Chapter 379 Manchester City VS Bayern Real Madrid VS Barcelona, the strongest semi-finals in history!
"Bloody massacre, Bayern strongly responded to external doubts!"
"Bayern 8:1 Porto, breaking the record of the biggest score difference in the Champions League quarter-finals!"
"The Bundesliga giants are unstoppable, and the Portuguese Super League giants are slaughtered!"
《This is the true strength of Bayern Munich! 》
…
After this round of the Champions League ended, the outside world was shocked by the exaggerated score between Bayern and Porto.
This is the Champions League knockout stage, not the Champions League group stage!
There are some teams from lower-level leagues in the Champions League group stage. There is a huge gap between their strength and the top giants, so they are often beaten badly in the group stage.
But this is a knockout round, and it's the second round of knockouts.
Those weaker teams had already been eliminated, and the teams that managed to make it to the knockout stage were also eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage.
It can be said that there is no weak team among the teams that can enter the quarterfinals.
Although Porto is not a team from the top five leagues, they are at least the overlord of the Portuguese Super League and a top-tier team in the recent Champions League.
Their European points are enough to prove their strength, and they are definitely not a weak team! But even so, they were still beaten by Bayern with such a terrifying score difference, which made outsiders feel extremely terrified of Bayern's offensive strength.
How strong is Heynckes' Bayern Munich in terms of attack? Can they even beat the top eight teams in the Champions League?
Such a strong Bayern, plus last year's champion Manchester City and the two La Liga giants.
The top four teams in the Champions League this time are so exciting! It can be said that these four teams are the four strongest teams in football today. The battle between them is exciting just thinking about it!
Fans can't wait to watch the Champions League semi-final!
However, before the semi-finals begin, a draw must be made to determine the opponents.
"Irresponsible predictions for the semi-finals: Real Madrid vs Barcelona, Manchester City vs Bayern!"
"Brother, that's a good idea. The civil war in La Liga is always very popular and attracts a lot of attention.
The match between Manchester City and Bayern is Guardiola's battle to prove his reputation, full of gimmicks. Both of these matches are top-notch in terms of gimmicks and excitement!"
"Considering the feud between Bayern and Barcelona, it is not ruled out that UEFA will arrange a match between them in the semi-finals."
"Yes, Barcelona is determined to avenge the 7-0 defeat by Bayern two years ago. If these two teams meet in the semi-finals, it will definitely be a battle of Mars hitting the Earth!"
"Real Madrid was eliminated by Manchester City in the semi-finals last season, and they must want revenge. If Manchester City and Real Madrid meet in the semi-finals, the game here will be equally exciting. This arrangement is indeed not bad!"
"I think UEFA might use the feud between Lin Quan and Barcelona to arrange for Manchester City and Barcelona to meet in the semi-finals!"
"Barcelona has always wanted to bring Lin Quan and Guardiola back to Camp Nou. If UEFA can make a small move to meet their requirements and let the father and son return as Manchester City coach and player, I think the audience will like this plot very much, right?"
"Oh, it's really a dilemma. The strength of these four teams is almost the same. It will be exciting if any of them play against each other. It would be great if they could take turns playing against each other!"
It is precisely because they are strong enough that they have attracted the attention of countless fans before the semi-finals even started.
On April 24, the much-anticipated draw ceremony for the 2014-2015 UEFA Champions League semi-finals was held at UEFA headquarters.
Guardiola attended the draw ceremony with club president Fahim. Before the ceremony began, he went to say hello to the coaches of several other teams.
However, he did not greet Heynckes, not because he did not respect Heynckes, but because he saw Bayern club manager Hoeness sitting next to Heynckes.
What Guardiola hates is Hoeness! Like last year, there are still two La Liga teams in this year's semi-finals.
However, last year it was the duo of Madrid, but this year it has become the duo of Spanish Super League.
If Atletico had not met Real Madrid early on, with Atletico's strength, they might have been able to make it to the semi-finals. In that case, it would have become a situation where the three giants of La Liga were besieging the remaining team.
