Istanbul is the end of the road! 60-day marathon in the Champions League
Tomorrow starts the 60-day marathon that will take place with the aim of becoming the largest in European football.
Season 2004-05. The Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul hosted one of the most memorable finals of the ‘Giants League’ and Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties against Milan in the historic match, which turned into a football feast from behind 3-0 .
Messi, 17, and Ronaldo, 20, who little by little were emerging on the European football scene of those years, where they will later leave indelible marks, could not see the quarterfinals after Barcelona was eliminated from Chelsea and Manchester United against Milan in the last 16 days.
The Giants League final is back in Istanbul after 18 years. The Messi of Paris Saint-Germain, who did not find his hope in his former team Manchester United and surprisingly went to Saudi Arabia, and could not overcome the barrier of Bayern Munich, will not go on stage for the third time since 2005 in the quarterfinals- Champions League finals.
Whether this scenario will promise an unforgettable final for soccer fans is unknown, but when we look at the teams, the most competitive tour fights in recent years wink at soccer fans.
Istanbul UEFA Champions League Final Ball
ANCELOTTI AND CHELSEA WANT A SECOND FINAL IN ISTANBUL
The duel between reigning Cup holders Real Madrid and Chelsea is a repeat of last year’s quarter-final, when the Spanish team needed extra time to win 5-4 on aggregate.
Real Madrid, led by Italian Carlo Ancelotti, who won the tournament twice as a player and four times as a coach, will host Chelsea in the first game on Wednesday. In the second leg to be played on Tuesday 18 April, German defender Antonio Rüdiger will return to Stamford Bridge for the first time after leaving the London side.
Chelsea, who fired coach Thomas Tuchel, who won the Champions League at the beginning of the season, fired the British Graham Potter, whom they signed for 5 years with the pretense of being a project team, 7 months later they already signed their former footballer . player and coach Frank Lampard until the end of the season.
If one of the two teams reaches the final, Chelsea and Ancelotti will experience the excitement of the cup for the second time in Istanbul. Chelsea played in the UEFA Super Cup in 2019, and Ancelotti played in the Champions League final in Istanbul at the start of Milan, and Liverpool won both games on penalties.
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City manager
GUARDIOLO’S JOB IS NOT EASY AGAIN!
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who has failed to lift the trophy since his second Champions League with Barcelona in 2011, has to eliminate his former team Bayern Munich first to end the long wait for both him as for his team.
During his three years in Munich (2013-2016), Guardiola, 52, won 3 Bundesligas, 2 German Cups, once the Club World Cup and the European Super Cup.
Guardiola, who will face each other for the first time after his departure with Bayern Munich, who won the UEFA Champions League in 2020, will face Lampard’s Chelsea or Real Madrid, who took the trophy to the museum 14 times, if you get the semifinal ticket.
Manchester City and Real Madrid met in the semi-finals last year, and the Spanish team reached the final with a goal scored after extra time.
Bayern Munich is one of the two teams that, like Chelsea, opted for a change of manager before the quarterfinals. The Bavarian representative, who was dissatisfied with the team’s performance and parted ways with Julian Nagelsmann, signed for Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked by Chelsea earlier in the season.
Tuchel, who lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final with Paris Saint-Germain in 2020, managed to lift the trophy with Chelsea a year later.
With this game, Joao Cancelo, who was hired along with Leroy Sané, who moved from Manchester City to Bayern Munich, will return to the Etihad Stadium for tomorrow’s game.
BENFICA DE PORTUGAL VS 3 ITALIAN TEAM
The draw means an Italian club could take part in the final for the first time since 2017, when Juventus lost to Real Madrid, or for the first time a Portuguese team since 2004, when José Mourinho’s Porto beat Monaco. The clear leaders of Serie A, Napoli and Milan, Inter and Benfica will look for a tour to reach the semifinals.
Possessing the highest points-per-game rate in Europe’s top five leagues, Napoli scare opponents with goalscoring legs like Victor Osimhen, Giovanni Simeone, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Piotr Zielinski, while these four footballers propagate the threat by scoring . 4 goals, which makes the Italian team even more dangerous.
Milan is the team that made the fewest passes and played the most long passes among the teams that were in the quarterfinals. Milan, who won the match between the two teams in the league in early April 4-0 away, gave signs that the game would be difficult.
Benfica, whose streak of 10 consecutive league victories was broken by Porto’s loss, is the second top scorer in the Champions League.
Inter, who will be welcomed by the Portuguese representative on the pitch tomorrow, drew attention as the weakest visiting team and achieved the lowest goal difference (+4) among the teams in the round of 16. On the other hand, it is an advantage for Inter that goalkeeper Andre Onana has a season in form with close to 80 percent saves.
A NEW CHAMPION MAY BE AVAILABLE IN ISTANBUL
Istanbul can draw the 23rd different champion of the UEFA Champions League. Napoli and Manchester City are chasing the first trophy in their history in the tournament in which Chelsea became the new tournament champion in 2012.
Real Madrid 14 times, Milan 7 times, Bayern Munich 6 times, Inter 3, Benfica and Chelsea 2 times champions of the last eight teams.
THE “BEST” OF THE QUARTER-FINAL
Player with most quarterfinal appearances: 23 games, Lionel Messi
Top scorer in quarterfinals: 25 goals, Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus)
Player with the most goals in a quarterfinal match: 4 goals, Lionel Messi (Barcelona-Arsenal, 2010)
Player with the most goals in a quarterfinal match: 5 goals, Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid-Bayern Munich, 2016/17)
Which club has reached the quarterfinals the most: 38 times, Real Madrid
Which club has made the most consecutive quarterfinals: 13 times Barcelona (2007/08–2019/20)
Which club dropped out of the quarterfinals the most per round: 31 times, Real Madrid
Which club has scored the most goals in the quarterfinals: 146 goals, Real Madrid
Most Distinctive Quarterfinal Victory: 8-0, Real Madrid-Seville (1957/58)
Youngest player to score in the quarterfinals: 17 years 217 days, Bojan Krkic (Schalke 0-1 Barcelona)
The teams from which country played the most in the quarterfinals: Spain (Real Madrid 38, Barcelona 22, Atlético 11, Valencia 4, Deportivo 3, Villarreal 3, Sevilla 2, Athletic Club 1, Málaga 1, Real Sociedad 1).