The first legs of the Champions League quarter-finals are just around the corner. The creme de la creme of European football will meet next Tuesday and Wednesday. In the individual duels, nuances can decide. Sky Sport looks at eight stars who can become the X-factor.
REAL MADRID – FC LIVERPOOL
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid): Seldom has the attacker been more valuable to Los Blancos than this season. Since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema has taken the absolute leading role in Real’s offensive and acts as a kind of life insurance. The Frenchman is exemplary with numerous scorer points. In 33 games across all competitions, he scored 24 goals and scored six assists this season.
In the premier class, with his two goals in the second leg against Gladbach, he was almost single-handedly responsible for the group victory and in the round of 16 against Atalanta Bergamo his goal to 1-0 in the second leg was the preliminary decision for progress. Now in the quarter-finals against Liverpool it depends again on the quality of the 33-year-old. If he hits, the royal chances of advancement increase rapidly.
Mohamed Salah (FC Liverpool): Not quite as much pressure to hit lies on the shoulders of Liverpool’s Salah. The Egyptian regularly shares the scoring with his colleagues Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Co. But in the duel against Real Madrid, the main focus is still on Salah, because the 28-year-old still has a very personal account with the royal team.
In the 2018 Champions League final – in the 3-1 defeat – Salah had to be replaced early after Sergio Ramos’ tough start. Ramos is not there this time due to an injury, but Salah will now want to prove that Liverpool can beat Los Blancos with him. His motivation will be accordingly high.
Here it happened: Mo Salah (r.) Injured his shoulder in a duel with Sergio Ramos. © Imago
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MANCHESTER CITY – BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City): In the past few weeks, numerous players have thrown praise when they were asked about the German national player. His coach Pep Guardiola, for example, recently said of Gündogan: “He’s one of the most intelligent players I’ve ever seen or trained.” But in addition to his game intelligence, the ex-Dortmund has discovered his goal instinct, especially in the current season.
In the Champions League and Premier League, he scored an impressive 15 times in a total of 30 games – and that as a midfielder. So it’s no wonder that Gündogan was named Premier League Player of the Month in both January and February. Now the native of Gelsenkirchen will meet his ex-club Borussia Dortmund – for the first time since he left in 2016. The fact that he has never won against BVB himself – four games, four defeats, each with 1. FC Nürnberg – should be the 30th Additionally incite yearlings.
–Ilkay Gündogan shines as a goal getter at Manchester City this season. © Imago
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Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund): The Norwegian striker in the ranks of BVB has not necessarily made headlines in the last few days. His team of advisors led by his father Alf-Inge and star agent Mino Raiola completed a high-profile tour through Europe to advertise the coveted attacker to all top clubs – despite a valid contract until 2023.
The fact that the Champions League is now against Manchester City – a club that Haaland also has on their radar – makes the situation even more explosive. In a direct duel, the Norwegian can kill two birds with one stone. With good performances and goals, he could promote himself and BVB to the semi-finals of the premier class and at the same time make himself even more popular with City and other top European clubs.
FC BAYERN MUNICH – PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern): The numerous brilliant parades from August 2020, when Neuer parried FC Bayern almost single-handedly to the coveted pot in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, are unforgettable.
Even at the age of 35, Bavaria’s and Germany’s number one does not seem to be reducing performance a bit. Week after week, Neuer shines with calm and security and leads Bayern’s back team to victories in rows. As Robert Lewandowski is now the most important offensive player in Munich, it will be all the more important for the DFB captain to keep the zero behind. If he puts in a similar performance as in August 2020, he should also succeed in the next duel against PSG.
–Manuel Neuer makes Kylian Mbappe and Co. desperate in rows in the 2020 Champions League final. © Imago
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Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain): Opinions differ on the Brazilian superstar – and rightly so. Its sporting quality is completely beyond question, but too seldom does Neymar bring it to the field consistently over a long period of time. In important games – such as the 2020 CL final – the Brazilian goes into hiding too often or fails to make his mark on the game.
In addition, there is a high susceptibility to injury as well as mental dropouts, which Neymar repeatedly break into red cards and thus numerous suspensions. This season alone, the Brazilian has already been knocked off the pitch twice in Ligue 1, making only 13 league games. Neymar is neither injured nor suspended for the first leg against FC Bayern. The Brazilian has the opportunity for 90 minutes to finally prove his class in a big game and to get revenge for the lost CL final last year. But be careful: If Neymar picks up a yellow card, he will be missing in the second leg.
FC PORTO – FC CHELSEA
Pepe (FC Porto): It feels like the Portuguese is experiencing his third spring. After his three Champions League triumphs with Real Madrid (13/14, 15/16, 16/17), the now 38-year-old is trying to repeat this feat with FC Porto – even if the chances are much lower than before with the royals.
The 2014 European champions are the most experienced players at FC Porto with 122 games at international club level. Pepe will also have to throw this quality into the scales in the duels against Chelsea in order to lead his club to the semi-finals. In the direct duels, the oldie will probably face Kai Havertz, Olivier Giroud or Timo Werner.
Timo Werner (FC Chelsea): The latter in particular should go into the games with a large portion of motivation. Even after a few months, Werner has not yet fully arrived at Chelsea. Again and again, criticism of the German national player comes up, sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly, even though he was involved in 21 goals in 40 games across all competitions.
The criticism became even more violent after the miserably missed big chance for the DFB team against North Macedonia. But now Werner has the chance to take the wind out of the sails of the critics in the most important competition in European club football. As with his team-mate Kai Havertz, it is Werner’s first Champions League quarter-final of his career. Accordingly, the anticipation of the 25-year-old should be great. Finally he can present himself on the big stage and prove his worth for the blues.
–Timo Werner (left) completes his first Champions League quarter-finals of his career with Chelsea. © Imago
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The Champions League LIVE on Sky
Sky shows in the quarterfinals as usual all games and all goals live in the original Sky conference. Sky only shows you both the first and second leg of FC Bayern against Paris St. Germain in the quarterfinals live in full length! Sky also broadcasts the second leg from Borussia Dortmund versus Manchester City live and exclusive.
More about the author Udo Hutflötz
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