The romantic four-horse race to Istanbul

With just eight teams remaining, everyone has a clear path to reach the Champions League final. We already know that a modern-day heavyweight will battle a renaissance team.

The final, held in Istanbul at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium on June 10th, was originally scheduled for Wembley and later Allianz Arena in Munich, but got moved twice due to unforeseen circumstances. So while it could have been a “home game” for either Bayern Munich (literally) or Chelsea (not so literally), there will be no home advantage this time.

On one side of the last-eight bracket, the three most recent Champions League winners – defending titlist Real Madrid, 2021 champion Chelsea, and 2020 winner Bayern – meet. Between them, they have won a staggering nine of the last eleven finals, and 22 titles in total.

While Real and Chelsea lock horns in the quarter-final, Bayern has the undesirable assignment of meeting Manchester City, the success-hungry, Qatar-funded, Pep-Guardiola-led footballing machine. Oh, and City also boasts a certain Erling Haaland, who has scored 10 goals in just 402 minutes of Champions League action this season.

For that quartet, winning is something of an obligation. They have either gone the length quite recently or have done everything and then some more to get their hands on the trophy. Whoever makes the final will be expected to triumph.

Or maybe not.

After all, there is another group of four still alive in the same bracket. The B-side of a cassette, or, if you are younger than 30, the cool side of the pillow. There are three teams from Italy, and one from Portugal – and one of them will also be 90 minutes from glory.

Benfica Lisbon

How did they get here?
They have lost just one of the 44 games played this season and galloped through Europe. After beating Midtjylland and Dynamo Kyiv in the qualifying rounds, they finished top of their group, beating PSG, Juventus, and Maccabi Haifa. Then they dismantled Club Brugge by an aggregate score of 7:1.

Who’s behind it?
The German mastermind Roger Schmidt was hired last May and has put together an impressive all-for-one, one-for-all team. Captained by World Cup winner Nicolas Otamendi, there’s also David Neres (formerly of Ajax Amsterdam), Joao Mario (known from Inter Milan), and Goncalo Ramos, the Portuguese hat-trick hero from the World Cup. The 21-year-old striker has scored 24 goals in 36 games this season.

What about pedigree?
Champions League winners in 1961 and 1962, the last time they made the final (or semis) was all the way back in 1989/90. This is the fourth time they compete in the quarter-finals this century and their first outing since 2016.

Any fun trivia?
After handing Darwin Nunez to Liverpool in the summer for 75 million euros, World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez was sold to Chelsea for a whopping 121 million in January. The Argentinian midfielder spent just six months in Lisbon – and made Benfica a profit of roughly 111 million.

AC Milan

How did they get here?
After winning a somewhat unexpected Scudetto last season (more on that later), they had a favorable group stage draw and finished second to Chelsea by beating Red Bull Salzburg on the final match-day. Against Tottenham, Milan kept a clean sheet for 180 minutes to advance. They won’t defend the Scudetto this time around, and an unlikely Champions League run remains their only chance for a trophy.

Who’s behind it?
Former Lazio, Inter, and Fiorentina coach Stefano Pioli was handed the keys in October 2019; despite no previous success as a coach, he was trusted to implement his ideas. There’s a host of interesting players who didn’t break through elsewhere, like Fikayo Tomori (central defender, Chelsea) and Theo Hernandez (left-back, Real Madrid), but also veterans in Olivier Giroud (36) and the evergreen Zlatan Ibrahimovic (41).

What about pedigree?
Does it feel weird to call AC Milan the champions of Italy? It really shouldn’t. A generation of fans grew up with Milan languishing in mediocrity – between 2014 and 2020, they never finished higher than fifth in Serie A. But they have won the Champions League seven times and as recently as 2007.

Any fun trivia?
Milan has been to Istanbul quite a few times over the years, but 2005 – the last time Atatürk hosted the final – remains a haunting memory. 3:0 up by half-time, Milan had another Champions League trophy in the bag, but Liverpool fought back and won on penalties in a game now known as the Miracle of Istanbul.

Inter Milan

How did they get here?
Inter has been quietly efficient in Italy, finishing in the top four for five years in succession. The Champions League has not been so kind, but after three group stage failures in a row and a round of 16 exit last March, they had a tough group again. They responded by knocking out Barcelona and kept two clean sheets against Porto to progress further.

Who’s behind it?
Inter peaked in 2020/21 to win the Scudetto, but that had Antonio Conte’s fingerprints all over it. After he left due to disagreements over transfer policy, in came Simone Inzaghi, known as a cup specialist – a blessing in disguise? The last time an Inzaghi won the Champions League was in 2007 when Simone’s younger brother Filippo scored two goals in the final for AC Milan.

What about pedigree?
Inter, who also won in 1964 and 1965, is the most recent Champions League winner out of this quartet, but the 2009/10 success under Jose Mourinho seems a distant memory now, with even Goran Pandev having retired. After a decade in the wilderness, they seem to be returning to glory.

Any fun trivia?
Despite winning the Champions League just 13 years ago, Inter does not have a single player in their ranks that knows the feeling. Of the 2010 squad, only Mario Balotelli remains an active footballer somewhere in Switzerland, while both Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea, 2012) and Matteo Darmian (AC Milan, 2007) were left empty-handed as youngsters.

Napoli

How did they get here?
Have you not heard? Napoli is the name on everyone’s lips right now and with good reason. Boasting a 19-point lead with 11 games to go, they have their first Serie A title since 1990 pretty much wrapped up. In the Champions League, they crushed Liverpool 4:1 and Ajax 6:1, winning the group and then meeting Eintracht Frankfurt, who was sent packing with an aggregate of 5:0.

Who’s behind it?
It should have been a transition year with Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens, Kalidou Koulibaly et cetera leaving, but Luciano Spalletti acquired shrewdly to put together a fantastic team. Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen has been on fire, with Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia rising from Dinamo Batumi to superstardom.

What about pedigree?
Napoli has never won nor been to the quarter-finals in the Champions League, so history has already been made. They have triumphed in the Serie A twice, in 1986/87 and 1989/90 – both with Diego Maradona – and won a few Coppa Italia in more recent history, but that’s about it.

Any fun trivia?
The last time Napoli won a league – any league – was back in 2005/06, when they were crowned champions of Serie C1 Group B. After going bankrupt in 2004, movie producer Aurelio De Laurentiis bought the club and remains president to this day.