Forty years ago, en route to winning the European Cup, Aston Villa’s footballers faced challenges on and off the field that would shock today’s elite pros. The latest issue of Champions Journal recounts the memories of several Villa old boys, offering some striking examples – from cockroaches in their bread rolls on a trip behind the Iron Curtain to the in-game problem-solving required when playing opponents they had literally never seen in action before.
As highlighted by the ditching of the away-goals rule this season, the Champions League away trip is not the box of surprises it once was. That said, for holders Chelsea and Benfica this week, the task both sides face in their respective quarter-final away legs is arguably as daunting as it gets. After all, their respective 3-1 home defeats by Real Madrid and Liverpool last week leave them needing to scale two of the great fortresses of the European game, the Santiago Bernabéu and Anfield.
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel describes the holders’ challenge as “almost impossible”. He will know it is possible, given his Paris Saint-Germain side lost a Champions League tie to Manchester United in 2018/2019 having won the first leg 2-0 at Old Trafford. And yet to offer some historical context about the task ahead, Madrid have triumphed in 34 of the 36 ties in which they earned a first-leg away win in UEFA competition. The only exceptions were against Ajax in the 2018/19 Champions League round of 16 (2-1 a, 1-4 h) and against Odense in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup third round (3-2 a, 0-2 h).
Chelsea’s own history includes just one victory by more than a single-goal margin in Spain – and that was at an empty Sánchez-Pizjuán against Sevilla last season. Tuchel’s men hit six goals at Southampton last Saturday but with due respect, St Mary’s is not the Bernabéu on a Champions League quarter-final night.
As for Benfica, curiously, all four of their previous victories in England have been by the two-goal margin which would earn them extra time at Anfield on Wednesday – including a 2-0 round of16 success at Liverpool in 2005/06 to depose the then reigning champions.
Darwin Núñez, their centre-forward, had the boost of a hat-trick against Belensenses last weekend but from the bottom club in Portugal’s top flight to Liverpool at Anfield is a leap of Neil Armstrong proportions. Liverpool’s outstanding form in the here and now suggests there can only be one realistic outcome. So do the history books which show the Reds have prevailed in all 35 of the UEFA competition ties in which they won the away first leg including against Internazionale in this season's round of 16 (despite losing the second leg at home).
If there is a positive for Chelsea and Benfica, it’s that the absence of the away-goals rule means a 2-0 scoreline at the end of 90 minutes would be enough to earn extra time; 12 months ago they’d have needed three goals as a minimum.
On the last four occasions Real Madrid faced the reigning champions, they dethroned them and then took their trophy, beating Borussia Dortmund (SF, 1998), Manchester United (QF, 2000), Bayern München (QF, 2002), and Bayern again (SF, 2014).
Of the goalkeepers involved in the quarter-finals who have made more than one appearance in this season’s competition, Villarreal’s Gerónimo Rulli, is in the top three for both the most saves (31) and the highest save percentage – his 75.6% surpassed only by Benfica’s Odisseas Vlachodimos and Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois. Additionally, the Spaniard has claimed nine crosses, a total matched only by Jan Oblak of Atlético de Madrid, and cleared more balls (eight) than any other sweeper-keeper. On Tuesday night, he faces the competition’s 27-goal top scorers, Bayern, as the Bavarians seek to overturn their 1-0 first-leg loss at the Estadio de la Cerámica. If Villarreal are to hold on to their advantage, you suspect that Rulli – the shootout hero of last season’s Europa League final – will have to shine again.
Having had the privilege of seeing the Metropolitano at its cauldron-like best for Liverpool’s visit (and defeat) two years ago, I would be reluctant to dismiss Atlético’s prospects of overturning their 1-0 deficit against Premier League leaders Manchester City. That said, they will need all the backing they can get if they are to earn a first victory in seven European fixtures at their home stadium.
For City this match may be sandwiched by two big domestic dates with Liverpool (Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final following on from last weekend’s 2-2 league draw) but as Jack Grealish tells the latest issue of Champions Journal: “It’s brilliant if we can go and win every competition that we’re in, but that being one that we haven’t won yet, that’s what we have our eyes on.” Curiously, City’s immediate mission is to become the first side to successfully defend a first-leg home advantage against Atleti since another club from the northwest of England, Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers, achieved the feat in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup – when they won 1-0 at the then Reebok Stadium, prior to a 0-0 draw at the Vicente Calderón.