Since Guardiola created the Dream Team III dynasty at Barcelona, La Liga has begun to rise strongly.
First, Barcelona's passing and controlling football was invincible in Europe, and then Real Madrid, deeply stimulated, frantically prepared for the ban and introduced a number of big-name stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo to improve its strength.
Finally, dark horses like Atletico Madrid emerge as disruptors.
La Liga teams are not only very strong in the Champions League, but also have a good record in the Europa League, especially Sevilla.
This team has won the Europa League for three consecutive years and is almost monopolizing the trophy.
This has led many fans to jokingly call the Europa League the Sevilla Cup! However, although the two La Liga giants are strong, they are not invincible.
The defending champion Manchester City eliminated Barcelona and Real Madrid in succession last year, and also defeated Atletico Madrid, also from La Liga, in the final. It can be said that they single-handedly won the La Liga copy.
As for Bayern, this veteran powerhouse has played against the two giants of La Liga many times, with both sides winning and losing. In recent years, Bayern has had the advantage.
So we don’t know who will win until the end.
At 12 o'clock sharp, UEFA Secretary General Infantino and former German international and final ambassador Riedl appeared on the scene and began the draw.
The first team Riedel picked was Barcelona, and the camera immediately turned to Barcelona's president Bartomeu.
The latter moved his butt slightly and subconsciously glanced at the area where the Manchester City representatives were.
The painful experience of being defeated by Manchester City both at home and away last year has made Barcelona somewhat wary of Manchester City.
And now, Manchester City not only has Lin Quan, but also Guardiola who knows Barcelona very well.
So for Barcelona, among these three teams, the one they least want to meet is Manchester City.
Fortunately, Bartomeu's worries soon disappeared, because the team Infantino drew was not Manchester City, but their league rival - Real Madrid!
After seeing the draw, there was a burst of discussion at the scene.
La Liga national derby in the Champions League semi-final? UEFA really knows how to play it!
There are only four teams in the semi-finals. After two teams are drawn, there is no need to draw the remaining two teams. The situation of the game is already very clear.
The matchups between the four teams in the semi-finals are: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, Manchester City vs. Bayern.
However, the team drawn first will play at home first and away later.
Such a schedule is slightly disadvantageous for the team, so even if we already know the matchups between the remaining two teams, the drawing process still has to go through.
Bayern's manager Hoeness couldn't help but sit up straight, muttering to himself:
Don't draw Bayern first, don't draw Bayern first! The old coach Heynckes sitting next to Hoeness looked indifferent. Whether it is home first and away, or away first and home, it doesn't matter to a truly strong team.
If Bayern is strong enough, even if they play at home first and away later, they can completely defeat their opponents in the first round and kill the suspense of promotion, just like they just slaughtered Porto 8:1 at home.
If they can win by three or even four goals at home, can their opponents still turn the tables away from home? On the Manchester City side, Fahim was also a little nervous. Drawing Bayern was not a good draw for Manchester City.
However, seeing that Guardiola looked as unmoved as a mountain, Fahim felt a little relieved.
With Lin Quan and Guardiola, Manchester City doesn't need to fear anyone!
Riedel quickly pulled out one of the remaining two balls and opened it. The name on it was - Manchester City! Seeing this result, Hoeness was relieved.
Manchester City was drawn first, which means Bayern will play away first and then at home.
This schedule is quite favorable for Bayern to advance to the final. After all, as long as they are not massacred by Manchester City in the first game, the decisive battle to determine the advancement of both sides will be held at Bayern's home court.
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Given Bayern's horrific home record in the past few seasons, he doesn't think Manchester City can take any advantage at the Allianz Arena! The two rounds of matches between Manchester City and Bayern are scheduled for May 5 and May 12 respectively.
This period of time is almost the final few rounds of the major leagues.
For Bayern, who are far ahead in the standings, perhaps they don't even have to wait until then, as they have already won the championship.
But for Manchester City, they have no advantage in the standings and have to fight hard one game after another! Therefore, when the semi-finals come, Bayern can focus all their energy on the Champions League, but Manchester City can't.
