by By the end of the morning, Benfica and the remaining seven Champions League quarter-finalists will already have the name of the opponent for the next phase in their hands. The draw, which will have no restrictions, is scheduled for 11am (in mainland Portugal) in Nyon, with Italian teams having a majority presence for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
For the Incarnates, the last bastion of Portuguese representation in this Champions League competition, it is a chance to surpass last season’s performance, when they fell at the feet of Liverpool in the quarter-finals. you”RedThey are no longer in the competition, but from England come two threats in the name of Manchester City (who crushed RB Leipzig in the round of 16, 8-1 on aggregate over two legs) and Chelsea (they saw off Borussia Dortmund 2-1 ). . Even growing up, theblues“He will be a much more welcoming opponent than”the citizens”, still in the hunt for a European title, but with an attacking force hard to match.
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Another of the giants present in the draw is the all-powerful Real Madrid, who continue to make amends on the European platforms for the lower regularity of performance they showed in Spain. The current La Liga runners-up (nine points behind Barcelona) clearly outclassed Liverpool (6-2 on aggregate) in the round of 16 and are on a steady course in pursuit of their 15th title in UEFA’s premier club competition – in the last 10 editions , earned five.
The group of possible favorites for the final victory in Istanbul on June 10 also includes Bayern Munich. The 2020 European champions have lost just once in the quarter-finals in the last 11 editions of the competition, this time disappointing PSG’s expectations with a 3-0 draw. Furthermore, the Bavarians have already met Benfica at this stage in 2015-16, winning 3-2.
Outside of this axis stands out the unusual performance of Italian football, which with three representatives in the quarter-finals (Napoli, Milan and Inter) dominates this draw. For Italy’s northern neighbours, it is a repeat of what they achieved 17 years ago, backed by Juventus back then.
In the round of 16, the Neapolitans (undisputed league leaders) closed the tie with a 5-0 aggregate against Eintracht Frankfurt, while the Milanese qualified with the minimum record: 1-0 from Inter in Porto, 1-0. for Milan against Tottenham.
For Napoli, this is already a historic ride, because they have never made it this far in the Champions League. And it is also a confirmation version of the Italian coaches, who fill four of the eight places in the “four”: Luciano Spalletti (Napoli), Stefano Pioli (Milan) and Simone Inzaghi (Inter), with Carlo Ancelotti, coach. of Real Madrid.