Forty years ago, en route to winning the European Cup, Aston Villa’s footballers faced challenges on and off the field that would shock today’s elite pros. The latest issue of Champions Journal recounts the memories of several Villa old boys, offering some striking examples – from cockroaches in their bread rolls on a trip behind the Iron Curtain to the in-game problem-solving required when playing opponents they had literally never seen in action before.
As highlighted by the ditching of the away-goals rule this season, the Champions League away trip is not the box of surprises it once was. That said, for holders Chelsea and Benfica this week, the task both sides face in their respective quarter-final away legs is arguably as daunting as it gets. After all, their respective 3-1 home defeats by Real Madrid and Liverpool last week leave them needing to scale two of the great fortresses of the European game, the Santiago Bernabéu and Anfield.
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel describes the holders’ challenge as “almost impossible”. He will know it is possible, given his Paris Saint-Germain side lost a Champions League tie to Manchester United in 2018/2019 having won the first leg 2-0 at Old Trafford. And yet to offer some historical context about the task ahead, Madrid have triumphed in 34 of the 36 ties in which they earned a first-leg away win in UEFA competition. The only exceptions were against Ajax in the 2018/19 Champions League round of 16 (2-1 a, 1-4 h) and against Odense in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup third round (3-2 a, 0-2 h).
Chelsea’s own history includes just one victory by more than a single-goal margin in Spain – and that was at an empty Sánchez-Pizjuán against Sevilla last season. Tuchel’s men hit six goals at Southampton last Saturday but with due respect, St Mary’s is not the Bernabéu on a Champions League quarter-final night.
As for Benfica, curiously, all four of their previous victories in England have been by the two-goal margin which would earn them extra time at Anfield on Wednesday – including a 2-0 round of16 success at Liverpool in 2005/06 to depose the then reigning champions.
Darwin Núñez, their centre-forward, had the boost of a hat-trick against Belensenses last weekend but from the bottom club in Portugal’s top flight to Liverpool at Anfield is a leap of Neil Armstrong proportions. Liverpool’s outstanding form in the here and now suggests there can only be one realistic outcome. So do the history books which show the Reds have prevailed in all 35 of the UEFA competition ties in which they won the away first leg including against Internazionale in this season's round of 16 (despite losing the second leg at home).
If there is a positive for Chelsea and Benfica, it’s that the absence of the away-goals rule means a 2-0 scoreline at the end of 90 minutes would be enough to earn extra time; 12 months ago they’d have needed three goals as a minimum.
On the last four occasions Real Madrid faced the reigning champions, they dethroned them and then took their trophy, beating Borussia Dortmund (SF, 1998), Manchester United (QF, 2000), Bayern München (QF, 2002), and Bayern again (SF, 2014).
Of the goalkeepers involved in the quarter-finals who have made more than one appearance in this season’s competition, Villarreal’s Gerónimo Rulli, is in the top three for both the most saves (31) and the highest save percentage – his 75.6% surpassed only by Benfica’s Odisseas Vlachodimos and Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois. Additionally, the Spaniard has claimed nine crosses, a total matched only by Jan Oblak of Atlético de Madrid, and cleared more balls (eight) than any other sweeper-keeper. On Tuesday night, he faces the competition’s 27-goal top scorers, Bayern, as the Bavarians seek to overturn their 1-0 first-leg loss at the Estadio de la Cerámica. If Villarreal are to hold on to their advantage, you suspect that Rulli – the shootout hero of last season’s Europa League final – will have to shine again.
Having had the privilege of seeing the Metropolitano at its cauldron-like best for Liverpool’s visit (and defeat) two years ago, I would be reluctant to dismiss Atlético’s prospects of overturning their 1-0 deficit against Premier League leaders Manchester City. That said, they will need all the backing they can get if they are to earn a first victory in seven European fixtures at their home stadium.
For City this match may be sandwiched by two big domestic dates with Liverpool (Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final following on from last weekend’s 2-2 league draw) but as Jack Grealish tells the latest issue of Champions Journal: “It’s brilliant if we can go and win every competition that we’re in, but that being one that we haven’t won yet, that’s what we have our eyes on.” Curiously, City’s immediate mission is to become the first side to successfully defend a first-leg home advantage against Atleti since another club from the northwest of England, Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers, achieved the feat in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup – when they won 1-0 at the then Reebok Stadium, prior to a 0-0 draw at the Vicente Calderón.
