventh choice – Bayern Munich

The nightmare draw and the team everyone is wanting to avoid. Pep’s Bayern side are 23 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and their football is breathtaking to watch at times. They have it all; Pace, power, patience and skill. The only thing they really lack is a top goalscorer, but when Robert Lewandowski arrives there in the summer they’ll be an even greater force.

Who do you want in the draw? Leave your answer in the comment box below.

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