Arsenal vs Bayern is one of the derbies of the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund and Atlético Madrid did best in the draw, because in the mutual clash, one of them will win a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League, which would be a success beyond expectations. But it is clear that other quarterfinal pairings will attract the most attention.Tradition against the new football order. The most toxic rivalry of the Champions League if you don’t count national derbies.If anything is bothering the most successful clubs of the 21st century, Real Madrid and Barcelona (10 out of a possible 23 Champions League titles since 2001), it is the influx of Arab capital that has created the two new powers of European football, Manchester City and PSG. For a long time, Arab projects dreamed of crowning megalomaniac investments with the “Ol’ Big Ears” and last year City succeeded. PSG not yet, but they won’t rest until they succeed as well.The collisions of traditional Spanish powers and newly formed upstarts have marked the Champions League in recent years. With all due respect to Bayern, Liverpool, Chelsea, the Italians, Simeone’s era in Madrid…They were the most talked about and caused the most emotions. Positive and negative.##NAJAVA_MECA_7958570##One part of conservative football Europe will never accept such Manchester City and PSG, because they will never digest the unlimited amounts of money that the Arabs pumped into those clubs and raised them to the top. They come breaking many rules for which they were never held accountable.Meanwhile, football hipsters and aesthetes have taken a liking to City, mostly focusing on what’s on the surface and Guardiola’s glittering product at the end. They refuse to admit that dirty cash from the Gulf and ‘laundering’ of the image of the oil despots was behind everything.Opponents of traditionalism and supporters of the new order will say that City and PSG have only raised to a higher level the bullying of the football market and the rest of Europe that Real Madrid and Barcelona used for years as the two richest and most powerful clubs on the planet. Since the beginning of the century and the famous Galacticos project directed by Florentino Perez, the Spanish have been ‘raping’ football in Europe and taking everything they want. From Zidane, Beckham, both Ronaldos, Owen, Kaka, Modric, Bale, Hazard, Ronaldinho, Henry, Ibrahimovic, Suarez, Neymar, Griezmann, Coutinho, Lewandowski… There is no strong club in Europe that they have not snatched a star from. Unscrupulous and not choosing means.UCL: Mission (im)possible for Arsenal as they face Bayern Munich, City vs Real MadridBut their history, tradition and fan base acquired over decades make them more acceptable to society than newly composed football stories with Arab capital. Since 2008, when the Arabs took over City, more than one and a half billion euros have been spent on player purchases alone. And several times more on the salaries of players and coaches. Not to mention the City Group octopus that has spread its tentacles all over the world and sucks in young players from all over as potential financial gain rather than future first-team footballers. It is legal… However, with all these investments, City managed to climb to the top of Europe last season after numerous painful blows. And that through Real Madrid, which was a special satisfaction for them, because it was the Royal Club that became the biggest thorn in the side of the Catalan directors at the head of City, Pep Guardiola and his players.##NAJAVA_MECA_7959180##The draws or some fate wanted to open fiery fronts between Real Madrid and Manchester City and Barcelona and PSG in previous years. And that this growing and more poisonous rivalry divides the football planet.The first time Real and City played in the group was in 2012, but the difference in favor of the Spaniards was still big then, so City finished last in the group. But as time went on, the difference narrowed. In the 2016 semi-finals, the rivalry begins. Zinedine Zidane “designed” one of the most boring semi-finals in the history of the competition, chose not to compete with Manuel Pellegrini, and by virtue of Fernando’s own goal in Madrid made it to the final, from which he will start an incredible series of three European titles.They knew at City that they needed a better strategist and they brought in the most popular. Pep Guardiola came with the intention of climbing them to the European throne. He was slowly approaching and it seemed that he would succeed in 2019, when he eliminated Real in the round of 16 easily with two 2-1 victories, but later stepped on that crazy Tottenham mine and flew into the air… All the failures and relegations only got stronger. City welcomed the semi-final