Forty years ago, en route to winning the European Cup, Aston Villa’s footballers faced challenges on and off the field that would shock today’s elite pros. The latest issue of Champions Journal recounts the memories of several Villa old boys, offering some striking examples – from cockroaches in their bread rolls on a trip behind the Iron Curtain to the in-game problem-solving required when playing opponents they had literally never seen in action before.
As highlighted by the ditching of the away-goals rule this season, the Champions League away trip is not the box of surprises it once was. That said, for holders Chelsea and Benfica this week, the task both sides face in their respective quarter-final away legs is arguably as daunting as it gets. After all, their respective 3-1 home defeats by Real Madrid and Liverpool last week leave them needing to scale two of the great fortresses of the European game, the Santiago Bernabéu and Anfield.
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel describes the holders’ challenge as “almost impossible”. He will know it is possible, given his Paris Saint-Germain side lost a Champions League tie to Manchester United in 2018/2019 having won the first leg 2-0 at Old Trafford. And yet to offer some historical context about the task ahead, Madrid have triumphed in 34 of the 36 ties in which they earned a first-leg away win in UEFA competition. The only exceptions were against Ajax in the 2018/19 Champions League round of 16 (2-1 a, 1-4 h) and against Odense in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup third round (3-2 a, 0-2 h).
Chelsea’s own history includes just one victory by more than a single-goal margin in Spain – and that was at an empty Sánchez-Pizjuán against Sevilla last season. Tuchel’s men hit six goals at Southampton last Saturday but with due respect, St Mary’s is not the Bernabéu on a Champions League quarter-final night.
As for Benfica, curiously, all four of their previous victories in England have been by the two-goal margin which would earn them extra time at Anfield on Wednesday – including a 2-0 round of16 success at Liverpool in 2005/06 to depose the then reigning champions.
Darwin Núñez, their centre-forward, had the boost of a hat-trick against Belensenses last weekend but from the bottom club in Portugal’s top flight to Liverpool at Anfield is a leap of Neil Armstrong proportions. Liverpool’s outstanding form in the here and now suggests there can only be one realistic outcome. So do the history books which show the Reds have prevailed in all 35 of the UEFA competition ties in which they won the away first leg including against Internazionale in this season's round of 16 (despite losing the second leg at home).
If there is a positive for Chelsea and Benfica, it’s that the absence of the away-goals rule means a 2-0 scoreline at the end of 90 minutes would be enough to earn extra time; 12 months ago they’d have needed three goals as a minimum.
On the last four occasions Real Madrid faced the reigning champions, they dethroned them and then took their trophy, beating Borussia Dortmund (SF, 1998), Manchester United (QF, 2000), Bayern München (QF, 2002), and Bayern again (SF, 2014).
Of the goalkeepers involved in the quarter-finals who have made more than one appearance in this season’s competition, Villarreal’s Gerónimo Rulli, is in the top three for both the most saves (31) and the highest save percentage – his 75.6% surpassed only by Benfica’s Odisseas Vlachodimos and Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois. Additionally, the Spaniard has claimed nine crosses, a total matched only by Jan Oblak of Atlético de Madrid, and cleared more balls (eight) than any other sweeper-keeper. On Tuesday night, he faces the competition’s 27-goal top scorers, Bayern, as the Bavarians seek to overturn their 1-0 first-leg loss at the Estadio de la Cerámica. If Villarreal are to hold on to their advantage, you suspect that Rulli – the shootout hero of last season’s Europa League final – will have to shine again.
Having had the privilege of seeing the Metropolitano at its cauldron-like best for Liverpool’s visit (and defeat) two years ago, I would be reluctant to dismiss Atlético’s prospects of overturning their 1-0 deficit against Premier League leaders Manchester City. That said, they will need all the backing they can get if they are to earn a first victory in seven European fixtures at their home stadium.
For City this match may be sandwiched by two big domestic dates with Liverpool (Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final following on from last weekend’s 2-2 league draw) but as Jack Grealish tells the latest issue of Champions Journal: “It’s brilliant if we can go and win every competition that we’re in, but that being one that we haven’t won yet, that’s what we have our eyes on.” Curiously, City’s immediate mission is to become the first side to successfully defend a first-leg home advantage against Atleti since another club from the northwest of England, Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers, achieved the feat in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup – when they won 1-0 at the then Reebok Stadium, prior to a 0-0 draw at the Vicente Calderón.
