At 3:00 a.m. Beijing time on Thursday, the second matchday of the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, Atletico Madrid will face Manchester City at home, and the winner will face Real Madrid; Liverpool will play Benfica at home, and the winner will face Villarreal.
Atletico vs Manchester City
Watch point 1: 0-1 in the first leg, can Atletico reverse
In the first leg at the Etihad Stadium, Atletico lost 0-1 and failed to conquer Manchester in two consecutive games. However, the one-goal difference is not large, and the rules for away goals have been abolished, so the Bedside Army, which returned home, is not without the possibility of reversing the promotion, and the last time they reached the final four of the Champions League was in the 2016-17 season.
Highlight 2: Two consecutive years in the final four? Manchester City charge the all-time record
Last season, City made a historic promotion to the Champions League final, eventually finishing runners-up. If Atletico can be eliminated now, it will be the first time in the history of the Blue Moons that they have reached the final four of the Champions League for two consecutive seasons. Of course, if atletico are reversed and eliminated, their treble dream this season will be shattered.
Highlight 3: Guardiola Simeone fights again
In the first leg, the two famous coaches fought, Simeone discharged a 550 defensive formation, and the whole game was 0 shots! Faced with an unfavorable situation in the second leg, he certainly could not be so conservative. Guardiola has just fought with Klopp, and now he is fighting the Iron Marshal, hoping to avenge being eliminated in the 2016 semi-finals.
Watch point 4: Can the lattice + new C Luo break out?
Griezmann is Atletico's best player in the Champions League, having contributed 4 goals and 2 assists, and Simeone's side needs him to break out again if they want to reverse. Felix was the hero of the elimination of Manchester United, and at the crucial moment, he must prove his strength again.
Liverpool vs Benfica
Highlight 5: 3-1 in the first leg, Liverpool reached the semi-final four with one foot?
Liverpool won 3-1 in the first leg, although the away scoring rules have been abolished, but this is still a very favorable result, whether from the historical record or media forecasts, the Reds have basically reached the final four of the Champions League with one foot, and the last time they won in the first leg, the second leg was reversed, or lost to Bayer Leverkusen 20 years ago.
Highlight 6: Liverpool's unbeaten home record is over
In the second leg of the quarter-finals, Liverpool lost 1-0 to Inter and the 28-home unbeaten record has been ended. Only two teams in the history of the Champions League knockout have scored two goals at Anfield, one of them Benfica, but it is already the 2005-06 season.
Watch point 7: Can Nunez continue to score?
Benfica's Uruguayan striker Núñez has performed amazingly, scoring 5 goals in the Champions League this season, and the Portuguese Premier League has scored 24 goals in 24 games, which is the most goalscored U23 player in the European League, and has also been favored by many giants.