The quarterfinals of the Champions present great contrasts

The Champions League offers several contrasts this week in the first leg of the quarterfinals, pitting the electric Manchester City against the insurmountable Atlético de Madrid, the unstable Chelsea against the immutable Real Madrid and unbalanced duels such as Villarreal-Bayern and Benfica-Liverpool.

There are only four countries left in the running (England, Spain, Germany and Portugal) but given that no match faces teams from the same country, on Tuesday and Wednesday the very essence of the European Cup will come to the fore: duels between different cultures, between disparate means and talents and between different experiences at the highest level.

All with the same ambition, to reach the semi-finals after the second leg next week.

“It is always more enjoyable to play against European teams at this level and not against others that you face so many times in domestic competitions,” Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel acknowledged, in an opinion shared by Jürgen Klopp, his counterpart at Liverpool: “The only thing he didn’t want us to play was an English club.”

The two were heard, and the best confrontation of the four will face Chelsea on Wednesday (7:00 p.m. GMT) against Real Madrid, who with their 13 trophies is the team that has won the Champions League the most times in history.

Another difference is the cultural abyss that opposes Real Madrid, a Spanish institution owned by its thousands of members, and Chelsea, a club transfigured by a tycoon’s check.

It is precisely its still Russian owner Roman Abramovich who is causing problems for the London club, whose activity has been strictly restricted by the British government, as part of the sanctions against several Russian oligarchs close to the Kremlin for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Forced to tighten their belts awaiting the possible arrival of a new owner, the Blues maintain their “good humor,” Tuchel said. And the English team remains fearsome, as evidenced by the total dominance in the round of 16 against Lille (2-0, 2-1).

Despite the off-sports concerns, Chelsea will have a small psychological advantage over Real Madrid, after dominating them in the semi-finals last year (1-1, 2-0).

Real Madrid, meanwhile, continues to be irregular in the season, with setbacks such as the 4-0 defeat in the Clásico against Barcelona, ​​in mid-March. But Carlo Ancelotti’s team has in its favor its undeniable European experience, the success of Karim Benzema, author of a hat-trick in 17 minutes against Paris SG in the round of 16 (0-1, 3-1) and goalkeeper Thibault Courtois , ex-Chelsea who is in his best form.

Manchester City will also travel to Madrid in the second leg, but it will be to challenge Atlético.

Pep Guardiola’s offensive whirlwind has the challenge of overcoming Diego Simeone’s defensive block, in a duel of two opposing styles.

Two ways of understanding football but the same goal: to achieve the first Champions League, which City was about to achieve in the May final against Chelsea (0-1).

It remains to be seen who will win on Tuesday (7:00 p.m. GMT) between the aesthetic and sometimes reckless style of the ‘Citizens’, led by Bernardo Silva, Ryad Mahrez and Phil Foden among others, or Antoine Griezmann’s ‘Colchoneros’, described by the Frenchman in humorous key as “annoying to play against”.

Given that the winners of these two crosses will be rivals in the semifinals, there could be 100% English clashes with City-Chelsea, a Real Madrid-Atletico Madrid derby or a duel between the Spanish and the English.

On the other side of the table, the quarter-final matches seem much more unbalanced and seem to herald, except for surprise, a Liverpool-Bayern semi-final.

Klopp’s Reds, European champions in 2019, start as bookmakers’ favorites against Benfica in Lisbon. “I know that people will say that we are favourites, but that is the first mistake you can make,” warned the German coach, however.

Similarly, the Bayern Munich of the insatiable Robert Lewandowski, European champion in 2020, is a priori stronger than Villarreal. But if something distinguishes the ‘Yellow Submarine’ of Unai Emery, current champion of the Europa League, it is precisely his ability to dismantle forecasts.

Aware of this, Oliver Kahn, boss of Bayern, asked his team to keep their guard up: “No one should think that it will be two easy games.”

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