Ex-Chelsea star Gus Poyet names his favorites to win Champions League this season
Former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet has backed Real Madrid to win the Champions League once again this season. Poyet kept Bayern Munich and Manchester City behind Madrid, adding that the quarter-final between Bayern and City would be ferocious.
With the quarter-finals set to commence on Tuesday (11 April), the eight qualified teams are dreaming of winning the most prestigious club tournament in Europe, the UEFA Champions League. Defending champions Real Madrid will take on Chelsea in the quarters while Bayern Munich will square off against Manchester City. Napoli will face AC Milan and Benfica will take on Inter Milan in the other two games.
Poyet, who played for the Blues between 1997 and 2001, recently spoke to Spanish outlet Diario AS, predicting the outcome of the 2022-23 Champions League campaign. He first spoke about his old club’s clash against Real Madrid, backing the Spanish giants to progress.
When asked which team he would back to progress to the semi-finals, the Greece manager said:
“Obviously [Real] Madrid. They are the clear favourites.”
Next, he was asked to name the favorites for the trophy this season. Poyet once again backed the defending champions to come out on top, before also naming Bayern and City:
“Next to Madrid, I would put Bayern Munich and Manchester City. It will be a brutal tie that pits both.”
Real Madrid are coming into the game on the back of a 3-2 defeat to Villarreal in La Liga (8 April). Chelsea, too, tasted defeat in Frank Lampard’s homecoming game, with them succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium (8 April).
The first leg between the two teams will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 12 with the return leg at Stamford Bridge scheduled for April 18.
Chelsea star Kalidou Koulibaly hails Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema as the world’s best striker ahead of Champions League clash
Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly has heaped praise on 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, hailing him as the best striker in the world. The Senegalese centre-back claimed that he was happy for the 35-year-old but urged him not to score against the west Londoners on Wednesday.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Koulibaly said:
“I said this to newspapers about two or three years ago, he is the best striker in the world. It will be a tough game but I hope Chelsea will win and pass this test. It is our objective but it is going to be hard because they won the last Champions League. We believe in ourselves, in our team-mates and manager.
“I am happy for Benzema, he is a good example for the Muslim people that we can do Ramadan, score goals, and be productive. I hope he continues to score, but not on Wednesday."
The Real Madrid skipper scored a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge when the two teams met in the Champions League quarter-finals last season. Benzema, a practicing Muslim, broke his Ramadan fast only 15 minutes prior to kick-off in London before producing one of his best performances of the season.