Holders Real Madrid will play Chelsea in the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the second season working, whereas Manchester City had been paired with Pep Guardiola’s former aspect Bayern Munich in Friday’s draw.
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Serie A leaders Napoli tackle AC Milan in an all-Italian showdown and Inter Milan face Portuguese league leaders Benfica.
The winners of Real’s tie in opposition to Chelsea will go on to face both City or Bayern in the semifinals, throwing open the potential for an all-English last-four tie.
That additionally will increase the probabilities of seeing an Italian workforce attain the ultimate for the primary time since Juventus in 2017, as Inter will play both Milan or Napoli in the final 4 ought to the Nerazzurri beat Benfica.
Real’s path to what could be a fifteenth European Cup is beginning to look remarkably like final season, once they beat Chelsea and City earlier than defeating Liverpool in the ultimate.
Carlo Ancelotti’s workforce are recent from beating Liverpool in the final 16, and can now hope for a repeat of a yr in the past once they eradicated Chelsea 5-4 on combination in the quarter-finals, with Karim Benzema scoring a hat-trick in the primary leg in London.
The groups additionally met in the semi-finals in 2021, when the Stamford Bridge aspect received on their option to lifting the trophy for the second time.
City’s ongoing bid to win the Champions League for the primary time faces a significant impediment in a Bayern aspect who knocked out Paris Saint-Germain in the final spherical.
It would be the first encounter between the golf equipment for the reason that 2014/15 group stage, when Guardiola was in cost of the German giants.
Guardiola left Bayern to hitch City in 2016, however remains to be chasing a primary Champions League title as a coach since profitable it with Barcelona for the second time in 2011.
“It will be a reunion with Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland, old acquaintances from the Bundesliga,” mentioned Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn.
“To win the Champions League you need to beat the best teams. That is the challenge and we accept it.”
– Italian accent –
The draw seems considerably lopsided, with the 4 richest golf equipment left in the competitors all on the identical aspect, whereas Italian golf equipment discover themselves in the opposite half.
A yr in the past no Serie A aspect made it past the final 16, however now the runaway Italian league leaders Napoli will face the workforce who received the home title final season.
Napoli received 2-1 away to Milan in the league earlier this season and are as a consequence of host the seven-time European champions in Serie A on April 2, only a week and a half earlier than the primary leg of their Champions League tie.
Napoli are the one different membership left in the competitors aside from City who’ve by no means received the trophy, whereas Inter’s assembly with Benfica brings collectively two groups who’ve received it 5 occasions between them.
Benfica misplaced to Liverpool in the final eight a yr in the past and have by no means reached the semi-finals in the Champions League period.
Inter, presently second in Serie A, 18 factors behind Napoli, haven’t reached the semi-finals since final profitable the trophy below Jose Mourinho in 2010, the final victory for an Italian membership in the Champions League.
If each Milan golf equipment progress, they might meet in the semi-finals of the Champions League identical to in 2003, when AC Milan beat Inter on the now-defunct away objectives rule.
The quarter-final first legs might be performed on April 11 and 12, with Real entertaining Chelsea on the Santiago Bernabeu first earlier than travelling to London for the return every week later, and City at dwelling to Bayern first.
Inter had been drawn to play Benfica at dwelling initially however will now journey to Lisbon for the primary leg to keep away from a conflict with Milan’s assembly with Napoli at San Siro.
The semifinals might be performed in May with the ultimate in Istanbul scheduled for Saturday, June 10.
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