Munich, April 11 (BUS): The Champions League semi-final line-up will be decided this week, as Liverpool and Real Madrid need to defend by two goals to qualify.
The other two games are finally getting more ready as Villarreal and Manchester City only have the advantages of one goal, according to The Associated Press.
Tuesday
Bayern Munich – Villarreal (0-1)
Bayern must up their game to avoid discomfort from Spanish club Villarreal and keep their hopes of winning four titles this season.
The six-times European champions have struggled since the start of the first leg against Villarreal and were far from thrilled with a 1-0 home win against relegation-threatened Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday, when he hit only four shots on target and not one. The goal in the first half. Champion of 2020 With a win over Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern’s title defense at the hands of the French team ended in the quarter-finals last season.
Villarreal are trying to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for only the second time after 2006. The team, based in a city of 50,000 people in southeast Spain, has not even reached the quarter-finals since 2009.
Real Madrid – Chelsea (3-1)
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel was bluntly defeated after the first leg, and declared the European Champion’s title defense over.
A 6-0 win over Southampton in the Premier League this weekend may have restored some confidence after conceding seven goals in their previous two matches.
While Chelsea’s Premier League target only holds the third spot, Real Madrid is sailing into the top spot in Spain. To a large extent, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric rested in a 2-0 win over Getafe, which leaves Real Madrid at the top of the standings 12 points. There is still doubt over whether left back Ferland Mendy will play as he continues to treat a muscle problem.
Real Madrid have won eight of their last nine matches in all competitions, losing 4-0 at home to Barcelona in La Liga in March.
Wednesday
Atletico Madrid – Manchester City (0-1)
City travel to Spain after a hard-fought draw with Liverpool that saw them top the Premier League and saw Riyad Mahrez come off the bench only in the second half. It is a sign of City’s resource strength that record holder Jack Grealish also did not start after being substituted in the first leg of Atletico on Tuesday which included a Kevin De Bruyne goal.
Atlético needs their attack to click after playing two games without scoring. Diego Simeone’s team did not take any shots on goal against City, and only one against Mallorca, who are threatened with relegation in a 1-0 loss in the Spanish League on Saturday. The defense was largely effective in Manchester and could be reinforced by the return of Jose Maria Jimenez, who missed the first leg due to a muscle injury.
Simeone rested several regular key players against Mallorca, including striker Joao Felix who is preparing to return to play against City, who have yet to win the Champions League despite spending more than $1 billion on players since their acquisition of Abu Dhabi in 2008.
Liverpool – Benfica (3-1)
With two goals up, Liverpool could start thinking about their next mission in the cup – the FA Cup semi-final match against Manchester City on Saturday. The possibility of a Champions League final with City still exists if 2019 winners Liverpool can complete the job against Benfica and then beat Bayern Munich or Villarreal in the semi-finals.
While Liverpool are six-time European champions, Benfica haven’t even reached the European Cup semi-finals since 1990. Their glory days were in the 1960s with a pair of European titles. To advance this time around could require goals from Darwin Nunez, who has six of his four games – including the first leg against Liverpool. He scored a hat-trick in Benfica’s 3-1 home win over Belenenses in the Portuguese league on Saturday.