Messi, Lewandowski To Face Each Other As Barcelona, Bayern Advance To Champions League Quarter-Finals

Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski are in for a showdown as Barcelona and Bayern Munich are set to face each other in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

After losing its La Liga title to rivals Real Madrid this season, Barcelona remained focused on moving on to the Champions League. The Catalans eliminated Napoli in leg 2 of UCL on Saturday. And once again, the Spanish side made it to the last eight, qualifying in the quarter-finals for a “record-extending” 13th straight season.

Barca captain Messi contributed to the team’s one-sided victory over its Italian rivals by scoring a brilliant solo goal. The Catalans stormed to an early 3-0 lead in the first half. Napoli never had the chance to regain momentum despite Lorenzo Insigne’s spot-kick in the second period.

Messi's incredible finish came between an early header courtesy of Clement Lenglet and a Luis Suarez penalty goal, won by the Argentine as well. Barcelona held on to the lead until the final minute and officially eliminated Napoli.

Bayern Munich, on the other hand, thumped Premier League giant Chelsea with a stunning 4-1 blowout win. The German champion secured its spot in the Champions League quarter-finals.

As expected, it was Bayern’s superstar Lewandowski who stood out. The Polish striker scored twice and orchestrated Bayern's two other goals as the reigning Bundesliga champs ended the Champions League of Frank Lampard’s side.

Had the Ballon d’Or not gotten canceled, it is believed that Lewandowski would have been the favorite to win the award. In 44 games across all competitions this season, the 31-year-old has scored a whopping 54 goals and contributed eight assists, averaging 1.4 goal involvements per appearance.

Lewandowski has also set some incredible records in Bayern’s win over Chelsea. His brace against the Blues advances his tally to 13 goals in the Champions League this season, the most in all-time by a player in a single campaign before the quarter-finals stage.

On top of that, Lewandowski was also involved in all seven goals versus Chelsea in both two legs ⁠— three goals and four assists ⁠— becoming the first player since Luis Figo to score three or more and also assist three or more goals against the same opponent in a single season, Give Me Sport reported.

Bayern will face Barcelona on Aug. 15 at Estadio da Luz stadium. It is one of the most sought-after matches in the Champions League this year as two of the greatest players in the world, Messi and Lewandowski, will go head-to-head inside the pitch.