The UEFA Champions League trophy. AFP/NI
Italy as a surprising power with three representatives (Naples, Inter, AC Milan), the current champion Real Madrid as the only Spaniard in contention and Manchester City after their scoring display in the round of 16: the eight quarterfinalists of the Champions League they will know their luck on Friday, with a draw at 11:00 GMT.
On the horizon is the grand final on June 10 at Istanbul’s Atatürk Stadium.
The quarterfinals will be played in April (11-12 the first leg, 18-19 the second leg) and the semifinals in May (9-10 the first leg and 16-17 the second leg).
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Until now, the top European tournament has already seen the fall of big stars and they will not be in the quarterfinals such as Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski or Mohamed Salah. For this reason the foreseeable stars of the rooms are called Erling Haaland, Victor Osimhen, Karim Benzema or Sadio Mané.
Benzema, Ballon d’Or, was already key in Real Madrid’s conquest of the European title in 2022, with 15 goals scored in that edition.
Real Madrid was the only Spanish club in the round of 16, where they eliminated Liverpool, who had been their rival in the 2022 final. The hopes of the Spanish League are therefore concentrated on Carlo Ancelotti’s team, the club that holds the record for titles in the competition, with thirteen.
The people of Madrid may have to face off in the quarterfinals with one of the greats they left out on the way to the continental title last season, such as Manchester City (semifinal in 2022) or Chelsea (quarterfinals in 2022).
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The English clubs, represented by City and Chelsea, will not be the most numerous in the quarterfinals, since that honor falls to Italy, with Napoli, Inter Milan and AC Milan. There weren’t so many ‘Calcio’ clubs at this point in the competition since 2006.
There is no Italian club that has won the Champions League since Inter in 2010 and last year there was no team from that country in the quarterfinals, which shows the progress this season.
The draw in Nyon (Switzerland) may also bring about a spectacular Inter-Milan Lombard derby, since on Friday there are no conditions and chance will determine the clashes.
There could also be clashes between clubs that have already met this season in the group stage, if there are Chelsea-AC Milan or Bayern Munich-Inter Milan duels.
On paper, the least strong rival would be Benfica, but the Lisbon team is experiencing a great season. They won their group ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and in the Portuguese league they are the outstanding leader, with just one loss in 24 games.
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The most romantic can even dream of a Benfica-Real Madrid that reminds them of 1962, when Eusebio’s Portuguese team won 5-3 in the final.
In addition to the Champions League quarterfinals, UEFA will also draw on Friday the draw for the future Champions League semifinals, as well as the Europa League quarterfinals (12:00 GMT) and the Conference League (1:00 p.m. GMT).
