THE MADRID, IN ROOMS
Valdebebas, a European chess. Zidane with black, Gasperini with white. Madrid with a score in favor, three centrals and Vinicius by flag. Objective: security. The Atalanta with income against, four means and a tip. Objective: win the midfield. And Madrid, in its constant survival loop in its fetish competition, activated its “competition mode”. When he saw the beards of Barça and Sevilla peeling off, he put his to soak and ended up going round, after a recital of Modric, Benzema and Vinicius. Zidane’s men deserved the pass: they had a job in the first leg and more football in the second leg. The Italians, one I want and I cannot, ended up delivered. Madrid will be in the quarterfinal hype.
THE GUARDIOLA PUZZLE
In Budapest, an English rental house due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the ‘Pep Shop Boys’ certified their pass to the quarterfinals by liquidating the Borussia ‘colts’. De Bruyne signed a great goal and Gundogan the sentence. City, in quarters. Nobody escapes that the petrodollar club has double objectives this season: to reign again in the Premier (something that it has in its hand) and to be crowned king of Europe (objective five games ahead). And it looks good, because this year all the pieces fit into Guardiola’s puzzle. This year City is a rock behind, a diamond in midfield and a mace in attack. Winning a Champions League is difficult and signing a double, even more complicated. But if there is a coach capable of doing it, that is Guardiola.
MACHADA IN LONDON
He was wounded from Bucharest, but not killed. Atleti will try to turn fate at Stamford Bridge, against a star-studded Chelsea, grown up and that with Tuchel, he has been 13 consecutive games without knowing defeat. Simeone will take out the heavy artillery. From the outset, Joao Félix (who must add will to his talent), Marcos Llorente (unstoppable source of energy) and Luis Suárez (who seeks to cut his drought as an outsider in the Champions League). Chelsea are favorites, but the last time Atleti stepped foot in England, Liverpool plummeted. And ‘Cholo’ can be one …
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