Old frenemies Pep and Thomas write another chapter of their intriguing rivalry, exciting Napoli out to prove their worth, Chelsea trying to put their terrible EPL form behind them – we’re got a lot to process. We’re down to the last eight in the UEFA Champions League – the real thrills begin.Guardiola compares himself to Michael JordanThomas Tuchel returns to England with his new club Bayern to face Pep Guardiola, the former Bayern boss. In the old days, Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund was one of the most pointy thorns in Pep’s side.History likes to repeat, doesn’t it?Guardiola’s been highly successful with Manchester City. He built a strong team and has fully established the Cityzens as the team to beat in England – but on the European front, things have been less than impressive. The failure to bring Champions League glory to the sky blues is a nagging problem that comes up just about every year in April and May. If Pep is to get his hands on the iconic trophy, he must outsmart his old rival over two games.##NAJAVA_MECA_7171904##Guardiola and Tuchel have met ten times over the past decade. The Spaniard won six and Tuchel three – but all those successes all came between 17 April and 29 May 2021. That run – which included Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final and Champions League final wins over City – led to a feeling that Tuchel had the edge on Guardiola. In that final, Guardiola famously did not play a defensive midfielder in a tactical gamble that failed.”I was sad, but I congratulated Thomas and Chelsea for the victory. It happened. I reviewed the game a month ago, and it was not as bad as I thought. It was a tight game like they always have been against Chelsea in this period. We forget it and try again.”But the defeat is now in the past. As Pep told amazed reporters on Monday, even the great Michael Jordan had more seasons without winning the title than those in which he succeeded.”Michael Jordan, the best athlete for me in basketball, won six NBA titles out of 15 years. He loses more than he wins. What is important is to be here, compete well, and do our best. No more than that.”There’s unfinished business between Thomas Tuchel and Pep Guardiola 👀— GOAL News (@GoalNews) April 10, 2023 Last season, City beat Tuchel’s Chelsea twice in the Premier League, and with four wins and a draw in Germany, including the 2016 German Cup final, Pep has a much better record. The former Barcelona player and manager has had a mixed time against his old clubs. He has faced Barca four times since leaving – twice with City and twice with Bayern. He won two of those, but the other matches were 3-0 and 4-0 defeats.Tuchel, who replaced the sacked Julian Nagelsmann at league leaders Bayern in March, says his side will need to be at the top of their game to beat City, who have won their past eight games in all competitions.”I don’t think I can learn much from other games I’ve played against Pep. It’s unique what Pep does. We’ll try to find solutions but we’ll need a complete performance to create problems for City.”#BenficaInter 🔜 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬, 𝙡𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨.#UCL pic.twitter.com/hDyvwfzZ2S— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) April 10, 2023 In the other UCL clash tonight, Estadio da Luz (Portugues for Stadium of Light) will be the battlefield for two historic clubs. Benfica will try to put their derby defeat to Porto behind them and get the most of misfiring Inter. The Italians squeezed into the quarter-finals with a scruffy win against Porto. Their coach Simone Inzaghi needs some good results as soon as possible to ease the pressure from the fans and his directors. Whether the Nerazzurri can outclass the best-supported Portuguese clubs is to be seen. But Benfica have been one of the best teams in Europe this season.##NAJAVA_MECA_7171945##For a start, they topped their Champions League group ahead of Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain and have only lost two games in all competitions this season. Their experienced German coach Roger Schmidt has found a way to make the team even stronger than it was last season – despite the departures of their biggest stars Darwin Nunez, Enzo Fernandez and a host of other players. In the previous round, they destroyed Belgian champions Club Brugge over in both legs and showed they must be regarded as one of the best teams on the continent despite coming from a league that isn’t considered among the top five in terms of quality and popularity. The timing of the loss to Porto hast Friday is a concern, however. Will they show enough confidence and determination to pile more misery on Inter?UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEQuarter-final, first legTuesday22:00: (1.85) Man.City (3.90) Bayern (4.50)22:00: (2.35) Benfica (3.35) Inter (3.35)Wednesday22:00: (1.75) Real Madrid (3.70) Chelsea (5.40)22:00: (2.90) Milan (3.25) Napoli (2.70)***odds are subject to change***
