The UEFA Champions League (2022/23)

[Firebat]

Tomorrow's fixtures:



Liverpool must play "two super games" to oust Real Madrid from the Champions League, says manager Jurgen Klopp.

 

[MenInG]

Team news

Eintracht Frankfurt v Napoli (20:00 GMT)

France forward Randal Kolo Muani starts in attack for Frankfurt, who have 2013 Champions League finalist Mario Gotze in the first XI.

Eintracht Frankfurt XI: Trapp, Tuta, Jakic, N'Dicka, Buta, Kamada, Sow, Max, Lindstrom, Gotze, Muani.

Subs: Smolcic, Alidou, Rode, Toure, Borre, Hasebe, Alario, Chandler, Lenz, Knauff, Ramaj.

Full-back Mathias Olivera starts for Serie A leaders Napoli while 19-goal top scorer Victor Osimhen leads the line for the visitors.

Napoli XI: Meret, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim, Olivera, Zambo, Lobotka, Zielinski, Lozano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia.

Subs: Juan Jesus, Mario Rui, Elmas, Idasiak, Simeone, Bereszynski, Politano, Ostigard, Gaetano, Ndombele, Gollini.

 

[MenInG]

Team news

Liverpool v Real Madrid (20:00 GMT)

Liverpool name an unchanged line-up from Saturday’s win against Newcastle for the visit of Real Madrid.

That means Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, who both scored at the weekend, start in attack along with Mohamed Salah.

Gakpo is making his Champions League debut for the Reds.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Fabinho, Bajcetic, Salah, Darwin, Gakpo.

Subs: Milner, Keita, Firmino, Adrian, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Carvalho, Matip, Kelleher.


Real Madrid are boosted by the return of top scorer Karim Benzema.

The 16-goal striker sat out the win over Osasuna at the weekend with a muscle issue but is back to face the Reds.

Dani Carvajal also comes back into the side having started on the bench on Saturday.

Toni Kroos, who has recovered from illness, is only on the bench.

Real Madrid XI: Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Alaba, Modric, Camavinga, Valverde, Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius.

Subs: Vallejo, Nacho, Hazard, Kroos, Asensio, Lunin, Odriozola, Lucas, Ceballos, Martin, Arribas, Rodriguez.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Liverpool 2 - 2 Real HT

Comedy goal keeping at both ends

 

[Rajdeep]

No English club can beat Real Madrid.

 

[Rana]

How have Liverpool totally botched this being 2-0 up at Anfield??

Klopp has to go!

 

[Amjid Javed]

5-2 ) end of season party on its way

 

[Saj]

Karim Benzema has scored more goals against Liverpool in European Cup and Champions League history than any other player

 

[Rajdeep]

Karim Benzema has scored more goals against Liverpool in European Cup and Champions League history than any other player

Amazing player...France missed him bigtime in world cup.

 

[Saj]

Liverpool have been left with a mountainous task to keep their Champions League ambitions alive after they were torn apart by ruthless Real Madrid at Anfield.

Holders Real - who beat Liverpool in last season's final in Paris - became the first side to score five at Anfield in Europe despite going two goals down early on as Liverpool made a dream start to this last-16 tie.

Darwin Nunez's brilliant flick put Liverpool ahead after only four minutes before Mohamed Salah cashed in on Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois' poor clearance to double their advantage 10 minutes later.

Liverpool's supporters, who had vented their fury at being wrongly blamed for the chaos at last season's final by holding up a flag emblazoned with "UEFA LIARS" and loudly jeering the Champions League anthem, were soon to have their thunderous celebrations silenced in emphatic fashion.

Vinicius Junior's brilliant 21st-minute strike pulled a goal back before Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson followed Courtois' lead by hacking a clearance straight at the Brazilian, holding his head in anguish as the ball looped behind him into the net in front of a disbelieving Kop.

It changed the whole emphasis of the contest, Real going ahead two minutes after the break when Eder Militao headed in Luka Modric's free-kick.

Real then rammed home their superiority as Karim Benzema's shot deflected in off Joe Gomez, the French striker then coolly adding a fifth after more brilliant work by the ageless Modric.

Liverpool have pulled off spectacular comebacks before, but it would be truly extraordinary if they turned this one around at the Bernabeu.

 

[Saj]

Victor Osimhen scored his 20th goal of the season as Napoli beat 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

After Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had a penalty saved, Osimhen struck in the first half when he turned in Hirving Lozano's superb pass.

