UEFA Champions League quater-finals: Three things to expect in the 1st-leg
The 1st-leg of this seasons UEFA Champions League quater-finals gets underway today. SPORTSRATION presents three things to expect as Europe`s best-8 battle for a place in the last-4.
THE QUATER-FINAL MATCHES
Benfica Vs Inter Milan : 1st-leg holds at the Estadio da Luz, Portugal on Tuesday April 11, 2023.
Manchester City Vs Bayern Munich : 1st-leg holds at the Etihad stadium on Tuesday April 11.
AC Milan Vs Napoli : 1st-leg at the San Siro, Italy on Wednesday April 12.
Real Madrid Vs Chelsea : 1st-leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, Spain on Wednesday April 12.
THREE THINGS TO EXPECT
SUPRISES: For those who have since picked their favourites for the quater-final games, expect surprises. There are no clear favourites here. Don`t be tempted to rule-out any team before kick-off. Over the years, some teams have endured difficult domestic campaigns but excelled in the UEFA Champions League.
Yes that explains why Manchester City`s dominance in England has not earned the Citizens a Champions League crown. This is the Champions League, so expect surprises.
CITY WILL DOMINATE POSSESSION VS BAYERN MUNICH: Pep Guardiola tutored Manchester City will dominate possession in both games vs Bayern Munich. This is because, Bayern Munich under Thomas Tuchel will be set-up in like manner as the Chelsea team that conquered the citizens in the 2021 final.
City will be comfortable passing the ball around in their usual style while Bayern Munich will be happy to catch them on the counter with the Bavarians boosting of so much quality in attack.
NO OSIMHEN-BIG PROBLEM FOR NAPOLI
Napoli will face Serie A rivals AC Milan in the first leg without injured Nigerian hit-man Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian forward returned from international duty with injury and will not be back in time for the first leg.
That will be a big problem for Napoli in their first-ever UEFA Champions League quater-final appearance.
As acknowledged by manager Luciano Spalletti , Napoli struggle to get the goals in the absence of Osimhen and this could be key vs AC Milan who will hope to reignite the form from the 0-4 spanking of Napoli just over a week ago.
The Partonopei will hope returning Raspadori comes up big against AC Milan who will likely field the same line-up from the Serie A win.
OTHER THOUGHTS: Real Madrid vs Chelsea FC is a tricky fixture. On paper, Madrid are expected to pile more misery on Frank Lampard`s men. But they too have not been consistent this season. In some games, once the opposition finds a way to keep Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema in check, Madrid has struggled.
Benfica and Inter Milan head into the quater-final after stumbling in their respective domestic fixtures on Friday. Inter Milan will try to avoid defeat at the Estadio da Luz with a draw the most likely outcome on Tuesday night.
