The quarter-finals of the Champions League close their first matches with two matches on Wednesday, the rematch of the last final. Bayern Munich-Paris Saint-Germain and the visit of Chelsea to Porto in Seville, where the English seem to be favorites.
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The star clash of the day will be that heartbeat between the champions of Germany and France, which is automatically reminiscent of the 2019-2020 Champions League final, which they played in Lisbon in August, with a 1-0 victory for Bayern. . The Paris Saint-Germain is therefore looking forward to his visit to Munich with the spirit of ‘vendetta’.
After eliminating FC Barcelona in the previous round, PSG gained momentum in its bid to capture the first European Championship title in its history. A rematch of the 6-1 comeback in 2017 was claimed against Barça at the Camp Nou. And he wants to take the same path against Bayern. “(The lost final) is always in our heads,” attacker Kylian Mbappé admitted on TF1 television.
“Now we are in a different context, there are two parties,” he said. Bayern coach Hansi Flick is confident that he can control the game against the French Ligue 1 champion. “Little things have changed since the final. We have to be well placed and react very quickly when we lose the ball. It is also crucial that we do not think too much about not losing the ball and have confidence in our attack”, he analyzed. this Tuesday.
Since the final in Lisbon, PSG has been running with a certain irregularity. On Saturday, they lost 1-0 to Lille in the Ligue 1 and gave Mauricio Pochettino’s men a dubious image, losing the lead in their national championship. “We lack regularity because things change from day to day,” acknowledged Pochettino.
The victims could come and help PSG, however, as Bayern will not be able to count on their Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who injured one knee with his selection in the recent concentration. Serge Gnabry was declared ill this Tuesday, first due to a sore throat and later confirmed as a case of covid-19, and responsibility at the tip of the attack now appears to rest on Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting,
a former Paris SG player. In the Paris squad, the absences due to covid-19 of Marco Verrati and Alessandro Florenzi, the suspension of Leandro Paredes and the injuries of Mauro Icardi and Layvin Kurzawa are a serious setback for Pochettino. – Seville, a ‘neutral’ environment.
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Chelsea ‘visits’ Porto in Seville, which will be the scene of the two matches of the draw due to travel restrictions related to the pandemic of the COVID-19. Porto has the Colombians Luis Díaz and Matheus Uribe.
Chelsea are not coming to this game in the best way as they lost 5-2 to West Bromwich on Saturday and their theoretical strength hurt since the arrival of coach Thomas Tuchel, their defender, in January. In that game against West Bromwich, it was impossible to recognize the side that had kept its goal unbeaten in twelve of the previous fourteen games, including the two in the round of 16 against Atlético de Madrid (1-0, 2-0).
“Chelsea had been very capable until that last game (the 5-2 setback with West Bromwich), they are the second least defeated defense in the Champions League. They are a consistent and solid team. Defeats like that serve as a warning. If you ask my opinion, I would have preferred them to win that last game, ” admitted Porto coach Sergio Conceiçao.
Chelsea had been very capable until that last game (the 5-2 setback with West Bromwich), it is the second least defeated defense in the Champions League. They form a cohesive and solid team.
Although he admits that the mission is not easy, he is enthusiastic about achieving the victory: “The task will be very difficult, but our team will be ready.”
Porto is theoretically the ‘victim’ in this quarter-final, but already caused the surprise in the previous round by eliminating Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus, so Chelsea have already been warned that anything is possible.
Bayern vs. PSG
14.00 hours
TV: ESPN
Porto against Chelsera
14.00 hours
TV: ESPN 2
AFP