It got worse for Frankfurt midway through the second half as Randal Kolo Muani was sent off for a bad challenge.

Giovanni di Lorenzo then added a second, placing into the far corner.

The victory gives Napoli a big advantage for the return leg in Italy on Wednesday, 15 March.

Luciano Spalletti's side have been in superb form this season and sit 15 points clear at the top of Serie A.

They went into this game on the back of five successive wins and looked confident from the outset, with their pace on the attack often causing problems.

Osimhen, in particular, was a menace throughout and he won the first-half penalty when he was fouled inside the box as he tried to retrieve the ball.

Trapp did superbly to deny Kvaratskhelia but could do little to prevent Osimhen tapping in from close range soon after.

Frankfurt's hopes of getting back level were dealt a big blow midway through the second half when key forward Kolo Muani was dismissed for standing on Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's foot as they challenged for possession.

Napoli then made the most of the man advantage as they grabbed a second that puts them firmly on course for the quarter-finals as Di Lorenzo finished superbly from Kvaratskhelia's backheel.

 

[Firebat]

Today's results:



Tomorrow's fixtures:



Kevin de Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte will miss Manchester City's Champions League last-16 first-leg tie with RB Leipzig on Wednesday.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Real Madrid are the ultimate Rope-a-dope team, they turn up look out of form and disjointed and let the opposition take the lead before hammering out the punishment afterwards.

Real always turn on style in knock out stages.

Napoli look a good dark horse entry this season.

 

[Saj]

Manchester City paid the price for failing to make the most of their first-half dominance as they were held to a draw by RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

The away side were in complete control in the first 45 minutes and got the breakthrough midway through the half when Ilkay Gundogan pounced on a mistake in defence and fed Riyad Mahrez to drive into the back of the net.

But RB Leipzig came out in the second half with more ambition and twice went close to equalising early on through Benjamin Henrichs, who first headed just over before then sweeping wide with just Ederson to beat.

The Manchester City goalkeeper was called upon again to deny Andre Silva at his near post but the hosts were finally rewarded for their mounting pressure when Josko Gvardiol headed in following a short corner.

Janis Blaswich denied Gundogan from restoring the visitors' lead moments later with a reflex save from close range but Leipzig held firm to secure a deserved draw.

City, bidding to end their wait for a first Champions League trophy, will look to get the job done in the return leg on Tuesday, 14 March.

 

[Saj]

Substitute Romelu Lukaku scored the only goal as Inter Milan beat 10-man Porto in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

Lukaku converted a rebound after his first effort had bounced off the post in the 86th minute at the San Siro.

Porto had a double chance at 0-0 but Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana denied both Zaidu Sanusi and Mehdi Taremi.

The visitors had Otavio sent off in the 78th minute for two bookable offences and conceded eight minutes later.

The second leg takes place at Porto's Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday, 14 March.

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

Inter 1 - 0 Porto


One of the very few occasions where Lukaku has scored a goal when it mattered the most.

 

[Firebat]

Today's results:

 

[Firebat]

Tomorrow's fixtures:



Reece James and Christian Pulisic could return as Chelsea look to overturn a one-goal deficit in their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.

 

[MenInG]

Kick-off at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund has been delayed until 20:10 GMT

 

[Saj]

Chelsea have taken the lead at Stamford Bridge and the tie is level at 1-1.

Set up beautifully for a good second half tonight.

 

[Saj]

Graham Potter enjoyed his finest night as Chelsea manager as they overcame a first-leg deficit against Borussia Dortmund to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

Potter was under huge pressure after a dismal run of results following Chelsea's huge outlay in the transfer market, but he will hope the manner of this performance and the advance into the latter stages of Europe's elite competition will deliver a measure of calm and stability to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea fully deserved their win, although they squandered several big opportunities before Raheem Sterling made the breakthrough after 43 minutes, firing past Dortmund keeper Alexander Meyer after initially fluffing his shot.

The goal which settled the tie and overturned Dortmund's 1-0 advantage from the first leg came in contentious fashion from the penalty spot eight minutes after the break.

Dortmund were furious when a VAR review penalised Marius Wolf for handball from Ben Chilwell's cross and their sense of injustice heightened after Kai Havertz struck the post with his spot-kick only for a re-take to be ordered.

This time Havertz made no mistake and Chelsea were on their way into the last eight.

