Manchester City and Liverpool will start the season with a decisive spring match in the Champions League.
There will sometimes be fascinating surprises in Futis ’match calendars.
Fans of Liverpool and Manchester City have had time to update the bustle of the match in the first half of April, with the teams playing twice against each other and twice against their own Champions League opponent.
So on Tuesday, City will face Atlético at home with Etihad, but the biggest bet is in the league game against Liverpool on Sunday.
Next Wednesday’s away game trip to Madrid still has a chance to ensure the continuity of the Champions League, and the two-week will end in the semi-finals of the English Cup on Easter Saturday – again against Liverpool.
Naturally Jürgen Kloppin the crew’s calendar is otherwise identical, but its Euro opponent is Benfica, and Tuesday’s first playoff will be played in Lisbon.
– Players are already used to this. That means we’re fighting for championships, and the good thing is that we’re still involved in the winning battle for all of them, Portuguese star of the City Bernardo Silva said at a news conference on Monday.
– Of course we enjoy being able to play against the best teams in the best competitions.
You learn from your mistakes
Atlético went in the previous round to drop City’s local opponent from the United Champions League. Now its challenge is clearly greater.
– The team is now better prepared than last season. It’s disappointing, Silva referred to City’s final loss in May.
– We have been playing under Pep for years, and we learn from our mistakes.
The story continues after the picture.
Scott Carson is the only Manchester City player to ever win a Champions League. AOP
Pep Guardiola is a rarity in the current City group. In addition to the Catalan, only a third hammer Scott Carson has previously won the Champions League.
In the case of Guardiolank, there is talk of things more than a decade ago at the helm of Barcelona.
– This is the only championship we lack. Of course, it is annoying that we have not yet won it, because it is such an important competition. Only the best clubs in Europe are involved, Silva continued.
However, that doesn’t mean City wants to give up its Premier League crown. In practice, Tuesday’s matches are just a warm-up to the Liverpool fight awaiting the weekend.
It is already clear that the semi-finals of the Cup in the program at Easter will be the most insignificant of the next four matches.
– If you don’t play in these matches, you’re already out. So it’s a great pleasure to be fighting for the titles in April-May. That means we’ve been successful during the season, Guardiola said.
The mutual quarrel between Guardiola and Klopp began in the Bundesliga in late summer 2013, when a Catalan landed at the helm of Bayern Munich. The first battle was taken by Borussia Dortmund at the time.
Klopp is also the only coach to rivet Guardiola’s league championship crown this spring. It is also possible that the teams will still face each other in the Champions League final.
– We know that one mistake, one small misstep can mean losing a championship seam. That’s not a problem for us, because we just have to be ready for the next challenge, Klopp explained the importance of football festival weeks.
– We enjoy this. The rehearsals are now short and this morning’s team meeting was even shorter. This is the position we have been dreaming of.
Clear favorites
In the Euro fields, both leave in their favorite semi-finals in a clear favorite position. Atlético has improved its grip as spring progresses, but few believe it will be able to fight evenly against Guardiola’s star combination.
The story continues after the picture.
João Félix (right) is in a good mood. AOP
– People have a misconception about Atlético. The team is much more offensive than expected. (Head coach Diego) Simeone does not want to take risks, but the team has a decisive quality in the last quarter, Guardiola pointed out at least João Félixin spring condition.
City-toppari Ruben Dias is also injured on the side.
Still, anything other than a home win would be a sensation.
– It’s hard to say which team is the favorite in this race. In the final final, we were favorites against Chelsea and lost. In the league we were favorites against Tottenham and lost, Silva belittled.
– Atlético is used to playing these types of games. The match will not be easy.
An even bigger hit would be if Benfica stayed aboard Liverpool.
– Benfica is among the top eight in the Champions League. Someone might say we got an “easier” opponent, but the fact that the team is still involved says something. We have to show that we respect the opponent, the Dutch stopper Virgil van Dijk spun.
– You can have any opinion, but a tough match is promised.
The semi-finals of the Champions League can be watched on CMore’s channels and on the streaming service from 10 pm.