Leicester City Fc will play Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. the foxes will square off against Los Rojiblancos at the Vicente Calderon on the 11th of April and at the King Power stadium on the 19th of April. The UEFA Champions League draws for the quarterfinals put the Foxes up against Atletico Madrid today.
The Good News for Leicester City FC
Leicester City FC will not be playing against Barcelona that is the good news. The bad news is that some considers Atletico Madrid to be favourites, but make no mistake; they will give you a run for your money. They can hold their own against any Strong European opposition, but the threat Leicester face pales in comparison to Barcelona, Bayern Munich, or Real Madrid – three of the best attacking sides in Europe.
Lately, The Foxes seem to be rediscovering their form in the premiership and their performance at home against Sevilla FC was sublime. However, the UEFA Champions League is a different competition.
It is more demanding than the premier league. This has made some top European sides like Real Madrid to prioritise the European tournament over the domestic league in the last 3 seasons.
Leicester City may have avoided Barcelona, but they are far from safety. Atletico has been a constant thorn in the flesh for Barcelona and Real Madrid. The Catalans are always made to work extra hard for victory against Someone’s side. No team wants to face Barcelona until the final, but Atletico Madrid will prove to be a tougher test for Leicester than Sevilla.
Leicester City’s Road to the Quarterfinals
The Foxes began their quest with FC Porto, FC Copenhagen and Club Brugge in group G. Leicester topped the group; avoiding Juventus in the second round in the process.
Even with their poor run of form in the premiership under Claudio Ranieri, they managed to top the group with 13 points after 6 matches; winning 4, drawing 1 and losing 1. FC Porto, the favourites to top the group finished second with 11 points.
After the group stage, the next test was Sevilla FC, Sevilla qualified for the UEFA champions League after winning the Europa League back to back. They are third in the Spanish league and have defeated Real Madrid in the League this season.
Leicester City FC, on the other hand, has been unimpressive in the league this season. The premier league champions are battling relegation this season and have only shown a glimpse of their winning form after the termination of Ranieri.
briefly, the two teams seem unmatched but Leicester City was not blown away at Sevilla. The Foxes lost 2 – 1, with the away goal proving crucial for the second leg. Sevilla lost 2 – 0 at the King Power stadium, giving Leicester a spot in the quarterfinals. The Foxes defence made sure the team kept a clean sheet avoiding extra time.
The Foxes have a Chance
Leicester City’s resurgence in the league could not be timelier. This improvement in performance may just be the push the team needs to go all the way in the champions league.
The last time Leicester City and Atletico Madrid met was in the 1st round of the UEFA cup in 1997 - the Foxes lost at home 2 – 0. This time around they will be meeting at the quarter-final stage.
Last season was a fairy-tale for Leicester City FC and with 5 matches standing between the Foxes and glory. You never know how far this team will go. The final match to be played in Cardiff on the 3rd of June 2017.