Manchester City receives Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday, April 10, the first summit of European spring before a Real Madrid-Chelsea the next day, an enticing remake of last season’s stunning quarter-final.
Before he can dream of lifting his first cup with big ears with City, Pep Guardiola will have to overcome the obstacle of Bayern Munich, the new coach and rival of the Spaniard, Thomas Tuchel. Then at the head of Chelsea, the German coach had deprived “Pep” of a European title with City in May 2021 in Porto. The arrival last summer of Erving Haaland, author of a historic quintuple in eighth against Leipzig (7-0), could allow Guardiola to finally fill this gap. But he will first have to eliminate the Bavarians, solid and effective scorers from Paris SG in the eighth (0-1, 2-0).
Bayern, who have lost since their coach Julian Nagelsmann, dismissed and replaced by Tuchel, will have to do without their center forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, scorer against PSG but forfeited due to a knee problem.
Serge Gnabry could take the place of the former Parisian at the forefront of the attack, as was the case on Saturday against Friborg in the league (1-0). Tuchel could also trust veteran Thomas Müller.
Two other historic shifts
For holders Madrid, Chelsea’s reception on Wednesday is a replay of last season’s quarter-final: memorable opposition for Karim Benzema’s side, virtually eliminated until the 79th minute of the second leg at the Bernabeu stadium .
It took a goal from Rodrygo to snatch an extension, then an achievement from the inevitable Benzema to continue on the path to their 14th C1 title.
Since last season, the London team has changed significantly, boosted by rookies (Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez …) and expenses, without counting, driven by the new American owner.
But the waltz of the coaches took on astonishing proportions: Tuchel, who had started the season, was replaced in September by Graham Potter, who took the door at the beginning of the month for insufficient results.
The interim has been entrusted to Frank Lampard. But the return of the former player and ex-coach of the Blues has so far not had the expected impact with a defeat and a very poor performance this weekend on the lawn of Wolverhampton (1-0) during of the 30th day of the Premier League.
italian derby
Besides these two shocks, the last two posters of the quarter-finals are certainly less flashy, but all the same historic with Benfica-Inter Milan and AC Milan-Naples.
Three Italian clubs – a first since 2006 – and a Portuguese team for a place in the final, it is very rare in recent seasons.
For Italy, we have to go back to 2017 and Juventus Turin to find a finalist. As for the Lusitanian teams, they have dreamed of a final since the title of FC Porto in 2004.
Napoli, qualified for the first quarter of its history and quiet leader of its championship, will have to master the national champion in title Milan. And it won’t be easy, as Olivier Giroud’s team outclassed Naples last week in Serie A, deprived of Victor Osimhen, top scorer.
On Wednesday, the Rossoneri will be all the more excited as a Milan derby could await them in the semi-finals, if Romelu Lukaku’s Inter defeats the Lisbonites of Benfica (lead at the top of their group ahead of PSG).
But Inter, who defeated Porto in the round of 16 of C1 (1-0, 0-0), presented themselves at the Estadio da Luz in a rather worrying phase. The Italians have not tasted victory since March 5 and a success against Lecce in Serie A (2-0).
The quarter-final schedule:
Tuesday, April 11 (Universal Time)
7 p.m.: Benfica (POR) – Inter Milan (ITA)
Manchester City (ENG) – Bayern Munich (GER)
Wednesday, April 12 (Universal Time)
7 p.m.: Real Madrid (ESP) – Chelsea (ENG)
AC Milan (ITA) – Napoli (ITA)
Guardiola finds Tuchel, his rival and worst memory
After depriving Manchester City of European title in 2021 with Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel hopes again to stumble his model and rival Pep Guardiola, this time at the head of Bayern Munich, in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League on Tuesday. The 1-0 victory in the C1 final on May 29, 2021 in Porto, in a stadium sounding hollow because of the Covid pandemic, had been the climax of Tuchel’s stay in London, where he had arrived four months and three days earlier only, after being thanked by Paris SG. It also marked the cruellest of European disappointments for City, still looking for a final victory in C1, while Guardiola has not lifted the “big-eared cup” since 2009 and 2011, with Barcelona. Finally, it was the German coach’s third consecutive victory – his only three, by the way – against a Guardiola who was a great source of inspiration for him. Their paths had already crossed in the Bundesliga and in the German Cup final, during the Catalan’s three seasons on the Munich bench (2013-2016). At the head of Mainz then Dortmund, Tuchel had admitted defeat four times for a draw.