NYON – Defending champion Real Madrid will meet London’s Chelsea in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Napoli with Slovakian midfielder Stanislav Lobotka is fighting for advancement in the Italian derby against AC Milan and Inter Milan with stopper Milan Škriniar against Benfica Lisbon. It was decided by Friday’s draw at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
The draw had no restrictions, even teams from the same country could face each other. Italy (Inter Milan, AC Milan, SSC Napoli) has up to three times representation in this stage of the competition, two clubs are from England (Chelsea London, Manchester City) and one each from Germany (Bayern Munich), Portugal (Benfica Lisbon) and Spain ( Real Madrid).
The opening matches of the quarterfinals will take place on 11/12. April, rematches are scheduled for 18/19. April.
Who’s gonna win the Champions League? #UCL pic.twitter.com/ils7M27l0r
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 17, 2023
Napoli made it to the LM quarterfinals for the first time in history. He was able to beat his closest opponent this season in September in the Serie A on his ground 2:1, the two teams will meet soon (April 2) under Mount Vesuvius. Napoli is the sovereign leader of the domestic competition with an 18-point lead, AC is fourth in the table.
Napoli will play the first LM quarter-final match with the “Rossoneri” at San Siro, in the return match they will have the advantage of the home environment. The record 14-time champion Real Madrid will face Chelsea, who won the Champions League in 2012 and 2021. Last year, the two teams met in the same stage, the Spanish team advancing only after extra time.
Battle of the giants
Bayern, who eliminated Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 after two wins, will meet Manchester City in the battle of the giants. The German team won the LM, or EPM six times, his opponent not once.
The double match will have a spicy flavor for “Citizens” coach Pep Guardiola, who previously worked at Bayern. Benfica Lisbon will take on Inter. It was the first time since 2011 that it made its way into the top eight teams of the competition.
The final is scheduled for Saturday, June 10 at the Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul. In the elimination round, the rule of preferential goals from opponents’ fields no longer applies.
After 180 minutes, in case of equal results, 2×15 minutes of overtime will be played, if there is no decision even in that, a shootout from 11 meters will follow. This year is already the 68th in the elite European competition, or 31st since UEFA introduced the Champions League.
2022/2023 Champions League quarter-final draw:
Real Madrid – Chelsea London
Inter Milan – Benfica Lisbon
Manchester City – Bayern Munich
AC Milan – SSC Napoli
Champions League semi-final draw 2022/2023:
1st semi-final: AC Milan/SSC Napoli winner – Inter Milan/Benfica Lisbon winner
2nd semi-final: winner of Real Madrid/Chelsea London – winner of Manchester City/Bayern Munich
2022/2023 Champions League final draw:
winner of the 2nd semi-final – winner of the 1st semi-final
2022/2023 Champions League calendar:
11/12 April: first quarter-final matches
18/19 April: second leg of the quarter-finals
9/10 May: first semi-final matches
16/17 May: semi-final replays
June 10: Final (Istanbul/Tur.)
Photo gallery for the article
Number of photos: 4
- Author: © List
- Twitter/Fabrizio Romano
- Source: TASR
