Champions League: Key players in the quarter-finals

Time Stamp: April 1, 2022 4:00 AM

The run-in for the 2021-22 season is upon us with the Champions League quarter-finals set to get under way, bringing a series of mouthwatering match-ups for football fans to enjoy.

 

Premier League title contenders Manchester City and Liverpool are the favourites to win this year’s tournament, but there are no easy matches at this stage of the competition.

 

Here are the key players for the first leg of each Champions League quarter-final tie.

 

Manchester City v Atletico Madrid: Rodri and Antoine Griezmann

 

Pep Guardiola’s decision to leave Rodri out of the City team for last season’s Champions League final proved a major error, with the midfielder certain to feature against his old club.

 

Stationed at the base of City’s midfield, Rodri has been a natural successor to Fernandinho, with the Spain international offering the same ability to both break up play and set up attacks.

 

Atletico Madrid’s title defence in La Liga has fallen flat, with Diego Simeone’s men well off the pace. The return of Antoine Griezmann has not been an unqualified success for Atletico, but the France forward has produced his best performances this season in the Champions League.

 

Griezmann has scored four goals and provided two assists in the competition so far this season.

 

He starred in Atletico’s run to the Champions League final in 2016 and will need to be at his best if Atletico are to upset the odds and dump out a Manchester team for the second round in a row.

 

Benfica v Liverpool: Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah

 

Having produced a shock in the last round by knocking out Ajax, Benfica face a tougher test against Liverpool. But in Darwin Nunez they have one of the most exciting attackers in Europe.

 

Nunez has scored 20 league goals this term and he hit the winner against Ajax, leading to more speculation he will be a transfer target for many of the world’s elite clubs in the summer window.

 

Indeed, Liverpool have even been linked with Nunez given the continued uncertainty over the contractual situation of Mohamed Salah, who will have two years left on his deal in the summer.

 

Salah’s importance to Liverpool cannot be understated with the Egyptian magician having scored eight goals in his eight Champions League appearances for the Reds so far this season.

 

Benfica rarely come across forwards of Salah’s quality in the Portuguese league and containing the 29-year-old is sure to be a major challenge for their coach Nelson Verissimo and his team.

 

Chelsea v Real Madrid: Reece James and Karim Benzema

 

The tie of the round starts at Stamford Bridge with holders Chelsea hosting Real Madrid, whose 13 titles in the competition is more than any other club.

 

The recent return to full fitness of Reece James has been a boost for the Blues, with the wing-back immediately getting back to top form after a spell on the sidelines due to injury.

 

Chelsea are a much more dangerous proposition with James providing thrust from the back.

 

Real Madrid were without Karim Benzema for their recent humiliation in the Clasico against Barcelona, but the veteran forward should be available to lead the line for them in this tie.

 

Benzema has hit eight goals from seven appearances in the Champions League, but with speculation over Madrid’s summer transfer plans he still has something to prove.

 

Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland have been made top targets by Madrid, which would leave Benzema presumably pushed out, even though he has scored over 200 goals for the club.

 

Villarreal v Bayern Munich: Arnaut Danjuma and Leroy Sane

 

The third Spanish side in the Champions League quarter-finals, Villarreal are underdogs in their tie against Bayern Munich, but in Arnaut Danjuma they have a major attacking weapon.

 

Netherlands winger Danjuma was on target in the shock 3-0 away win over Juventus that took Unai Emery’s side into the last eight, taking his tally to five Champions League goals this term.

 

Danjuma also has eight La Liga goals this season with his pace and trickery likely to be the main threat for Bayern to be wary of in this quarter-final.

 

Bayern not only boast the top scorer in this season’s competition – Robert Lewandowski has hit 12 goals so far – but in Leroy Sane they have another talent that will give Emery a headache.

 

Sane has six goals and six assists in the Champions League this season, turning his form around after he was booed by supporters at the Allianz Arena early in the current campaign.

 

It has not all been smooth sailing for Sane, though, as he was recently left out by coach Julian Nagelsmann due to tactical reasons, but a stunning showing in the demolition of Salzburg in the last round showed what the winger is capable of in Europe’s elite competition.

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