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Bayern Munich to meet Manchester City in UCL quarterfinals
Updated 21:20, 17-Mar-2023
CGTN
Draw result for the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals at the UEFA headquarters in in Nyon, Switzerland, March 17, 2023. /CFP
Draw result for the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals at the UEFA headquarters in in Nyon, Switzerland, March 17, 2023. /CFP

Draw result for the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals at the UEFA headquarters in in Nyon, Switzerland, March 17, 2023. /CFP

Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich will play Premier League heavyweights Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, according to the draw results on Friday.

The winner between Bayern and Man City will face either the reigning champions Real Madrid or the previous season's winners Chelsea in the semifinals of the tournament. In the other bloc of the competition, AC Milan and Napoli will have a Serie A Derby while Inter Milan meet another club from Portugal's Primeira Liga, Benfica.

Theo Hernandez (R) of AC Milan competes for the ball in the Serie A game against Napoli at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, September 18, 2022. /CFP
Theo Hernandez (R) of AC Milan competes for the ball in the Serie A game against Napoli at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, September 18, 2022. /CFP

Theo Hernandez (R) of AC Milan competes for the ball in the Serie A game against Napoli at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, September 18, 2022. /CFP

It has been five seasons since an Italian club reached the Champions League final. It was Juventus that lost to Real 4-1 during the 2016-17 campaign. Two years before that, "The Old Lady" lost to Barcelona 3-1 in the final. The last time an Italian club won the Champions League title was in the 2009-10 season when Inter beat Bayern 2-0. AC Milan hasn't appeared in the tournament's final since the 2006-07 campaign.

Now there are three Italian teams competing in the same bloc of the quarterfinals. Napoli have nearly clinched the Serie A championship this season and can focus on the European competition; neither of the two Milan teams has gone so far in the Champions League for a long time. They don't need extra motivation to battle harder this time.

Matthijs de Ligt (L) of Bayern Muenchen and Erling Haaland of Manchester City embrace each other after the pre-season friendly at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, July 23, 2022. /CFP
Matthijs de Ligt (L) of Bayern Muenchen and Erling Haaland of Manchester City embrace each other after the pre-season friendly at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, July 23, 2022. /CFP

Matthijs de Ligt (L) of Bayern Muenchen and Erling Haaland of Manchester City embrace each other after the pre-season friendly at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, July 23, 2022. /CFP

Bayern and Man City have faced each other six times before and each side had three wins. Both are at currently under a lot of pressure in their domestic leagues so they will have to figure out how to stay competitive without getting distracted.

Real and Chelsea won the Champions League title in 2022 and 2021 respectively and they both defeated an English team to do so. Real are far behind Barca in La Liga; Chelsea even have to work hard for Champions League qualification for the next season as they are currently 10th in the Premier League.

The first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals will happen on April 11 and 12 before the second leg on April 18 and 19. The semifinals are set to begin on May 9 and 10 for the first leg and May 16 and 17 for the second leg. The final will be played at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye, on June 10.

Draw result for the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League quarterfinals at the UEFA headquarters in in Nyon, Switzerland, March 17, 2023. /CFP
Draw result for the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League quarterfinals at the UEFA headquarters in in Nyon, Switzerland, March 17, 2023. /CFP

Draw result for the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League quarterfinals at the UEFA headquarters in in Nyon, Switzerland, March 17, 2023. /CFP

The draws for the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals were finished on Friday as well, and the matchups are as following:

Manchester United vs. Sevilla

Juventus vs. Sporting CP

Bayer Leverkusen vs. Union Saint-Gilloise

Feyenoord vs. Roma

Man United, which eliminated Barcelona in the Round of 32, are one of the favorites for the tournament. They have bounced back in an impressive way this season under manager Erik ten Hag. Winning a European title will be the best way to announce that the "Red Devils" are back in their prime.

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