Real Madrid, the last time winners, face their old opponents again in the quarter finals of the Champions League. They will play against Chelsea. On the other hand, Pep Guardiola faces his former team. In the draw, Manchester City will play in the quarter against Bayern Munich.
The Champions League draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday. That’s where the duel between Real and Chelsea has ended. Real coach Carlo Ancelotti has coached Chelsea in the past. As such, he too has to face his old club. Graham Potter’s Chelsea are not in a good form at the moment. They are 10th in EPL. Real made an incredible comeback despite falling behind against Chelsea last time out. This time judging by the rhythm, it is believed that their work will be somewhat easier.
Bayern have won all eight matches in the Champions League this season. In the first phase they will play at the city ground. CTO won the previous match 7-0. Arling Haaland scored five goals. But one of Guardiola’s concerns is that the record of English clubs going to Germany is not good. Judging by the rhythm, Julian Nagelsmann’s Bayern will go ahead. The winner of this match will play in the semi-final against the winner of the Real vs Chelsea match.
Meanwhile, the other semi-final could be a Milan derby. AC Milan face Napoli in a quarter-final. Two Italian clubs facing each other is a rare event in the Champions League. Napoli are currently top of the Italian league. They are also in good rhythm. Inter Milan will play against Benfica in the other quarter-final. Milan’s two clubs will face each other in the semi-finals if they win. After 12 years, Inter is playing in the quarter finals. AC Milan is playing after 11 years. They are seven time champions.
The first legs of the semi-finals will be played on April 11 and 12. The second phase will be played on April 18 and 19. The semi-finals will be held between May 9 and 17. The final is on June 10 at the Ataturk Olympics Stadium in Istanbul.
Source: Anandabazar newspaper