Forty years ago, en route to winning the European Cup, Aston Villa’s footballers faced challenges on and off the field that would shock today’s elite pros. The latest issue of Champions Journal recounts the memories of several Villa old boys, offering some striking examples – from cockroaches in their bread rolls on a trip behind the Iron Curtain to the in-game problem-solving required when playing opponents they had literally never seen in action before.
As highlighted by the ditching of the away-goals rule this season, the Champions League away trip is not the box of surprises it once was. That said, for holders Chelsea and Benfica this week, the task both sides face in their respective quarter-final away legs is arguably as daunting as it gets. After all, their respective 3-1 home defeats by Real Madrid and Liverpool last week leave them needing to scale two of the great fortresses of the European game, the Santiago Bernabéu and Anfield.
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel describes the holders’ challenge as “almost impossible”. He will know it is possible, given his Paris Saint-Germain side lost a Champions League tie to Manchester United in 2018/2019 having won the first leg 2-0 at Old Trafford. And yet to offer some historical context about the task ahead, Madrid have triumphed in 34 of the 36 ties in which they earned a first-leg away win in UEFA competition. The only exceptions were against Ajax in the 2018/19 Champions League round of 16 (2-1 a, 1-4 h) and against Odense in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup third round (3-2 a, 0-2 h).
Chelsea’s own history includes just one victory by more than a single-goal margin in Spain – and that was at an empty Sánchez-Pizjuán against Sevilla last season. Tuchel’s men hit six goals at Southampton last Saturday but with due respect, St Mary’s is not the Bernabéu on a Champions League quarter-final night.
As for Benfica, curiously, all four of their previous victories in England have been by the two-goal margin which would earn them extra time at Anfield on Wednesday – including a 2-0 round of16 success at Liverpool in 2005/06 to depose the then reigning champions.
Darwin Núñez, their centre-forward, had the boost of a hat-trick against Belensenses last weekend but from the bottom club in Portugal’s top flight to Liverpool at Anfield is a leap of Neil Armstrong proportions. Liverpool’s outstanding form in the here and now suggests there can only be one realistic outcome. So do the history books which show the Reds have prevailed in all 35 of the UEFA competition ties in which they won the away first leg including against Internazionale in this season's round of 16 (despite losing the second leg at home).
If there is a positive for Chelsea and Benfica, it’s that the absence of the away-goals rule means a 2-0 scoreline at the end of 90 minutes would be enough to earn extra time; 12 months ago they’d have needed three goals as a minimum.
On the last four occasions Real Madrid faced the reigning champions, they dethroned them and then took their trophy, beating Borussia Dortmund (SF, 1998), Manchester United (QF, 2000), Bayern München (QF, 2002), and Bayern again (SF, 2014).
Of the goalkeepers involved in the quarter-finals who have made more than one appearance in this season’s competition, Villarreal’s Gerónimo Rulli, is in the top three for both the most saves (31) and the highest save percentage – his 75.6% surpassed only by Benfica’s Odisseas Vlachodimos and Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois. Additionally, the Spaniard has claimed nine crosses, a total matched only by Jan Oblak of Atlético de Madrid, and cleared more balls (eight) than any other sweeper-keeper. On Tuesday night, he faces the competition’s 27-goal top scorers, Bayern, as the Bavarians seek to overturn their 1-0 first-leg loss at the Estadio de la Cerámica. If Villarreal are to hold on to their advantage, you suspect that Rulli – the shootout hero of last season’s Europa League final – will have to shine again.
Having had the privilege of seeing the Metropolitano at its cauldron-like best for Liverpool’s visit (and defeat) two years ago, I would be reluctant to dismiss Atlético’s prospects of overturning their 1-0 deficit against Premier League leaders Manchester City. That said, they will need all the backing they can get if they are to earn a first victory in seven European fixtures at their home stadium.
For City this match may be sandwiched by two big domestic dates with Liverpool (Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final following on from last weekend’s 2-2 league draw) but as Jack Grealish tells the latest issue of Champions Journal: “It’s brilliant if we can go and win every competition that we’re in, but that being one that we haven’t won yet, that’s what we have our eyes on.” Curiously, City’s immediate mission is to become the first side to successfully defend a first-leg home advantage against Atleti since another club from the northwest of England, Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers, achieved the feat in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup – when they won 1-0 at the then Reebok Stadium, prior to a 0-0 draw at the Vicente Calderón.
