The Champions League quarter-final matches proceed this week, beginning with the title holder Chelsea heading to Actual Madrid on Tuesday, earlier than Liverpool and Manchester Metropolis play on Wednesday.
The quarter-final second leg matches start on Tuesday, as defending champions Chelsea attempt to work their approach up from a 3-1 first-leg loss to 13-times champions Actual – with Villarreal additionally enjoying at Bayern Munich.
Pep Guardiola Metropolis – New from Sunday’s pleasant 2-2 draw in opposition to rivals Liverpool for the title – They may even head to the Spanish capital, the place they face Atletico Madrid, and lead 1-0 within the second leg after final week’s victory over Al Ittihad, and want to attain the semi-finals for the second yr in a row.
Liverpool hosts Benfica at Anfield with one foot within the quarter-finals, after profitable 3-1 in Lisbon final Tuesday, whereas the group continues its quest for a historic quarter-final, with one eye within the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday in opposition to Metropolis on Saturday.
Wednesday twentieth April 7:00 PM
Begins at 7:45 PM
Table of Contents
Ready week or break for Chelsea
Chelsea face the ugly job of changing into the second group in Champions League historical past to return from two behind after shedding the primary leg at residence after they play on the Bernabeu on Tuesday evening.
If Chelsea don’t achieve Spain, Chelsea’s complete season will rely on Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final consequence in opposition to Crystal Palace at Wembley, with the Blues resting in third and no hope of claiming the title of late.
Chelsea have recovered properly after back-to-back defeats in opposition to Brentford and Actual after beating Southampton 6-0 on Saturday, however supervisor Thomas Tuchel nonetheless feels {that a} return is unlikely.
Please use Chrome browser for an accessible video participant
Free to observe: Highlights from Chelsea’s victory over Southampton within the Premier League.
“We do not want the rest however an incredible situation,” Chelsea coach Tuchel stated on Monday.
“The mission and the problem are extremely troublesome and in opposition to whom we play and the place we play. We’re allowed to dream, generally it is very important think about issues and dream about them.
“It won’t change the main target, we are going to assist our group, we are going to attempt onerous. It’s a sport, it’s a recreation, and that’s the great thing about the sport, that something is at all times doable.”
Is Chelsea “at an obstacle” in opposition to Actual Madrid?
Chelsea misplaced the Champions League quarter-final first leg 3-1 to Actual Madrid
Tuchel believes Chelsea face a “massive flaw” in overturning their Champions League delay in opposition to Actual Madrid, with the Spanish facet managing to make 5 substitutions all season.
Premier League golf equipment have voted to reintroduce the five-member rule subsequent season, however they’ve solely been in a position to make use of three gamers domestically on this marketing campaign.
“Above all, we needed it to be extra bodily however we did not work onerous or onerous sufficient within the first match,” he stated.
Karim Benzema celebrates scoring a hat-trick in opposition to Chelsea
“Secondly, we now have an enormous handicap when it comes to health as a result of Actual Madrid has a full yr with 5 adjustments and we play essentially the most demanding league, we play most matches all season and all through 2023, so it is not at all times simple to play. You play a bodily recreation.
“We’re a group that wants bodily power, depth, dedication and funding to be a particular group. We could not try this sufficient within the final recreation.
“It was additionally due to their high quality and their means to decelerate the sport and management the sport by possession of the ball.”
Opta stats: Ancelotti will be a part of Pep and Jose within the CL historical past books?
Carlo Ancelotti might go down in Champions League historical past on Tuesday evening
Chelsea goalkeeper, Edward Mendy, conceded three objectives within the first leg in opposition to Actual Madrid, the identical variety of objectives he scored in his earlier 10 Champions League matches mixed. His mistake that led to Actual Madrid’s third purpose was additionally the primary in 20 matches within the competitors.
Actual Madrid gamers Karim Benzema (1) and Vinicius Junior (4) have helped one another 5 occasions mixed within the Champions League this season; Greater than any teammate duo. Actually, Vinicius Junior’s 4 passes in favor of Benzema are additionally essentially the most from participant to participant in 2023-22.
No Chelsea participant was straight concerned in additional Champions League objectives beneath Thomas Tuchel than Christian Pulisic (6 – three objectives and three assists), whereas the American additionally scored the Blues’ solely purpose away from residence in opposition to Actual Madrid in final season’s semi-final.
