So we almost (but then almost) had a Lille-PSG in the quarter-finals of the Champions League… The draw made in Nyon by former French international Mikaël Silvestre, the first since the huge bug in the previous round , has indeed brought together the two heartthrobs of the French clubs. And two ex-coaches of the capital club.
The Chelsea of Thomas Tuchel, defending champion and in turmoil because of the Ukrainian conflict, will indeed receive Real Madrid of Carlo Ancelotti on April 5 or 6 (return on April 12 or 13).
“They are the supporters. They are very, very strong, explains the director of institutional relations of Real, Emilio Butragueno, on RMC Sport. We played the semi-final last year against them. It will be very very hard. This competition is important for us and for the fans. We want to qualify. Playing the return at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in front of our home crowd will help, no doubt (Editor’s note: as against Paris). But we already have to do a good result in London…”
The winner of this clash at the top will face Manchester City or Atlético de Madrid in the semi-finals. Here too, the Guardiola-Simeone opposition promises to be tasty. In the other part of the table (because it was the last draw of the season), Unai Emery’s Villarreal inherited a hell of a piece with Bayern Munich. And Benfica will be very far from starting favorite in front of Liverpool.
A decisive Real-Bayern for the Golden Ball in the final?
But the Portuguese showed in Amsterdam, where they were largely dominated, that it was enough to frame a shot to hit the target… It should therefore be noted that despite a full draw with three English formations and three Spanish, no national shock came out of the balls.
The final of the most prestigious of European competitions will take place on May 28 at the Stade de France. The enclosure of Saint-Denis was indeed chosen to replace that of Saint-Petersburg, initially designated, after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. It will be the first time since 2006, and FC Barcelona’s victory over Arsenal (2-1), that the Dionysian enclosure will house such a poster.
A potential final between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich could be decisive regarding the awarding of the Golden Ball between Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski, who never stop shaking the nets this season.
The two survivors of the 2021-2022 edition will have the chance to discover a brand new lawn. It was already planned, in fact, to change it after the Indochina concert, on May 21, in anticipation of France-Denmark, on June 3 in the League of Nations.