against Real Madrid as favorites the season before last. They beat them in Manchester 4-3, and outplayed them, but Real refused to die and made it to the second leg with only a goal behind.And in the second leg, City was the more dominant team, leading 1-0 until the 90th minute and then succumbing in anthological fashion. Real Madrid’s indomitable spirit and Ancelotti’s changes have brought Real arguably the most incredible turnaround in the club’s rich history. Goals from Benzema and Rodrygo in the 90th, 91st and 95th minutes knocked City out and sent Real into the final. For another title… Guardiola has never experienced anything like that in his coaching career.City’s revenge in last season’s semi-final was brutal. They took the ball away from Real, made them powerless and ran them over. They finally broke through that barrier and in the final won the much-awaited and expensively paid title of European champion.Now it’s time for a new episode that could have an extra dimension as a demonstration exercise for Erling Haaland where he should play in the future.And even more poisonous is the rivalry between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.Since the Qataris joined PSG, Barcelona is the club that has made their lives the most miserable. Already in the first season of the Arab Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Barca tripped them.PSG had Carlo Ancelotti on the bench in the quarter-finals in 2013, and Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Beckham, Pastore, Lavezzi on the pitch… And scored an away goal. It was 2-2 in Paris, 1-1 in the second leg at Camp Nou. Barcelona with Messi, Villa, Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas went on and was demolished by Bayern in the next round.Two years later, they played four times against each other. In the group, both hosts won at home, but in the quarter-finals, Barca inflicted a new dose of frustration on Nasser Al Khelaifi. PSG were even stronger than before, in the meantime, Cavani, Marquinhos, David Luiz and Laurent Blanc had arrived on the bench, but there was no cure for that Barça with the attacking trio of Messi – Suarez – Neymar. The last Barça to win the Champions League. The attacking force of the Catalans “killed” PSG at Parc des Princes with 3-1 in a match that will be remembered for Suarez’s humiliation of David Luiz. In the second leg (2-0), Neymar sealed the fate of the Saints.##NAJAVA_MECA_7958587##They played again in the knockout phase for the third time in two years. And they played a cult double match. Barcelona have made the biggest turnaround in the history of the Champions League. This time, Unai Emery led PSG, which in the meantime remained without Ibrahimović, but Di Maria, Draxler and some younger ones like Kimpembe and Rabiot arrived. PSG topped Barcelona at Parc des Princes 4-0 thanks to Angel Di Maria and Julian Draxler. And they thought that he had finally brought down the Catalan curse. Realistically, the entire football world thought the same.But Barcelona performed a miracle for all time in the second leg. At halftime, they melted away half of the deficit, even leading 3-0, but when Cavani scored an away goal in the 62nd minute that was then worth more, Barca were on an impossible mission. They needed three more goals and time was running out. Emery didn’t even see the need to close the game and made only one change. The fans were slowly making their way to the gates as the frenzy began. Neymar scored a free kick in the 88th minute, and a penalty in the 91st. In the end, that mythical goal of Sergio Roberto arrived in the 96th minute when the players of Paris Saint-Germain seemed as if all the life had left their sluggish bodies.From that match, Barcelona was a red flag for Nasser Al Khelaifi. As much as he wanted the best for his club, he used every opportunity to hurt Barcelona. He decided to take revenge immediately and paid the world record for Neymar. He was joined by Kylian Mbappe. From that day on, the fall of the Catalan great began… They never recovered.The next clash between the Saints and the Catalans finally brought revenge to the Qatari at the head of the French club. Mbappe conquered the Camp Nou with a hat-trick, kicked Barca out of the Champions League and marked the end of the Leo Messi era. Al Khelaifi was ruthless and soon usurped Barca of Messi, but failed to ascend to the European throne.Now he will have a chance to even out the scores with the Catalans even more, Messi will not play on any side for the first time since this rivalry started, but that’s why Kylian Mbappe wants to. And he will try to make the best overture against the Catalans for a summer move to Real Madrid, in whose jersey he will be a nightmare for them over the years to come.##NAJAVA_MECA_7958686##