 

[Saj]

Goncalo Ramos scored twice as Benfica emphatically beat Club Bruges to secure their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The hosts, who won the first leg 2-0, opened the scoring in the first half with a smart finish from Rafa Silva.

Ramos then showed great footwork to make it 4-0 on aggregate, before stabbing home from close range.

Joao Mario's penalty and David Neres' finish wrapped up the win before Bjorn Meijer scored a stunning consolation.

It is the second successive season Benfica have reached the Champions League quarter-finals, though they have never progressed further and were beaten by Liverpool at that stage last term.

Scott Parker's Club Bruges rarely looked like turning the tie around, with Benfica even having the ball in the net after two minutes through Joao Mario, but it was ruled out for offside.

Despite that early chance, the visitors did well to hold off their opponents for 38 minutes and were starting to look threatening when Silva scored, keeping his cool to control the ball from a cross before slotting in.

From then on Club Bruges capitulated as the tie looked beyond them and another fine finish, this time from Portugal forward Ramos, ended the game as a contest.

Mario's penalty came either side of clinical finishes by Ramos and Neres, but Meijer did at least give the travelling fans something to cheer with an exquisite first-time finish into the top corner.

Since the Champions League was formed, Benfica have lost all five quarter-finals they have played in, but this result and performance will give them hope of taking the next step.

 

[Firebat]

Today's results:



Tomorrow's fixtures:

 

[MenInG]

Bayern Munich make three changes to the team that started the 1-0 first-leg win in Paris.

Benjamin Pavard is suspended and Joao Cancelo and Leroy Sane both drop to the bench.

Josip Stanisic, Thomas Muller and Alphonso Davies all come into Julian Nagelsmann's side.

Bayern Munich XI: Sommer, Stanisic, Upamecano, de Ligt, Davies, Goretzka, Kimmich, Coman, Muller, Musiala, Choupo-Moting.

Subs: Gnabry, Sane, Wanner, Mane, Sarr, Cancelo, Blind, Ulreich, Gravenberch, Tel, Mazraoui, Ibrahimovic.

==

Paris St-Germain also make three changes from the first leg.

Neymar is out for the season and Warren Zaire-Emery and Carlos Soler drop to the bench.

Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha and Kylian Mbappe all start.

PSG XI: Donnarumma, Pereira, Ramos, Marquinhos, Hakimi, Vitinha, Verratti, Ruiz, Mendes, Messi, Mbappe.

Subs: Bernat, Rico, Sanches, Mukiele, Soler, Pembele, Bitshiabu, Zaire Emery, Gharbi, Ekitike, Letellier.

 

[James]

Really good performance from Chelsea last night. Their best in months probably. Could be the catalyst for a strong finish to the season for them.

 

[Firebat]

Today's results:



Bayern Munich cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League as they condemned Paris St-Germain to another last-16 exit.

Tottenham Hotspur's Champions League campaign ended in bitterly disappointing fashion as they failed to overturn a first-leg deficit in the last 16 against AC Milan.

 

[Firebat]

Two 2nd-legs happening today:

 

[Firebat]

Today's results:



Erling Haaland rewrote the record books by scoring an incredible five times as Manchester City swept RB Leipzig aside 7-0 to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

Inter Milan moved into the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2011 as they eliminated Porto in their last-16 tie.

 

[Firebat]

Today's results:



Liverpool's Champions League hopes ended at the hands of Real Madrid for a third consecutive season as they failed to overcome their first-leg Anfield demolition.

Victor Osimhen scored twice as Napoli cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time with a comfortable 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

 

[Firebat]

UCL FINAL 8 CONFIRMED…

Inter Milan
AC Milan
Napoli
Chelsea
Man City
Bayern
Real Madrid
Benfica

 

[Amjid Javed]

Draw done

Real vs Chelsea / Man city vs Bayern
Beneficial vs inter / Ac Milan vs napoli

-----

Prediction - Real vs Napoli final

 

[Saj]

Chelsea will face holders Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Pep Guardiola faces his former club as Manchester City play six-time winners Bayern Munich.

Inter Milan face Benfica and Serie A champions AC Milan take on current leaders Napoli.

If Chelsea and Manchester City get through, they will meet in an all-Premier League semi-final while AC Milan or Napoli will face Inter Milan or Benfica in the other semi-final.

The first legs of the quarter-finals take place on 11-12 April, with the return games on 18-19 April.

