It could be argued that the Champions League is a league and that the clue is in the title, though it is not quite as simple as that. TransfersThe Champions League is only a league, and even then only a quasi-league, before Christmas. From that point on it resembles a cup, and for anyone who can remember the old European Cup it will always be a cup anyway. Domestic fixturesThe first meeting of Premier League clubs in the knockout phase since Manchester United defeated Chelsea in the quarter-final in 2011 will inevitably overshadow this weekend’s domestic fixtures. So, either side of pitting their wits against each other in a Champions League quarter-final with its promise of planting a Premier League flag in Europe’s last four, both Klopp and Pep Guardiola have to deal with Sam Allardyce.

Source: The Irish Times March 29, 2018 21:22 UTC