MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Three of the oldest clubs in European soccer are on the brink of crisis. champions league Eliminate.
Real Madrid, Liverpool and Barcelona must overturn their first-leg defeat in this week’s quarter-finals.
They have won European club football’s highest award 26 times. However, they still have a mountain to climb to reach the semi-finals.
15 times champion Madrid beat Bayern Munich 2-1 After losing at home in the first leg at the Bernabéu last week.
Liverpool is 2-0 victory over defending champions Paris Saint-Germain Ahead of Tuesday’s return match at Anfield, Barcelona suffered a shock 2-0 home defeat to Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou.
In another quarterfinal Arsenal lead Sporting Lisbon 1-0 He will play Wednesday’s match at the Emirates.
Madrid’s season is on the brink
For Madrid, who trail leaders Barcelona by nine points in the Spanish league, their best chance of success this season may be the decisive tournament, the Champions League.
But they face a huge task of overturning the draw with Bayern in Munich on Wednesday.
The German giants have been one of the standout teams in Europe this season, finishing second in the league with seven wins from eight games and defeating Atalanta 10-2 on aggregate in the round of 16.
Bayern have won 39 of their 45 competitive matches this season and only lost twice. Vincent Kompany’s side look well placed to win a seventh European Cup, which would put them on par with AC Milan as the second most successful team in the competition’s history.
Bayern boast one of the most lethal attacks in Europe, featuring Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz, but had to rely on the timeless talent of 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to keep Madrid at bay in the first leg.
This should be encouraging for Madrid as they were able to create more chances against Bayern’s defence, but they will have to find a way past Neuer to avoid elimination.
Liverpool deja vu
PSG ended Liverpool’s Champions League run last season, and they appear ready to repeat the act this year.
Last week’s first-leg win in Paris did not reflect Luis Enrique’s side’s dominance on the night, but they had plenty of chances to build an even more commanding lead.
Liverpool manager Arn Slott said: “Paris Saint-Germain were the better team, but we didn’t give up. That’s why we still have a chance in this draw, because they kept us alive by not converting some chances.”
After losing 3-0 in the first leg, six-time champions Liverpool will look to rely on the famous Anfield crowd to pull off another famous comeback, as they did in their 4-0 win over Barcelona in 2019.
Meanwhile, a loss would put even more pressure on Slott as Liverpool’s Premier League title defense collapsed early in the season.
Can Barcelona bounce back?
Barcelona is also on track to win the Spanish title again. There is also a risk of sudden dismissal. From the Champions League.
Losing to Inter Milan in last year’s semi-finals was a shock, but Atlético’s exit in the quarter-finals was even more surprising.
But that will be an option for Hansi Flick’s side if they are unable to overturn a 2-0 deficit at the Metropolitano Stadium on Tuesday.
Diego Simeone’s Atlético side already eliminated Barcelona from the Copa del Rey last month and are on the brink of winning the double.
Barcelona fought back from a 4-0 loss in the first leg to win the return match 3-0. That could provide some encouragement, especially for a team with a front line full of goal-scoring threats such as Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford. However, Rafinha’s absence due to injury could be crucial.
Arsenal feeling the pressure
Arsenal face a crucial week as they aim to win the Premier League and Champions League double.
They face Manchester City in a crucial game in the title race on Sunday, before Mikel Arteta’s side take on Sporting Lisbon.
Arsenal are favorites to win at home after taking a 1-0 lead against Portugal thanks to Kai Havertz’s stoppage-time goal. But in recent weeks there have been signs that pressure is mounting on the Premier League leaders.
Losing to City in the English League Cup final and a shock defeat to second-tier Southampton in the FA Cup ended Arsenal’s quest for a quadruple trophy.
Another defeat to Bournemouth in the league on Saturday means second-placed City have closed the gap on the leaders to six points ahead of this weekend’s clash. City also have a game in hand.
With that in mind, Arsenal may be relieved to look to Europe.
___
James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