The first legs of the semi-finals will be on 9-10 May, and the second legs on 16-17 May.

The Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, will host the final on 10 June.

 

[IAJ]

Draw done

Real vs Chelsea / Man city vs Bayern
Beneficial vs inter / Ac Milan vs napoli

-----

Prediction - Real vs Napoli final

Lol what a tough draw for 1 side of the road to final. I would have doubted we could get an Italian team in the final if the draw was a bit more mixed.

 

[topspin]

Napoli definitely making the final.

The other finalist will be between Real, City and Bayern who're all closely matched. But overall, I agree with Amjad, I think it will be Real v Napoli final.

I want to see either City or Napoli win it this year.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Napoli definitely making the final.

The other finalist will be between Real, City and Bayern who're all closely matched. But overall, I agree with Amjad, I think it will be Real v Napoli final.

I want to see either City or Napoli win it this year.

I want city to have a tough 1/4 final and 1/2 final and get knocked out. Hopefully these tough games will effect their PL form.

Napoli should be fancying their chances of getting to final. I reckon benfica will beat inter milan

 

[topspin]

I want city to have a tough 1/4 final and 1/2 final and get knocked out. Hopefully these tough games will effect their PL form.

Napoli should be fancying their chances of getting to final. I reckon benfica will beat inter milan

Yes this is exactly why I'm glad they've got a tough QF draw against Bayern. I hope they beat Bayern so they can face Real in the SF. Hopefully, they'll be distracted by the CL which will affect their PL performances as you say.

Do you think they'll beat Bayern? Won't be an easy game for them that's for sure. They beat a PSG side with the two best players (Messi and Mbappe) in the world.

 

[cpleigh]

I make Bayern favourites. It's the worst draw possible for city

 

[Kianig89]

Man City v Bayern
Real v Chelsea
Benefits v Iňter
Milan v Napoli

Pretty pedestrian path for Italian sides, we might have a tame or high scoring final, Man City, Real & Bayern are a cut above the rest

 

[Amjid Javed]

Yes this is exactly why I'm glad they've got a tough QF draw against Bayern. I hope they beat Bayern so they can face Real in the SF. Hopefully, they'll be distracted by the CL which will affect their PL performances as you say.

Do you think they'll beat Bayern? Won't be an easy game for them that's for sure. They beat a PSG side with the two best players (Messi and Mbappe) in the world.

I Think Bayern and City will be a cagey and close game. Bayern look very poor in Europe last season, Villareal took them apart with ease. I've not watched to much of Bayern this season so I'm not sure how much they have improved. I think CIty will just have that extra quality. I think Real will beat Chelsea, even though Chelsea have improved last few games, Real are a different beast in CL.

 

[Firebat]

Poll added for who will win, get your votes in

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

Well before this 2022 -2023 Uefa Champions League season started, I made a prediction for Manchester City to (finally) win it. But know, I think we will be seeing something special from Napoli, and I think they will go on to win this seasons Champions League

I think it will be a Napoli vs Real Madrid Final also

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

Im also convinced that the knockout stage draw for this season has been rigged, simply because the "smaller' teams have been drawn together in both the round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final!! Its obvious too as to why its being done, just to give a chance to the smaller teams. This now means a "smaller team" category team will make the final;

(1) Smaller Teams/ Teams who rarely win/ rarely make it to Knockout Stage

Round fo 16
- Napoli vs Frankfurt
- AC Milan vs Tottenham
- Benfica vs Club Brugge
- Inter Milan vs Porto

Quarter Finals
All the winners from the above round of 16 ties
Inter vs Benfica
Napoli vs AC Milan


Semi-Final
All the winners from the above QF ties

(2) Bigger Teams/ Regular winners/ Teams who regularly make knockout stage

Round of 16
PSG vs Bayern
Man City vs Leipzig (I guess Leipzig is the one exception)
Real Madrid vs Liverpool
Chelsea vs Dortmund

Quarter-Final
All the winners from the above round of 16 ties
Bayern vs Man City
Real Madrid vs Chelsea

Semi-Final
All the winners from the above QF ties

 

[Firebat]

Man City - Napoli final

Osimhen vs Haaland, Kvaratskhelia vs De Bruyne. It would be a fantastic game. Napoli to win

 

[daytrader]

Fixtures today

 

[MenInG]

The real business end of the Champions League starts this week with the final eight going head to head in the quarter-final first legs.