Forty years ago, en route to winning the European Cup, Aston Villa’s footballers faced challenges on and off the field that would shock today’s elite pros. The latest issue of Champions Journal recounts the memories of several Villa old boys, offering some striking examples – from cockroaches in their bread rolls on a trip behind the Iron Curtain to the in-game problem-solving required when playing opponents they had literally never seen in action before.
As highlighted by the ditching of the away-goals rule this season, the Champions League away trip is not the box of surprises it once was. That said, for holders Chelsea and Benfica this week, the task both sides face in their respective quarter-final away legs is arguably as daunting as it gets. After all, their respective 3-1 home defeats by Real Madrid and Liverpool last week leave them needing to scale two of the great fortresses of the European game, the Santiago Bernabéu and Anfield.
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel describes the holders’ challenge as “almost impossible”. He will know it is possible, given his Paris Saint-Germain side lost a Champions League tie to Manchester United in 2018/2019 having won the first leg 2-0 at Old Trafford. And yet to offer some historical context about the task ahead, Madrid have triumphed in 34 of the 36 ties in which they earned a first-leg away win in UEFA competition. The only exceptions were against Ajax in the 2018/19 Champions League round of 16 (2-1 a, 1-4 h) and against Odense in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup third round (3-2 a, 0-2 h).
Chelsea’s own history includes just one victory by more than a single-goal margin in Spain – and that was at an empty Sánchez-Pizjuán against Sevilla last season. Tuchel’s men hit six goals at Southampton last Saturday but with due respect, St Mary’s is not the Bernabéu on a Champions League quarter-final night.
As for Benfica, curiously, all four of their previous victories in England have been by the two-goal margin which would earn them extra time at Anfield on Wednesday – including a 2-0 round of16 success at Liverpool in 2005/06 to depose the then reigning champions.
Darwin Núñez, their centre-forward, had the boost of a hat-trick against Belensenses last weekend but from the bottom club in Portugal’s top flight to Liverpool at Anfield is a leap of Neil Armstrong proportions. Liverpool’s outstanding form in the here and now suggests there can only be one realistic outcome. So do the history books which show the Reds have prevailed in all 35 of the UEFA competition ties in which they won the away first leg including against Internazionale in this season's round of 16 (despite losing the second leg at home).
If there is a positive for Chelsea and Benfica, it’s that the absence of the away-goals rule means a 2-0 scoreline at the end of 90 minutes would be enough to earn extra time; 12 months ago they’d have needed three goals as a minimum.
On the last four occasions Real Madrid faced the reigning champions, they dethroned them and then took their trophy, beating Borussia Dortmund (SF, 1998), Manchester United (QF, 2000), Bayern München (QF, 2002), and Bayern again (SF, 2014).
Of the goalkeepers involved in the quarter-finals who have made more than one appearance in this season’s competition, Villarreal’s Gerónimo Rulli, is in the top three for both the most saves (31) and the highest save percentage – his 75.6% surpassed only by Benfica’s Odisseas Vlachodimos and Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois. Additionally, the Spaniard has claimed nine crosses, a total matched only by Jan Oblak of Atlético de Madrid, and cleared more balls (eight) than any other sweeper-keeper. On Tuesday night, he faces the competition’s 27-goal top scorers, Bayern, as the Bavarians seek to overturn their 1-0 first-leg loss at the Estadio de la Cerámica. If Villarreal are to hold on to their advantage, you suspect that Rulli – the shootout hero of last season’s Europa League final – will have to shine again.
Having had the privilege of seeing the Metropolitano at its cauldron-like best for Liverpool’s visit (and defeat) two years ago, I would be reluctant to dismiss Atlético’s prospects of overturning their 1-0 deficit against Premier League leaders Manchester City. That said, they will need all the backing they can get if they are to earn a first victory in seven European fixtures at their home stadium.
For City this match may be sandwiched by two big domestic dates with Liverpool (Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final following on from last weekend’s 2-2 league draw) but as Jack Grealish tells the latest issue of Champions Journal: “It’s brilliant if we can go and win every competition that we’re in, but that being one that we haven’t won yet, that’s what we have our eyes on.” Curiously, City’s immediate mission is to become the first side to successfully defend a first-leg home advantage against Atleti since another club from the northwest of England, Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers, achieved the feat in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup – when they won 1-0 at the then Reebok Stadium, prior to a 0-0 draw at the Vicente Calderón.
