Ranking the Champions League Quarterfinals Matchups

Well, after a great Champions League Round of 16 that saw sides such as Real Madrid and AC Milan eliminated while some new sides such as Bordeaux and CSKA Moscow advance onto the quarterfinals, we finally know who will be facing each other in the Champions League quarterfinal this year.

The matchups are as follows: Manchester United v Bayern Munich, Bordeaux v Lyon, CSKA Moscow v Inter Milan and Arsenal v FC Barcelona.

Here is my ranking of the Champions League matchups from least to most exciting, and who I expect to advance from each group.

4. Manchester United v Bayern Munich

A rematch of the thrilling 1999 Champions League final that Manchester United won by a 2-1 scoreline, this is a matchup that plates the two sides that are currently in first place in the Bundesliga and Premier League.

For Manchester United, they have recently found their form of the last three years (that saw the Red Devils make the semifinals for three straight seasons) as Wayne Rooney is on the hottest streak of his life.

Over Rooney's last five matches, he has scored nine goals.

Meanwhile for Bayern Munich, this a matchup that will tell us how good they really are in European competition, as they were lucky to get out of the group stage and were also lucky to get past Fiorentina in the Round of 16 after some controversial decisions by referee Tom Øverbo helped Bayern advance.

All time, United have only defeated Bayern once (which was in the 1999 Champions League final) and earlier this year, these two sides met in the Audi Cup final, which Bayern won on penalties.

With the first leg at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, March 30, and the second leg at Old Trafford on April 7, this is a great tie between two strong sides, but I see Man United advancing due to Rooney's unbeatable form.

But, Bayern could easily advance as United have a really tough matchup with Chelsea on April 3 between this tie, and it will be interesting to see what squad will be used in these matchups by Sir Alex Ferguson.

3. Inter Milan v CSKA Moscow

Even though these two sides have never faced each other back in the 2007-2008 Champions League in which CSKA Moscow lost twice, this matchup is extremely intriguing as CSKA Moscow have really developed into a stronger Champions League side in the last several years.

For starters, Inter are finally back to the Champions League quarterfinals after a four year layoff, and their squad took a major step forward after defeating Chelsea 3-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16.

But meanwhile for CSKA Moscow, they are the freshest team that is left in the Champions League with the Russian Premier League season just starting at the beginning of March.

But there were no cobwebs present during their Round of 16 matchup with Sevilla, in which CSKA Moscow advanced onto the quarterfinals for the first time in their history after they beat Sevilla 3-2 on aggregate.

The first leg will be played at the San Siro on March 31, with the second leg being played in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow during the second leg on April 6.

Now in this matchup, I see Inter going through, but it will be closer than most people think. The reason behind my belief is that CSKA Moscow have that all-so-important second leg in Russia, and they are capable of playing against the best in away Champions League fixtures, which they proved at Old Trafford during the Group Stage.

But Jose Mourinho will lead Inter to the semifinals as Inter will be able to get an away goal in Russia during the second leg to lead the Italian side to the semifinals.

2. Lyon v Bordeaux

The only matchup that pairs two sides from the same country in this semifinal, Bordeaux and Lyon will both try to become the first French side to make a Champions League semifinal since Monaco did so in 2004 in their incredible run to the 2004 Champions League final.

For Lyon, they were able to take down giants such as Liverpool and Real Madrid during the Champions League this season, and they are not an easy side for anyone to face.

Meanwhile for Bordeaux, they have yet to suffer a loss in the Champions League this season, and they have also been able to take down major Champions League sides such as Bayern Munich and Juventus this season.

The first leg will be at the Stade de Gerland on March 30, while the second leg will be at Bordeaux's Stade Chaban-Delmas on April 7.

In this matchup, I think that Lyon will be able to advance, as they are a very solid defensive side that scores clutch goals.

In the Champions League, that could be enough for any side to advance in their group, and Lyon will not be an exception.

1. FC Barcelona v Arsenal

A rematch of the 2006 Champions League final, this matchup between Barcelona and Arsenal is extremely intriguing with two sides that play truly exciting football.

For Arsenal, they were able to get through to the quarterfinals for the third straight season thanks to a great performance by Nicklas Bendtner that resulted in a hat trick during a 5-0 demolishing of Porto in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

Meanwhile for Barcelona, they were able to ride an incredible performance by Lionel Messi as Barcelona beat VfB Stuttgart by a 4-0 score to advance to the quarterfinals for the third straight season.

This matchup also signifies the return of Arsenal star Cesc Fàbregas against his former team Barcelona, and former Arsenal star Thierry Henry to face the side that he became a star with before leaving Arsenal for Barcelona in 2007.

This matchup is extremely hard for me to call, as these are two sides that are more than capable of winning the Champions League.

But, I will choose Barcelona, as they get that second leg at the Camp Nou, and I believe that they will get the away goal that will decide this matchup at the Emirates during the first leg.

Finally, these quarterfinals matchups have tons of potential to become even better than the Round of 16, as we will see some marquee matchups, but only four sides will advance onto the Champions League semifinal on the quest to raise the Champions League trophy on May 22 at the Bernabeu.