With more teams left from Italy than any other country and Benfica also through to the latter stages, there is a different shape to recent years.

Could we be in for a surprise winner and how might Chelsea and Manchester City, the Premier League's remaining representatives fare?


Manchester City v Bayern Munich - Guardiola v Tuchel again

Guardiola goes back to face his old club for the first time since leaving Bayern Munich for Manchester City in 2016.

He was expecting to face a Julian Nagelsmann team again (having beaten his Hoffenheim twice in 2018-19), but the German side recently sacked him and appointed Thomas Tuchel - a name Guardiola is even more familiar with.

The managers have met 10 times before during a decade-long rivalry with Guardiola winning six and Tuchel three - those successes all coming in a six-week spell between 17 April and 29 May 2021.

That run - which included Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final and Champions League final wins over City - led to a feeling that Tuchel had the edge on Guardiola. In that final Guardiola famously did not play a defensive midfielder in a tactical gamble that failed.

But City beat Tuchel's Chelsea twice in the Premier League last season, and with four wins and a draw in Germany, including the 2016 DFB-Pokal final, Guardiola actually has the much better record.

Guardiola has had a mixed time against his old clubs. He has faced Barcelona four times since leaving - twice with City and twice with Bayern. He won two of those, but the other matches were 3-0 and 4-0 defeats.


Real Madrid v Chelsea - can Lampard do a Tuchel?

'This is my club' - Lampard on his Chelsea return
In 2020-21, Chelsea started the season with Frank Lampard in charge and ended it with Tuchel leading them to Champions League glory.

In 2022-23 Chelsea started the season with Tuchel in charge and will end it with Lampard hoping to lead them to Champions League glory.

Lampard is the fourth man to manage Chelsea this season after the sacked Tuchel, the sacked Graham Potter and brief interim boss Bruno Saltor.

He is hoping to keep up an unusual club tradition, winning a European trophy in the first season of his reign - although unlike the others this is his second spell in charge.

Remarkably (even allowing for their love of chopping and changing bosses) Chelsea's last five European trophies have all come with managers who had taken over that season.

Four of those five took during the season, three of them after Christmas.

Potter may have hoped to join that club but he was sacked last week, with Bruno briefly having that opportunity too - he had initially been expected to be in charge until the end of the season.

In 2022 it was Potter's predecessor Tuchel and the Champions League. The German had taken over in January.

Italian Maurizio Sarri won the 2019 Europa League in his only season as Chelsea boss.

Former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez led Chelsea to the 2013 Europa League, having been interim manager from November.

The season before, Roberto di Matteo had been interim boss for less than three months when he took them to 2012 Champions League glory.

And in February 1998 the late Gianluca Vialli was made Chelsea player-manager and guided them to a European Cup Winners' Cup victory that summer.

Dave Sexton is the only Chelsea manager to win a European trophy more than a year into his reign, the 1971 Cup Winners' Cup.

So can Lampard, who won the 2011-12 Champions League as a Chelsea player, add his name to that list?

In their way in the quarter-finals are European royalty Real Madrid, although Chelsea have a good record against them - losing only once in seven meetings.

That is the lowest percentage of losses against Real (14%) of any side to have played them at least five times in Europe.


AC Milan v Napoli - can Kvaratskhelia keep amazing season going?

Kvaratskhelia and Napoli have beaten AC Milan and lost to them this season in Serie A
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a remarkable throwback and something which seemed impossible in modern football.

Nine months ago the average football fan would never have even heard his name, with all Kvaratskhelia's football being played in the Georgian and Russian leagues plus two Europa Conference League appearances.

And now the Georgian winger is genuinely a superstar and one of the form players in one of the best teams in European football, Serie A's runaway leaders Napoli.

In Serie A, Kvaratskhelia has 12 goals - only behind four players - and 10 assists - more than anybody else.

Paris St-Germain duo Lionel Messi and Neymar, Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani and Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka are the only other players to have double figures for both goals and assists in Europe's top five leagues.

In the Champions League nobody has more than Kvaratskhelia's four assists.

Kvaratskhelia and Napoli will be hopeful that story can continue with a relatively kind quarter-final draw - against AC Milan, who sit 22 points below them in the table. However Milan did beat them 4-0 earlier this month.


Inter Milan v Benfica - can anyone stop Schmidt's side?

Benfica forwards Joao Mario and Goncalo Ramos are the top two scorers in the Portuguese league this season
You would not know this was a Benfica team who sold over £200m worth of talent this season.