Forty years ago, en route to winning the European Cup, Aston Villa’s footballers faced challenges on and off the field that would shock today’s elite pros. The latest issue of Champions Journal recounts the memories of several Villa old boys, offering some striking examples – from cockroaches in their bread rolls on a trip behind the Iron Curtain to the in-game problem-solving required when playing opponents they had literally never seen in action before.
As highlighted by the ditching of the away-goals rule this season, the Champions League away trip is not the box of surprises it once was. That said, for holders Chelsea and Benfica this week, the task both sides face in their respective quarter-final away legs is arguably as daunting as it gets. After all, their respective 3-1 home defeats by Real Madrid and Liverpool last week leave them needing to scale two of the great fortresses of the European game, the Santiago Bernabéu and Anfield.
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel describes the holders’ challenge as “almost impossible”. He will know it is possible, given his Paris Saint-Germain side lost a Champions League tie to Manchester United in 2018/2019 having won the first leg 2-0 at Old Trafford. And yet to offer some historical context about the task ahead, Madrid have triumphed in 34 of the 36 ties in which they earned a first-leg away win in UEFA competition. The only exceptions were against Ajax in the 2018/19 Champions League round of 16 (2-1 a, 1-4 h) and against Odense in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup third round (3-2 a, 0-2 h).
Chelsea’s own history includes just one victory by more than a single-goal margin in Spain – and that was at an empty Sánchez-Pizjuán against Sevilla last season. Tuchel’s men hit six goals at Southampton last Saturday but with due respect, St Mary’s is not the Bernabéu on a Champions League quarter-final night.
As for Benfica, curiously, all four of their previous victories in England have been by the two-goal margin which would earn them extra time at Anfield on Wednesday – including a 2-0 round of16 success at Liverpool in 2005/06 to depose the then reigning champions.
Darwin Núñez, their centre-forward, had the boost of a hat-trick against Belensenses last weekend but from the bottom club in Portugal’s top flight to Liverpool at Anfield is a leap of Neil Armstrong proportions. Liverpool’s outstanding form in the here and now suggests there can only be one realistic outcome. So do the history books which show the Reds have prevailed in all 35 of the UEFA competition ties in which they won the away first leg including against Internazionale in this season's round of 16 (despite losing the second leg at home).
If there is a positive for Chelsea and Benfica, it’s that the absence of the away-goals rule means a 2-0 scoreline at the end of 90 minutes would be enough to earn extra time; 12 months ago they’d have needed three goals as a minimum.
On the last four occasions Real Madrid faced the reigning champions, they dethroned them and then took their trophy, beating Borussia Dortmund (SF, 1998), Manchester United (QF, 2000), Bayern München (QF, 2002), and Bayern again (SF, 2014).
Of the goalkeepers involved in the quarter-finals who have made more than one appearance in this season’s competition, Villarreal’s Gerónimo Rulli, is in the top three for both the most saves (31) and the highest save percentage – his 75.6% surpassed only by Benfica’s Odisseas Vlachodimos and Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois. Additionally, the Spaniard has claimed nine crosses, a total matched only by Jan Oblak of Atlético de Madrid, and cleared more balls (eight) than any other sweeper-keeper. On Tuesday night, he faces the competition’s 27-goal top scorers, Bayern, as the Bavarians seek to overturn their 1-0 first-leg loss at the Estadio de la Cerámica. If Villarreal are to hold on to their advantage, you suspect that Rulli – the shootout hero of last season’s Europa League final – will have to shine again.
Having had the privilege of seeing the Metropolitano at its cauldron-like best for Liverpool’s visit (and defeat) two years ago, I would be reluctant to dismiss Atlético’s prospects of overturning their 1-0 deficit against Premier League leaders Manchester City. That said, they will need all the backing they can get if they are to earn a first victory in seven European fixtures at their home stadium.
For City this match may be sandwiched by two big domestic dates with Liverpool (Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final following on from last weekend’s 2-2 league draw) but as Jack Grealish tells the latest issue of Champions Journal: “It’s brilliant if we can go and win every competition that we’re in, but that being one that we haven’t won yet, that’s what we have our eyes on.” Curiously, City’s immediate mission is to become the first side to successfully defend a first-leg home advantage against Atleti since another club from the northwest of England, Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers, achieved the feat in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup – when they won 1-0 at the then Reebok Stadium, prior to a 0-0 draw at the Vicente Calderón.
