Champions League
Manchester City will face FC Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. That was the result of the draw in Nyon on Friday. At Bayern, there was talk of a “small final”. But the duel between defending champions Real Madrid with ÖFB team captain David Alaba and Chelsea is also impressive.
The other pairings are AC Milan against SSC Napoli and Benfica Lisbon against Inter Milan. The first legs will take place on 11./12. April instead, the returns a week later.
The winner of Real against Chelsea meets the winner of the comparison between Manchester and Bayern in the semifinals. In the second semi-final there could be a Milan derby as the winner of the Italian duel between Milan and Napoli will face the newly promoted Benfica – Inter. The semi-finals are scheduled for September 9th and 10th. or 16./17. Scheduled for May, the final will take place on June 10 in Istanbul at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium.
“Best pairing” in the quarterfinals
For Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic, Manchester City with ex-coach Josep Guardiola and star striker Erling Haaland is the “strongest opponent” that his club could draw. “This is another small final for us,” said Salihamidzic. “This is the pairing that is the best in this quarter-final.” In the 21st quarter-finals of the record quarter-finalists from Munich, there is a first knockout duel with ManCity, against which they have a balanced record of three wins and has three losses.
Salihamidzic expressed great respect but no fear for the English champions, who beat RB Leipzig 7-0 in the second leg of the round of 16 this week. The former Salzburg player Haaland scored five goals alone. “I like to play against the good guys. Our boys are always focused there,” said Salihamidzic. “We’ll see Pep Guardiola again. We’re looking forward to the games.”