First it was star striker Darwin Nunez to Liverpool for a fee of between £64m and £85m - and then midfielder Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea for £107m. More than 30 other players have left the club this season.

And yet under German journeyman manager Roger Schmidt, they look almost unbeatable.

In 46 games in all competitions since appointing the former PSV boss in the summer they have only lost twice - however one of them was on Friday at home to Porto.

They finished top of a Champions League group involving PSG and Juventus, picking up 13 points more than the Italians - and then blew away Club Bruges in the last 16, costing Scott Parker his job.

They are seven points clear of Porto at the top of the Portuguese league as they close in on a first trophy since 2019.

Only Italian teams stand between them and a first European Cup final since 1990, with the winner of their tie against Inter playing AC Milan or Napoli in the semi-finals.

BBC

 

[KingKhanWC]

City v Bayern potentially could be the tie of the tournament.

Both teams will attack and look to score.

A huge day for City, a loss at home will make it very difficult to get through.

 

[MenInG]

City v Bayern potentially could be the tie of the tournament.

Both teams will attack and look to score.

A huge day for City, a loss at home will make it very difficult to get through.

Hoping for City to tire themselves out...

 

[KingKhanWC]

Hoping for City to tire themselves out...

Its wet and windy in Manchester, will take more energy out of them!

Decent game, both teams dont want to concede but great strike from Rodri.

1-0 at the break.

 

[MenInG]

HALF-TIME
Man City 1-0 Bayern Munich

Manchester City lead at the break thanks to Rodri's stunning strike.

==

HT: Benfica 0-0 Inter Milan

This is the first time in 10 Champions League matches that Inter have failed to have a first-half shot on target, since playing Liverpool in February 2022.

But they have failed to score a first-half goal in six of their nine games. Only Tottenham Hotspur (seven) have failed to score more often in the Champions League this season.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Chance after chance, this game has suddenly lit up like a firecracker.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Nice header from a short Silva.

2-0

One more for City and its curtains on this match imo.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Lovely crossing move, Stones heads to Haaland who buries it!

3-0

Bayern must take some sort of control here, it could be 4/5 with over 10 mins to go.

 

[Saj]

Manchester City took a giant stride towards the Champions League semi-finals with an outstanding performance to overpower Bayern Munich at Etihad Stadium.

Erling Haaland, inevitably, was on target with his 45th goal of the season to make him the highest scorer in all competitions in a single campaign since the Premier League began 30 years ago, surpassing Mohamed Salah and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

City, however, gave a powerful all-round team display and Bayern, under new coach Thomas Tuchel, face a mountainous task to turn this quarter-final around in the second leg at the AllianzArena.

Rodri broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion with a curling left-foot drive into the top corner after 27 minutes while Bayern had chances of their own, especially former City forward Leroy Sane, who brought a vital save out of Ederson early in the second half.

City were always a threat and extended their lead with 20 minutes left, Haaland crossing perfectly for Bernardo Silva to head home after Jack Grealish stole possession off Dayot Upemecano.

Haaland was not to be denied and he pounced for City's third six minutes later, getting on the end of John Stones' headed knockdown to sweep a finish past Bayern keeper Yann Sommer.

 

[Saj]

Romelu Lukaku scored an 82nd-minute penalty as Inter Milan put themselves in a strong position to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League after securing a deserved win away at Benfica.

In a tightly contested tie, Nicolo Barella's downward header stunned the Portuguese league leaders and gave Inter a priceless advantage.

Benfica struggled to dictate play in front of their own fans as Inter produced a defensive masterclass in Lisbon.

Rafa Silva was denied by Andre Onana's first-half save before Inter's Netherlands defender Denzel Dumfries produced a crucial block from close range as Benfica pushed for an equaliser.

The Italian visitors wrapped up a solid win when substitute Lukaku, on loan from Chelsea, scored from the spot after former Inter player Joao Mario handled inside the box.

Premier League referee Michael Oliver awarded the penalty after watching a replay of the incident on the pitchside monitor, with replays showing the ball struck the side of Mario's head before hitting his hand.

 

[Firebat]

Seems the Tuchel vs Pep trick has not worked for Bayern thus far.

