Pep Guardiola and Manchester City face a daunting route to the club’s first-ever Champions League final after the quarter-finals and semi-finals draw against Borussia Dortmund and the winners of the Bayern Munich-Paris Saint-Germain match.
With UEFA plotting their way to the final in Istanbul by signing both the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, the prospect of Liverpool repeating their 2005 Champions League success at the Ataturk Stadium depends on the team Jurgen Klopp overcomes Real Madrid in the last eight, before facing the winners. of the draw Chelsea-Porto. Prior to winning the Champions League in 2005, Liverpool beat Chelsea in the semi-final with Luis Garcia’s infamous “ghost goal”.
– UCL Draw: Real Madrid vs. Liverpool, Bayern vs. PSG
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The draw also keeps the prospect of an all-English final alive, with a box office clash between Real and Bayern also possible.
With the route to Istanbul now clear, ESPN has tried to predict what the final rounds will look like – and who will meet in the final on May 29.
While Manchester City will be strong favorites to move forward over a Dortmund team that is outside of the top four in the German Bundesliga, things could all go terribly wrong for Pep Guardiola’s team if they fail Erling Haaland’s threat to nullify.
The 20-year-old, whose father Alfie played for City between 2000-03, is a major summer target for Guardiola, but right now he is the biggest threat to City’s prospects of reaching the semi-finals. Haaland is the top scorer in this season’s league with 10 goals and won’t be impressed by City, but Dortmund also has the offensive talents of former City youngster Jadon Sancho to worry Guardiola and his players.
Dortmund’s weakness is in the back, as they’ve scored nine goals in the league so far this season. City, meanwhile, has allowed just one goal in eight Champions League games: a 14-minute goal in City’s 3-1 win over Porto in October. But as impressive as City have been, they have not dealt with a striker of Haaland’s quality on a soft run to the quarter-finals, so the draw is less clear-cut than it appears on paper.
City’s overall strength, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling, should see them progress, but Haaland could turn the tie upside down.
Who is eligible? Manchester City
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Julien Laurens finds the quarter final of Dortmund against Manchester City interesting for Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland.
Although Porto shocked Juventus in the last round to reach the quarter-finals, the two-time Champions League winners were the team the other seven clubs wanted to draw.
Coach Sergio Conceicao has built a tough, underappreciated squad at Estadio do Dragao, with 38-year-old Pepe handling the defense in an excellent way against Juve. Sergio Oliveira’s threat from midfield will worry Chelsea, but Thomas Tuchel’s team has transformed since German coach Frank Lampard replaced in January, remaining unbeaten in 13 games (all competitions). Their impressive round of 16 win against Atletico Madrid also underscored their emergence as a dangerous outsider in this season’s league.
– Laurens: How Tuchel turned Chelsea
Tuchel has organized Chelsea defensively and he’s also starting to get the best from Kai Havertz. Timo Werner is another player who starts to perform under Tuchel after struggling with Lampard.
While Porto has the ability and the coach to make life difficult for Chelsea and push them all the way, it is difficult to look beyond the English club.
Who is eligible? Chelsea
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Julien Laurens explains why Chelsea and Thomas Tuchel will be ecstatic to play against Porto in the Champions League quarter-finals.
A replay of last season’s final, which was won by Bayern in Lisbon, sees the two favorites for this year’s competition face off again.
Bayern has outperformed every other club this season with 24 goals in eight games to date, but Hansi Flick’s team has shown themselves to be vulnerable in the Bundesliga by losing twice – against Borussia Monchengladbach and Eintracht Frankfurt – in 2021. PSG have also struggled for their usual winning form, with Mauricio Pochettino’s team in an unknown second place in Ligue 1 behind leader Lille. But Barcelona’s elimination in the 16th round was a major psychological hurdle that PSG had overcome due to their previous weaknesses against Europe’s elite clubs, and the showdown with Bayern has come at a good time for the French team.
If Neymar can regain full fitness after a long period with a thigh injury, he and Kylian Mbappé could bring down Bayern. But at the moment, Bayern seems most likely to come out on top in the closest of the four bands.
Who is eligible? Bayern Munich
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Julien Laurens says PSG is struggling as a favorite to win, but will not face that problem against Bayern.
It’s a repeat of the Champions League finals of 1981 and 2018, but also a clash between two teams who have fought for form this season. The reuniting of Mohamed Salah with Sergio Ramos for the first time since the Liverpool forward was injured by the Madrid captain in the 2018 final will be a fascinating part of this draw, but the outcome is likely to be determined by which team it is. best defends.
Liverpool’s defensive crisis, caused by the long-term injuries of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, has destabilized Klopp’s team, while captain Jordan Henderson’s injury absence from midfield also affected the results. Still, Real have leaked goals throughout the season, with Zinedine Zidane’s team conceding 10 in eight Champions League appearances. Liverpool have allowed only three goals in the league this season, despite their problems.
The prospect of the draw being played in Real’s tiny Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano stadium on the club’s training ground, and the second leg on an empty Anfield, will also have an impact, as both sides can usually rely on formidable home support in the last. stages of the Champions League.
This is a draw between an aging Real and an injury-hit Liverpool, but if Salah and Sadio Mane are in shape, Liverpool will win.
Who is eligible? Liverpool
SEMI-INITIVE EXAMPLE
Bayern Munich vs. Man City: If the quarter-finals go as predicted, there will be a clash between Bayern and City in the semi-finals, with City once again landing the hardest possible route to the final.
Pep Guardiola spent three years at Bayern trying, but failing, to win the Champions League and it will be 10 years in May since he last led a team to European glory after Barcelona’s victory against Manchester United at Wembley in 2011. City, of course, have never won the Champions League or reached the final and despite the incredible success he has achieved in Etihad since arriving in 2016, they continue to wait for glory in the biggest league.
In terms of the quality of teams and squads, there is a small gap between City and Bayern, although the German club’s pedigree in the Champions League gives them an edge. They’ve been there and City haven’t, which matters in the closing stages, as City lacked the psychological strength to beat an inferior Lyon team in last year’s quarter-finals.
The only area that could be decisive. With Sergio Aguero struggling for fitness all season, City lacked a reliable striker. Gabriel Jesus, just didn’t measure it as a substitute. Meanwhile, Bayern has Robert Lewandowski and the Polish international’s reliability means the reigning European champion is the favorite to reach the final.
Who is eligible? Bayern Munich
Liverpool vs. Chelsea: This Premier League clash turned into a Champions League resentment in the 2000s, with Liverpool beating the London club twice in the semi-finals, in 2005 and 2007, before eventually losing a third in 2008. This time, as Liverpool were victorious over Real and Betrayed Chelsea Porto. , they were able to meet for the fourth time at this stage.
Liverpool’s Champions League pedigree always counts in their favor, but they won’t be able to rely on a boisterous, packed Anfield this time around due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chelsea won their last appearance at Anfield in the Premier League earlier this month and Tuchel will believe he has the durability and confidence of his team to win again when they meet in the semi-finals.
Both teams have had their struggles this season, but Chelsea have now found their form and they look fresh and strong under their new manager. If they meet Liverpool in the semi-final, Chelsea will have the lead to book a rematch of their 2012 final win against Bayern Munich.
Who is eligible? Chelsea