Titanic battle between Manchester City and Bayern Munich for the Champions League

Manchester City and Bayern Munich open the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday with Pep Guardiola’s ‘derby’, who directed the German champions, and with the attraction of seeing the top two teams in the world battle it out for a place in the semi-finals finals.

Guardiola, who reached three successive semi-finals in his time at Bayern, is looking to repeat with City, where his best guarantee is the recovery of Erling Haaland, who scored a brace against Southampton this Sunday after two weeks out with a leg injury. .

The Norwegian has scored 44 goals this season, ten of them in the Champions League, City’s great obsession and for which Haaland was brought in. Now the striker must respond to a club he has scored five times in his career, but has never beaten in an official game: seven games, seven defeats.

Not too many changes are expected in Guardiola’s line-up next Tuesday, who has had Phil Foden out due to appendicitis. His only doubt is whether to put Riyad Mahrez or Bernardo Silva on the left.

In defence, one of the Spanish coach’s great experiments, the formation of three returns, with Nathan Aké, Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji, supported by John Stones, in a midfield role as City attack.

Bayern come into action against City after a turbulent few weeks that saw the loss and restoration of leadership in the Bundesliga, as well as the German Cup elimination and substitution on the bench, where Thomas Tuchel has succeeded Julian Nagelsman.

Tuchel has had little time and an urgent need to solve one key game after another.

In the Bundesliga – Nagelsmann’s end was marked by the loss of leadership – it started with a victory in the German classic against Borussia Dortmund that brought Bayern back to first place.

In the second round, however, they lost in the German Cup to Freiburg, saying goodbye to the first possible title of the season, only to play it out against the same team in the Bundesliga later and keep the lead.

The last games show that Bayern are in a situation of extreme nervousness – in the middle of the most contentious Bundesliga of the last decade – and the whole season has seen some irregularities and many ups and downs.

A bad dynamic when they have to face City in the Champions League.

In favor of Bayern, however, he says his balance in the league has been flawless so far this season. The team has counted their matches based on wins and it was in Europe where the Bavarian club showed its best version.

To do that he would now need a burst of performance from several players on the attacking side who have suffered a slump in recent weeks.

Tuchel will recover for tomorrow central defender Dayot Upamecano, who was suspended for suspension in the Bundesliga match against Freiburg. Because of this, it would be normal for Upamecano to form a central pair with Mathys De Light and for Benjamin Pavard to return to the right wing at the expense of Joao Cancelo.

Cancelo could also play on the left, so the victim would be Alphonso Davies.

Attacker Bayern has doubts about Eric-Maxim Choupo Moting, who was eliminated against Freiburg due to knee problems.

likely setups

Manchester City: Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Ake; Stones, Rodri, De Bruyne, Gundogan; Mahrez, Grealish and Haaland.

Bayern Munich: Summer; Pavard, Upamecano, De Light, Davies or Cancelo; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sané, Müller of Musiala, Eating; Choupo Moting or Muller.

Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP).

Stadium: Etihad Stadium (Manchester).

Colombia hours): 2:00.

Source: El heraldo

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