Attractive duels in the quarterfinals
The quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League were defined after the draw that took place this Friday and where the fate of the eight finalist teams was known, which were Atlético de Madrid, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Villarreal.
The first match was between Chelsea and Real Madrid. The reigning European champions will face the most winning club of the edition, a situation that is not only attractive on the field, but also puts into predicament what the English have to live with in terms of travel due to the economic situation they are going through.
Then, Pep’s Manchester City will face Diego Pablo Simeone’s Atletico Madrid in the other match, which many predict as one of the most evenly matched duels of this instance.
Villarreal will face Bayern Munich and Benfica will face Liverpool. In addition, the second legs will be played at the Santiago Bernabéu, the Wanda Metropolitano, the Allianz Arena and Anfield.
The draw defined, in addition to the quarterfinals, also the semifinals, as well as the draw that determined the “home” team in the final for administrative reasons, which will be played at the Stade de France in Paris.
In the semifinals, the winner of City v. Atletico Madrid will face the winner of Chelsea v. Real Madrid, while the winner of Villarreal v. Bayern Munich will face the winner of Benfica v. Liverpool.
Meanwhile, the administrative host of the final will be the winner of semi-final 2, which will pit the winner of Villarreal-Bayern Munich and Benfica-Liverpool.
The quarter-final clashes will be played in the first leg on April 5 and 6, just after FIFA, while the second leg of the same stage will be played on April 12 and 13. In the case of the semifinals, the first leg will be played on April 26 and 27, while the second leg will be played on May 3 and 4.
Finally, the grand final of the UEFA Champions League is scheduled for Saturday, May 28 at the Stade de France in Paris, after it was moved from St. Petersburg (Russia) due to the armed conflict between that country and Ukraine.