There is more bad news for Manchester City.
This season's Champions League final will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on June 6.
The favorable schedule and the final being held in their own capital city have stimulated Bayern to bring out their best form in the semi-finals to fulfill their dream of lifting the Big Ear Cup in their own country.
Therefore, it is better to draw Real Madrid and Barcelona than to draw Bayern!
…
After the draw ceremony for the Champions League semi-finals, the bookmakers quickly opened new odds.
In the civil war between the two giants of La Liga, bookmakers are more optimistic about Barcelona.
After all, in the Spanish national derby not long ago, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid, and MSN demonstrated its strength to overwhelm the BBC.
In the match between Manchester City and Bayern, bookmakers are more optimistic about Bayern based on the schedule and recent game status.
After all, one is fighting on a single front and the other is fighting on two fronts, and the two sides' states in the Champions League may be very different.
The opinions of the media and experts are similar to those of the bookmakers. They also believe that Bayern, who won the championship in advance, will have more advantages.
"Manchester City's biggest problems now are physical fitness and injuries. How to reasonably allocate physical fitness and avoid injuries will determine how far they can go in the end!"
A famous veteran said it pointedly.
…
On April 25, the 34th round of the Premier League kicked off.
It seems to confirm the outside world's speculation that Manchester City's state has been obviously affected by fighting on two fronts.
In the home game against Aston Villa, they led their opponents 2:0 in the first half thanks to goals from Lin Quan and Aguero.
But in the second half, especially after the 70th minute, the players' condition began to decline due to decreased physical strength.
Aston Villa seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack and evened the score at one point.
When the game reached the 85th minute and the opponent's player scored the second goal to tie the score, the Etihad Stadium was silent.
The Blue Moon fans all widened their eyes with a look of disbelief on their faces.
What happened to their own team? How could they be tied with such a big lead?
A rare look of worry appeared on Guardiola's face. If the opponent draws in this game, they will fall behind Chelsea by 5 points.
There are still four rounds left in the league, and a five-point advantage almost ensures Chelsea will win the championship.
Fortunately, in injury time, Van Dijk headed the ball in the penalty area and scored a crucial goal for Manchester City, helping them to narrowly beat their opponents 3:2!
After the game, Guardiola took Van Dijk to the press conference and praised him lavishly without hesitation.
Since joining Manchester City, Van Dijk has gradually secured his position as a main player and his performance has been getting better and better.
Thanks to his outstanding performance in the club, he even attracted the attention of the Dutch national team coach and was called up to the Dutch national team.
Upon learning that Manchester City had luckily gotten the three points, the Chelsea players who were waiting to open the champagne next door were depressed to death.
But it doesn't matter, as long as their home team can beat Wenger's Arsenal away, they can still maintain their lead over Manchester City.
However, when the game at the Emirates Stadium ended, Chelsea fans fell silent when they saw the glaring 0:0 score on the scoreboard.
In the fifth to last round of the league, they were tied by the Gunners and lost 2 crucial points, which caused their lead in the standings to shrink from 3 points to 1 point! There are still 4 rounds left in the league, Chelsea is only 1 point ahead, they have no room for error! If they draw one more game, they are likely to lose their leading position!
"It doesn't matter. The Champions League semi-finals are about to begin. In the next game, Manchester City will go to White Hart Lane to challenge Tottenham. I don't believe they dare to fight with Tottenham in the away game!"
"That's right, they will play Tottenham on May 3rd, and they will face the challenge of Bayern at home on May 6th. If they consume too much energy at Tottenham, they may not be able to beat Bayern at home!"
In the eyes of Chelsea, Manchester City, which has already reached the semi-finals, will definitely try their best to defend the Champions League title.
This is a feat that no one has ever accomplished since the Champions League was restructured.
If Manchester City can do this, then with two Champions League trophies and the success of defending the title, they will undoubtedly be promoted to a top club and officially become a member of the Premier League BIG5! If it were them, they would definitely choose to fight for the Champions League. After all, even if Manchester City gave up the league, it would not affect their European competition spot.
(End of this chapter)