The clash between Manchester City and Bayern Munich will be crucial in the quarter-finals of the European Champions League, according to Friday’s draw in Nyon, Switzerland.
It will be the first time the two teams have met in the knockout stages of the main continental competition, which Bayern have won six times, the last of which was in 2020, while City will be looking for their first crown.
But they met three times in the group stage, where they exchanged wins in the 2010-2011 seasons (2-0 to Bayern and 2-0 to City), 2013-2014 (3-1 to Bayern and 3-2 to City). and 2014-2015 (1-0 to Bayern and 3-2 to City).
Bayern’s sporting director, former Bosnian midfielder Hasan Salihamidzic, commented on the match as City thrashed fellow German side Leipzig 7-0 with Norwegian Erling Holland scoring five goals in the second leg of the final. We play against bigger teams because our players are better focused. It’s another mini-final.”
He continued, “After Paris, we face another team with a lot of potential. It is a very strong team for me. It was amazing against Leipzig. We will enjoy this clash.”
“Exciting” quarter-final
The clash pits City’s Spanish coach Pep Guardiola against the side he oversaw from 2013 to 2016, with whom he won the German league title three times, the domestic cup twice, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup once.
Salihamidzic touched on this, saying: “We will meet Pep Guardiola in Munich. It will be a fantastic clash, the most exciting quarter-final.”
In contrast to the final price round, the draw was open, allowing clashes between clubs from the same country and clubs that were grouped together, pitting the competition’s seven-time Italian champions Milan against compatriot Napoli. Having established themselves as one of the best teams on the old continent by topping the local league, they reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in their history, 18 points behind Inter.
Spanish champions Real Madrid will meet another English side Chelsea in the semi-finals again after beating Liverpool 5-2 in the final and 1-0 at the final cost. – The finals of the 2020-2021 season, the London side won (1-1 and 2-nil) and in last season’s quarter-finals, the Royal Club qualified by winning the first leg 3-1. Semi-final, despite losing the second leg at home 2-3 after extra time.
The return match was epic, and after Frenchman Karim Benzema’s hat-trick in the first leg, Real found themselves trailing with three clean sheets in the second leg, which saw them exit the competition.
But thanks to Brazilian Rodrigo who pulled the two teams into extra time, he reduced the deficit to 3-1 10 minutes from time, setting up the second goal to set up Benzema to re-impose himself as champion, and that was enough. Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti has reached the final at the expense of his former team.
Milan derby in the semi-finals?
The last Italian team to win the title in 2010 was Inter, led by Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, while Benfica faced Portugal in the 1965 final, with the Nerazzurri winning their second title in a row with a 1-0 win. .
Inter’s vice-president, his former Argentina star Javier Zanetti, commented on the draw, saying, “The most important thing is that it’s always nice to be here,” the first time the Italian side has achieved it. Since 2012, similar to its arch-neighbor Milan.
“Benfica have proven to be at the level of the competition and it will certainly be two tough matches,” he added.
And if Inter and Milan make it past the quarter-finals, they will face each other in the semi-finals, for which the draw is also a draw.
It was not the first time the two neighbors met at Champions League level, when Milan qualified for the final with a 1–1 draw in the semi-finals of the 2002–2003 season. A match that counted at Inter’s ground (they play at the same stadium) and on their way to a 0-0 draw. Milan again won the quarter-finals of the 2004–2005 season, eventually defeating another of their compatriots, Juventus, with 3-0 and 2-0 en route to the final. He lost on penalties to Liverpool as they drew 3-3 in a meeting where the Italian side finished its first half 3-nil ahead in Istanbul.
The quarter-final first legs will be played on April 11 and 12 and the second legs on April 18 and 19, with the semi-finals pitting the Real-Chelsea winner against the City-Bayern winner. , first leg on 9th and 10th May and again on 16th and 17th.
The final will be held on June 10 at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
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