Sports recalls the main events that happened in stage 1 /8 finals of the UEFA Champions League of the 2023/24 season, and also sums up the results of the quarter-final draw that took place in Nyon (Switzerland).
Who reached the quarter-finals
- «MANCHESTER CITY». The current winners of the Champions League, as expected, dealt with the Danish “Copenhagen”, finishing both meetings with the same score of 3:1 and extending the winning streak in the tournament to ten meetings (a record for English clubs);
- «REAL». In Germany, the 14-time tournament winners beat Leipzig (0:1), but at home they made the Royal Club fans nervous. Madrid were leading, but conceded in the 68th minute… The Germans lacked just one accurate shot to send the match into extra time;
- «BAVARIA». The defeat in Rome in the first meeting of the confrontation led to Thomas Tuchel announcing his departure from the camp of the German hegemon at the end of the season. And the Munich people seemed to come to life! Three unanswered goals (Harry Kane scored a brace) in the return match led to the dismissal of Maurizio Sarri from Lazio;
- «PARIS SAINT GERMAIN». No chance for the Real Sociedad of our Arsen Zakharyan: packing his bags, Kylian Mbappe and company “slammed” the Spaniards twice and for the first time since the 2020/21 season, they passed the 1/8 final stage;
- «BARCELONA». Despite an avalanche of injuries, Xavi's departure from the post of head coach of the Catalans and a poor performance in the domestic arena, the Spanish champions beat the Italian champions Napoli. It was not easy in Naples (1:1), but at home the blue garnets were unstoppable — 3:1. Robert Lewandowski scored Barça's third goal — this is the Pole's 94th goal in the Champions League;
- «ARSENAL». The Gunners will play in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2010. The Londoners beat Porto not without difficulty: 0:1 in Portugal, a victory with the same score at home and a wonderful game by goalkeeper David Raya in the penalty shootout;
- «ATLETICO». Diego Simeone's gang played poorly in Milan (0:1), but at home they not only saved themselves and sent the confrontation into extra time, but also defeated the finalists of last season's Champions League in a penalty shootout — two saves by Jan Oblak and a mediocre miss by Lautaro Martinez;
- «BORUSSIA». The Bumblebees return to the quarter finals three years later: the Germans beat PSV, drawing in the Netherlands and winning the return match with a score of 2:0.
This time there were no restrictions in the rules of the draw: both representatives of the same country and clubs that had already played with each other in the group could cross paths.
Final pairs
- «ARSENAL» — «BAVARIA»
Just think about it: the last three meetings of the teams in the Champions League ended in the defeat of the British with the same score of 5:1. It's time for Arsenal to return the favor to the Munich team for such humiliation. And what Munichers: perhaps the current season is the worst for Bayern since 2012. In order to get Bundesliga gold, you need to work a miracle, and to reach the semi-finals, you need to get out of the way a team that is an order of magnitude stronger than Lazio, which has collapsed before our eyes.
Odds : 1.92 versus 1.94 not in favor of Munich.
- «ATLETICO» — Borussia
The weakest pair of quarterfinals with two teams snatching the last spots in this stage. Both are happy: for both clubs in their current form (the teams are outside the top 3 tables of the national championships), reaching the Champions League semi-finals will be a huge success. With whom, if not with such an opponent, should we march towards the London final?
Odds: 1.9 for Madrid and 2.0 for Dortmund.
- REAL — MANCHESTER CITY
Not a pair, but a championship classic ! City and Los Blancos will play each other in the playoffs for the third season in a row, having previously met twice in the semi-finals. In 2022, Real turned out to be better and eventually took the trophy; in 2023, Josep Guardiola’s boys went to Istanbul, where they won the first “eared” cup in the history of the English club.
Odds : the current Champions League winner is a clear favorite (1.4 versus 2.8).
- «PSG» — BARCELONA
Parisians and Catalans also know each other very well. In the 21st century, PSG and Barça played in the Champions League playoffs four times, and the Catalans advanced three times… But this time it will be harder for the Spaniards, because the Parisians are performing more consistently, and the composition of the French champions looks no worse.
Odds: 1.7 for the French and 2.2 for the Spaniards.
What will happen nextSemi-final the Champions League bracket is also known. The winner of the Arsenal-Bayern pair will meet the best in the confrontation between Real Madrid and Manchester City, and Atlético Madrid or Dortmund will face off against PSG or Barcelona.
Given that the bookmakers called City, Real Madrid and Arsenal the clear favorites of the tournament, we can predict that the first semi-final will become a “hidden final”.
Championship Championship calendar
- Quarter-finals: first legs — April 9 and 10, returns — April 16 and 17;
- Semi-finals: April 30/May 1 and May 7/8;
- The final on June 1 will be hosted by the «Home of Football»—that's the name of the London arena Wembley, which will host the decisive European Cup match for the eighth time.
Свежие комментарии