At 3:00 a.m. Beijing time on Wednesday, the first matchday of the first leg of the 2021-22 Champions League quarterfinals will begin, with Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in a strong dialogue, and Liverpool will play against Benfica.
Manchester City vs Atletico
Highlight 1: The first time we meet, who wins
Somewhat surprisingly, Manchester City and Atletico have never met in an official match in history, so this is the first time the two teams have met. Just as the so-called "narrow road meets the brave to win", who can win the first ball and seize the opportunity to advance to the top four? We'll see!
Walker and Carrasco were suspended for the first leg. And Manchester City's Cancelo, De Bruyne, Jesus, Atletico's Felix, Suarez, Condobia, Marcos Llorente, Rainierdo, as long as they eat another yellow, the second leg will also be suspended.
Highlight 2: Famous coaches duel, Guardiola vs Simeone
Guardiola coached Barca in 2008-2012 and Simeone coached Atletico in 2011, so the two have only met once in La Liga, with Guardiola winning 2-1 away. The 2015-16 Champions League semi-final was the real showdown between the two coaches, and as a result, Simeone's Bedside Army eliminated Pep's Bayern with the advantage of more goals away goals.
Highlight 3: Atletico play Manchester again
In the quarter-finals, Atletico drew another team in Manchester, Manchester United, to a 1-1 draw at home and a 1-0 win at the Theatre of Dreams. Unexpectedly, less than a month later, they were going to come to Manchester City again, but the opponent was replaced by Manchester City, which was stronger than Manchester United, could they pass the barrier this time?
Benfica vs Liverpool
Highlight 4: In the first meeting in 12 years, Liverpool's past is dominant
Historically, the two teams have met a total of 10 times, with Liverpool having a slight advantage of 6 wins and 4 losses, but the most recent was the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals in April 2010, when they completed a 4-1 comeback with a 2-1 defeat in the first leg, and Torres scored twice.
Highlight 5: Liverpool signed well? Former Champions League champions should not be underestimated
After the draw, the media generally believed that Liverpool had drawn a good draw, but Benfica's strength should not be underestimated, because they have Uruguayan striker Núñez, who has 21 goals in 23 Portuguese Premier League games and 4 goals in 8 Champions League games this season, and former Premier League stars Otamendi and Vertonghen on the defensive line.
Benfica boss Verisimo said before the game: "Ajax is also very strong, but we still managed to qualify. It's good for us to have home and then go, because we can get the support of the fans. We have to be in a good competitive position and believe that we can use the tactics of the game against Jaffa to achieve a draw. ”
Highlight 6: Klopp's relationship with Lisbon
Klopp has a strong relationship with Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, where Benfica is located. In 2015, while on holiday here, he received an invitation to coach Liverpool outside a café, so he ended his holiday early and ushered in a new era. Since then, Uncle Scum has not been to Lisbon until this time.