Manchester City are on course for a meeting with incoming manager Pep Guardiola in the Champions League final next month, if they can negotiate a semi-final with ten-time champions Real Madrid.
Advertisement
Wednesday night was a defining night in the seasons of Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich as they advanced to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Their only previous tie against City came in 2012 when the Spanish side won 3-2 at home before drawing 1-1 in Manchester.
“They are all great teams for us, but for Atletico Madrid to be among the four best in Europe is a big step”.
Diego Simeone’s men also reached the Champions League final that season before losing in heartbreaking fashion to local rivals Real Madrid in the final.
“The game [on Wednesday] was very hard for everyone but I think the result is fair because Atleti, on the balance of the two games, played better than Barca”.
“We won’t be winning it this year and the team are feeling sad”, the coach said in a post-match press conference on Wednesday, reports Efe.
Atlético defeated Barca 3-2 in a hotly contested quarter-final, whilst Real overturned a 2-0 first leg deficit to defeat Wolfsburg 3-2 on aggregate, thanks to a hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo. The best way to go about predicting is to play the individual teams in different combinations as you see fit.
Since the Villarreal game, Barcelona’s trio of high-profile forwards managed to score only two goals in four matches – both times with Suarez in the first leg against Atletico, after Fernando Torres was sent off in the first half.
“A team that eliminates the title holders has to be taken very, very seriously”, said Bayern board member Andreas Jung.
Atleti, who knocked out defending champions Barcelona earlier this week, will host the first leg against German powerhouses Bayern Munich.
Advertisement
Saul headed against the bar as Barca toiled before Griezmann scored a late penalty after Andres Iniesta handled.