City are through I reckon, will be a cracking semi vs Real Madrid

 

[MenInG]

Blockbusters coming up

 

[Rajdeep]

Joao Felix missed an easy opportunity to score and now RM is 1 goal up. Best bet for Chelsea now to NOT lose this game by more than 2 goals and then look to avenge it in Stamford Bridge in 2nd leg

 

[MenInG]

HALF-TIME
Real Madrid 1-0 Chelsea

Chelsea started well, but have been pushed further and further back.

Karim Benzema's goal is the difference.

Big second 45 minutes coming up in this tie.

 

[MenInG]

HALF-TIME
AC Milan 1-0 Napoli

The half-time whistle goes.

Napoli were excellent for 30 minutes and desperately hanging on by the end.

Milan are 25% of the way there.

 

[Saj]

Chelsea in trouble - 1-0 down and now down to 10 men after Chilwell gets a red card.

Could be a long last 20 or so minutes for Chelsea.

 

[Rajdeep]

2-0 for Real Madrid...Chelsea deserves it for such a poor performance.

 

[Rajdeep]

Only English club that can give fight to Real Madrid is Man City...otherwise they are a much superior team than all. This game against Chelsea is like Men against Boys

 

[KingKhanWC]

Only English club that can give fight to Real Madrid is Man City...otherwise they are a much superior team than all. This game against Chelsea is like Men against Boys

When did Man City last play Real?

 

[KingKhanWC]

Poor from the Chelsea keeper on both goals. He has such rubbish performances now and again.

Poor from Napoli too, 1-0 is not a huge issue for them with the 2nd leg back at the Maradona stadium. If Milan score again, it could be tough for them.

 

[Rajdeep]

When did Man City last play Real?

No I mean more on recent form, Man City is the only club that can compete with Real.

Chelsea, Liverpool all proved no competition to mighty Real Madrid in this Champions league so far

 

[Saj]

2-0 to Real Madrid.

Benzema should have made it 3-0 near the end.

I can't see Chelsea overcoming this first leg deficit.

 

[Saj]

Ismael Bennacer's first-half goal gave AC Milan a slender advantage over Napoli in the first leg of their all-Italian Champions League quarter-final.

The Algeria midfielder struck home from the edge of the area after Braham Diaz broke superbly on the halfway line.

Napoli had Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa sent off in the second half and were well held by an organised Milan.

Milan also came close to a second goal when Simon Kjaer's header bounced off the underside of the bar.

 

[Saj]

Chelsea have it all to do if they are to advance to the Champions League semi-finals after losing to holders Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

Karim Benzema's tap-in - his 90th goal in the competition - gave Real boss Carlo Ancelotti the perfect start against his former club.

Real Madrid struggled to add to their lead before Ben Chilwell was shown a straight red card in the 59th minute for fouling Rodrygo as the Brazil forward threatened to go clean through on goal.

Chelsea produced a battling performance but Real scored what could be a decisive second goal when Marco Asensio finished well after the visitors were caught out following a short corner.

Chelsea carried more of an attacking threat after the tepid performance against Wolves in Frank Lampard's first game back, and had chances of their own.

Joao Felix forced Thibaut Courtois into a smart save when the game was goalless before the former Chelsea keeper produced a fine diving stop to deny Raheem Sterling an equaliser.

 

[Firebat]

Madrid cruising past Chelsea as expected.

Napoli though trail to Milan, very interesting tie.

 

[KingKhanWC]

No I mean more on recent form, Man City is the only club that can compete with Real.

Chelsea, Liverpool all proved no competition to mighty Real Madrid in this Champions league so far

Chelsea knocked out Real Madrid in the CL only two years ago.

Real are the greatest trophy team in history. Of course its not easy but to suggest only City can compete is wrong as I've just proven.

 

[MenInG]

Kick-off at Stamford Bridge!

Chelsea v Real Madrid

Chelsea trail 2-0 on aggregate... can they reach the #UCL semi-finals?

 

[Saj]

AC Milan 1 0 up tonight and 2 0 overall.

Real Madrid looking good at the moment against Chelsea.

 

[Saj]

Real Madrid ended Chelsea's hopes of Champions League success this season and their likely prospects of playing in Europe next campaign by completing a deserved quarter-final win in London.

Down 2-0 from a one-sided first leg, the Blues put on a more positive show.

But Real's defence held firm before Rodrygo struck twice in the second half to win the leg and seal the tie.

In the semis, Real will likely face Manchester City, who lead Bayern Munich 3-0 in their last-eight tie.

