Madrid faces Chelsea, and Metropolis performs Bayern within the Champions League draw
Actual Madrid, the defending champions, will play Chelsea within the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the second season in a row, whereas Manchester Metropolis will meet Pep Guardiola’s former group, Bayern Munich, in Friday’s draw.
Napoli, the leaders of the Italian League, will meet Milan in an all-Italian match, whereas Inter Milan will face the leaders of the Portuguese League, Benfica.
The winner of Actual Madrid vs Chelsea will go on to face both Metropolis or Bayern within the semi-finals, opening the door to the opportunity of a quarter-final conflict in English.
This additionally will increase the possibilities of seeing an Italian group attain the ultimate for the primary time since Juventus in 2017, with both Inter Milan or Napoli taking part in within the final 4 if the Nerazzurri beat Benfica.
Actual’s path to what can be its fifteenth European Cup seemed remarkably like final season, when it beat Chelsea and Metropolis earlier than beating Liverpool within the last.
Carlo Ancelotti’s group is recent from defeating Liverpool within the final 16 and is now hoping to repeat what occurred a 12 months in the past after they beat Chelsea 5-4 on combination within the quarter-finals, with Karim Benzema scoring a hat-trick within the first. leg in London.
The 2 sides additionally met within the semi-finals in 2021, after they beat Stamford Bridge on their strategy to lifting the trophy for the second time.
Metropolis’s continued try and win the Champions League for the primary time faces a serious impediment in opposition to Bayern, who ousted Paris Saint-Germain within the final spherical.
This would be the first confrontation between the 2 groups because the 2014/15 group stage, when Guardiola was accountable for the German giants.
Guardiola left Bayern to affix Metropolis in 2016, however continues to be chasing a primary Champions League title as a coach since successful his second Barcelona title in 2011.
“It is going to be a gathering with Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland, outdated acquaintances from the Bundesliga,” Bayern chief govt Oliver Kahn stated.
“To win the Champions League you must beat one of the best groups. That is the problem and we settle for it.”
Italian accent: The draw appears considerably unbalanced, because the 4 richest golf equipment within the competitors have been all left on the identical aspect, whereas the Italian golf equipment discovered themselves within the different half.
A 12 months in the past no Serie A group made it previous the final 16, however now Serie A leaders Napoli will face the group that received the home title final season.
Napoli beat AC Milan 2-1 away within the league earlier this season and are set to host the seven-time European champions in Serie A on April 2, only a week and a half earlier than the Champions League first leg.
Napoli is the one membership remaining within the competitors, aside from Metropolis, that has by no means received the cup, whereas Inter’s assembly with Benfica brings collectively two groups which have received the title 5 instances between them.
Benfica misplaced to Liverpool within the quarter-finals a 12 months in the past and haven’t reached the semi-finals within the Champions League period.
Inter, who’re at the moment second in Serie A, 18 factors behind Napoli, haven’t reached the semi-finals since successful the final title underneath Jose Mourinho in 2010, the final victory of an Italian membership within the Champions League.
If each Milan groups advance, they may meet within the Champions League semi-finals as they did in 2003, when Milan beat Inter on the now-defunct targets rule.
The quarter-final first leg matches will probably be held subsequent month, as Metropolis hosts Bayern at dwelling on April 11, whereas Benfica hosts Inter in Lisbon on the identical day.
Actual Madrid will obtain Chelsea on the Santiago Bernabeu the following day, when Milan will obtain Napoli on the San Siro.
The semi-final matches will probably be held in Might, and the ultimate match in Istanbul on Saturday, June 10.
(AFP)
