Barcelona faces uphill CL test
Barcelona, top of La Liga, enter a tense Champions League second leg after losing the first leg at home against Atletico Madrid (aljazeera.com). Real Madrid are preparing to travel to Bayern Munich for their second leg at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday at 21:00 CEST, with both clubs publishing lineups and training notes ahead of kickoff ( ).
Barcelona arrive in Madrid on Tuesday needing a two-goal swing to stay alive in the UEFA Champions League after Atlético de Madrid won the first leg 2-0. (uefa.com) The second leg is set for 21:00 Central European Time on April 14 at the Estadio Metropolitano, with Atlético defending the lead they built on April 8 at Camp Nou. (uefa.com) Atlético’s first-leg win turned on two moments just before halftime: Pau Cubarsí was sent off in the 44th minute, and Julián Alvarez scored the free kick a minute later. Alexander Sørloth added the second in the 70th minute. (uefa.com) Barcelona were leading La Liga when they came into the tie, but Hansi Flick now has to chase the game away from home against a side that has already beaten Tottenham Hotspur 7-5 on aggregate and scored five European goals at home against both Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham this season. (aljazeera.com ) (uefa.com) UEFA’s bracket makes the stakes plain: the winner of Atlético against Barcelona advances to a semifinal against Arsenal or Sporting Clube de Portugal, with the final scheduled for May 30 in Budapest. (uefa.com 1) (uefa.com 2) The Spanish quarterfinal on Tuesday is only half the story for La Liga clubs. Real Madrid go to Munich on Wednesday, April 15, trailing Bayern Munich 2-1 from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu. (uefa.com) Bayern’s edge came from goals by Luis Díaz and Harry Kane before Kylian Mbappé scored late for Madrid, leaving the defending 15-time European champions one goal down before the return at the Allianz Arena. (uefa.com) Real Madrid said on April 13 that the squad trained at Ciudad Real Madrid with activation work, rondos, possession drills and tactical exercises before travel, while Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo continued recovery work and Aurélien Tchouaméni trained indoors. (realmadrid.com) Bayern published its own Tuesday schedule with a 14:00 final training session, a 16:00 press conference with Vincent Kompany and Manuel Neuer, and Madrid’s press conference and Allianz Arena training later in the evening. (fcbayern.com) Barcelona’s task is the steeper one on Tuesday because Atlético have already protected a 2-0 lead and have history on their side, having won the clubs’ previous Champions League quarterfinal meetings in 2014 and 2016. By Wednesday night, Spain could have two semifinalists, one, or none. (uefa.com 1) (uefa.com 2)