The loss for Chelsea extends the losing streak of Frank Lampard to four matches since he returned as Blues interim boss earlier this month.

Things could have been different had N'Golo Kante scored with a shot from an unmarked position early on or Marc Cucurella been able to find a way past Courtois at the back post late in the first half.

Kante was again denied after the break but, having committed men forward, they were decisively caught on the counter by Real as Vinicius Junior tore away to set up Rodrygo's close-range finish.

The Brazilian then made absolutely sure of Real's win by tapping in after fine work from Federico Valverde to set him up in the box.

Sat 11th in the Premier League, 10 points behind Brighton in seventh, Chelsea now need a near faultless run of form in the remainder of the season to qualify for European competition.

 

[Saj]

AC Milan reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since winning the competition in 2007 as they saw off Serie A rivals Napoli in an incident-packed game.

Milan could face Inter Milan in the last four, with their city rivals going into Wednesday's second leg with Benfica holding a 2-0 lead.

Serie A champions-elect Napoli dominated early on - but Milan won a penalty with one of their first attacks, although Olivier Giroud's spot-kick was saved by Alex Meret.

The veteran Frenchman got the opening goal, though, when he tapped in following a sensational 70-yard run by Rafael Leao to set him up. That made it 2-0 on aggregate.

Napoli were gifted a way back into the game when Fikayo Tomori handled in the box, but Mike Maignan saved Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's penalty.

They did eventually score, through a Victor Osimhen header with seconds remaining in injury time, but there was not enough time to create another chance.

Napoli, 14 points clear of Lazio at the top of the league table, have lost form at a critical time and failed to take a host of chances, with 39 efforts across both legs.

 

[Rajdeep]

Unfortunately I couldn't see this match but as I said previously no English team except Man City can give a fight, let alone beat Real Madrid.

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

Napoli losing to AC Milan...

 

[topspin]

Chelsea never had a chance but Napoli losing is a shock defeat. Many had tipped them to win the CL.

 

[Geordie Ahmed]

Gutted for Napoli but Milan seem to be their bogey side, failed to beat them in their last 3 meetings

 

[Geordie Ahmed]

Real will win the CL, they just have a knack for this competition

If City don't manage to bottle it tomorrow night then they'll come unstuck against Real Madrid

 

[MenInG]

Team news - Inter unchanged, Otamendi back for Benfica

Inter Milan v Benfica (Agg: 2-0, 20:00 BST)

Unsurprisingly, Inter Milan are unchanged from the first leg win in Lisbon which means 37-year-old Edin Dzeko once again gets the nod ahead of Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku, who scored Inter's second goal from the penalty spot in Portugal, is on the bench.

Inter Milan XI: Onana, Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni, Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Martinez, Dzeko.

Substitutes: Handanovic, Gagliardini, de Vrij, Gosens, Correa, Bellanova, Asllani, Calhanoglu, Cordaz, D'Ambrosio, Carboni, Lukaku.

Just the one change for Benfica last week as captain Nicolas Otamendi returns. The former Manchester City defender served a suspension in the first leg.

Brazilian defender Morato drops to the bench.

Benfica XI: lachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Otamendi, Grimaldo, Florentino, Chiquinho, Rafa Silva, Joao Mario, Aursnes, Goncalo Ramos.

Substitutes: Lucas Verissimo, Neres, Goncalo Guedes, Tengstedt, Schjelderup, Ristic, Soares, Musa, Ndour, Gomes, Neves, Morato.



Team news - Cancelo faces parent club

Bayern Munich v Man City (Agg 0-3, 20:00 BST)

Joao Cancelo starts for Bayern Munich against his parent club.

Bayern make two changes from the first leg with Cancelo and top scorer Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, back from a knee injury, replacing Alphonso Davies and Serge Gnabry.

Sadio Mane, back from a one-game club ban for allegedly punching Leroy Sane, is on the bench.

Bayern XI: Sommer, Cancelo, De Ligt, Upamecano, Pavard, Goretzka, Kimmich, Coman, Musiala, Sane, Choupo-Moting.

Manchester City go with the same team who bashed Bayern last week.

Eight of the 11 started in the weekend's win over Leicester - with Nathan Ake, Maniel Akanji and Ilkay Gundogan restored to the team.

Phil Foden is on the bench after his appendix surgery.

City XI: Ederson, Ake, Dias, Akanji, Rodri, Stones, Grealish, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Silva, Haaland.