Benzema has scored 11 objectives for Actual Madrid within the Champions League this season, already essentially the most a French participant has scored in a single season within the historical past of the European Cup/Champions League. His 11 objectives this season are the variety of objectives he scored within the earlier two editions of the match mixed (six in 2020-21 and 5 in 2019-20).
Actual Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is wanting ahead to qualifying for the Champions League semi-finals for the eighth time in his profession; He has essentially the most in frequent with a coach within the historical past of the competitors, together with Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho (eight occasions).
Within the 16 matches he imagined for Chelsea within the competitors, Benzema scored 40 per cent of the objectives he conceded within the Champions League (4/10). Though he solely performed one leg, that is already essentially the most objectives Chelsea have conceded in a knockout match beneath Tuchel (3).
Chelsea are monitoring with two objectives from the primary leg at Stamford Bridge, whereas they should equalize their greatest margin of victory away from residence within the Champions League knockout levels to pressure further time (they gained two objectives on three events). They’ve solely scored greater than two away objectives within the knockout levels of the competitors as soon as beforehand, beating Liverpool 3-1 in 2008-09.
Actual Madrid have superior from 9 of their earlier 10 encounters within the Champions League knockout levels after they gained the primary leg away, and their solely exit on this situation was in opposition to Ajax in 2018-19 (2-1 away, 1-4 within the match). Homepage).
This will likely be Chelsea’s first-ever match on the Santiago Bernabeu within the European competitors, as final season’s away recreation at Actual Madrid was performed on the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium. No English group has ever gained on the Bernabeu within the Champions League by a couple of purpose, with Actual Madrid shedding solely three out of 12 matches (W6 D3).
Actual Madrid’s 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge was their first victory over Chelsea within the European competitors, having drawn twice and misplaced three of their first 5 such encounters. The final group to beat Chelsea in a Champions League knockout match was Bayern Munich within the final 16 of the 2019-20 season.
Will Villarreal stun Bayern once more?
Villarreal discover themselves simply 90 minutes away from reaching the Champions League semi-finals since 2006 – after they misplaced to Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger – after Arnott Danjuma’s 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in El Madrigal final Wednesday.
Six-time champions Bayern Munich have misplaced their final 5 Champions League knockout matches through which they had been late after the primary leg, with 4 of these encounters in opposition to Spanish groups.
Villarreal coach Unai Emery, a former Arsenal participant, has gained extra Europa League titles than some other coach, however is trying to attain the Champions League final 4 for the primary time in his profession.
The large week for Manchester Metropolis and Liverpool continues
The Premier League title race stays on edge after Sunday’s shock 2-2 draw between Manchester Metropolis and Liverpool – and there’s no let up between the title contenders, as each performed a Champions League match on Wednesday earlier than going through one another within the semi-finals. The FA Cup at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Metropolis dominated the primary leg in opposition to Atlético Madrid, however maintained a modest 1-0 lead within the second leg in Madrid after a back-to-the-wall show from the La Liga facet in Manchester. Diego Simeone’s males should be extra superior of their recreation on Wednesday evening, as they want two objectives to advance with out penalty kicks.
Within the meantime, Liverpool might be able to alternate in opposition to Benfica after Luis Diaz – who signed from Porto in January – got here off the bench to safe a 3-1 win for his new group upon his return to Portugal final Tuesday. Diaz didn’t begin for the Federation on Sunday, so he’s seemingly to take action at Anfield in opposition to Benfica.
spherical of 16
first leg matches
Tuesday 15 February
Wednesday 16 February
Tuesday February 22
Wednesday 23 February
return matches
Tuesday March 8
Wednesday March 9
Tuesday 15 March
Wednesday 16 March
Quarter-finals
first leg matches
Tuesday 5 April
Benfica 1-3 Liverpool
Man Metropolis 1-0 Atletico Madrid
Wednesday 6 April
Chelsea 1-3 Actual Madrid
Villarreal 1-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 12 April
Bayern Munich – Villarreal (8 pm)
Actual Madrid-Chelsea (8 pm)
Wednesday thirteenth April
Atletico Madrid – Manchester Metropolis (8 pm)
Liverpool – Benfica (8 pm)
semi closing
Benfica / Liverpool – Villarreal / Bayern Munich
Man Metropolis / Atletico Madrid – Chelsea / Actual Madrid
The primary matches are scheduled for Tuesday, April 26 and Wednesday, April 27; Second cease on Tuesday 3 Might and Wednesday 4 Might.
final
It’s scheduled to happen on Saturday 28 Might at Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
