The table for the eight teams was defined, with many Argentines in search of the title. Inter goes against Benfica and Milan against Napoli.
THIS IS HOW THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS LOOKED LIKE AFTER THE DRAW.
- Real Madrid vs. Chelsea
- Inter vs Benfica
- Manchester City vs Bayern Munich
- Milan vs Napoli
The team on the left opens the home series and the other plays the second leg at home. The exception is Inter, whose home order will be reversed, since they share a stadium with Milan and cannot play at home less than 24 hours apart. UEFA gave priority to what would happen to the Rossonero for being the current champion of Italy. In the draw, Inter came out as a local in the first match, but in the image released by UEFA, he can already be seen as a visitor.
This Friday from 8 in the morning the draw for the quarterfinals of the Champions League was held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, followed by the draw for the Europa League.
What will the semifinals be like?
With the draw for the quarterfinals, the keys for the semifinals were also defined. The winner of the Milan vs. Napoli will face the one from the Benfica vs. Inter, so there could be another duel of Italians in the next phase.
Meanwhile, the winner of the series between Manchester City and Bayern Munich will meet Real Madrid or Chelsea. In the event that Real Madrid go to the semifinals, they will define that series as a visitor (in Manchester or Munich).
The background of the crosses.
It will be the third time that Real Madrid and Chelsea star in a Champions League playoff crossover. In the 2020/21 season, the London team prevailed in the semifinals after drawing in Madrid and winning at their stadium 2-0 (later they would be champions); while the following year, they met in the quarterfinals, and there the winner was the Spanish team (which would eventually also win the cup).
The one between Benfica and Inter will not be another crossing. Both teams have a very particular history, although it is true that something distant. The two defined the Champions League of the 1964/1965 season, in Milan, in a single match, where Inter, led by the Argentine Helenio Herrera, won 1-0 with a goal from the Brazilian Jair da Costa.
Bayern Munich and Manchester City met 6 times in the Champions League, in three different seasons (2011/12, 2013/14 and 2014/15) and always in the group stage. There were three wins for each and no draws.
When are the quarterfinals played?
The key is two games, like the round of 16. The one-way matches will be held on Tuesday, April 11 and Wednesday, April 12, while the return matches will take place a week later, on April 18 and 19. The four winners will advance to the semifinals, scheduled for April 9, 10, 16, and 17. May. In both stages, the away goals are not taken into account to break the tie, but an extra time is developed and, later, a definition by penalties.
The final will take place on June 10, 2023 at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. It will be the second time that a definition has been played in that city and also in that stadium, where Liverpool lifted the trophy in the 2004/05 season against Milan, in one of the most memorable finals in the tournament's history because they tied 3-0. 3 and The Reds won on penalties.
Milan and Napoli will meet for the first time in a competition of this level. In Serie A and Coppa Italia they met 155 times with 59 victories for Milan, 47 for Napoli and 49 draws.
Source images: Twitter UEFA Champions League.