Winners and Losers of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final Draw
There are three distinct reactions to this year's Champions League quarterfinal draw, depending on your allegiances.
The first is relief: Napoli facing Milan and Inter taking on Benfica will feel like a good result for everyone involved.
The second reaction is despair: Manchester City against Bayern; Real Madrid against Chelsea. It's not what those fans would want.
The third reaction is absolute joy from the neutrals. Friday's draw has thrown up a bunch of potential classic showdowns, and with it, some winners and losers to dissect...
Winners: Serie A
1 of 4
First things first: There is guaranteed to be at least one Serie A representative in this year's Champions League semi-finals. If Inter can take down an impressive Benfica side, Serie A will have a guaranteed finalist. It's an important moment for the league and an achievement that will continue to strengthen fan interest outside the country.
Napoli, Milan and Inter should be absolutely ecstatic with their draws. Not just because each will feel they have a fair shot of progressing, but because any combination of the semi-finals seem winnable. We could have Napoli vs. Inter, Napoli vs. Benfica or a Milan derby. A couple of special nights and you're in the final.
Most will be expecting a terrific Napoli side to get to the Istanbul showpiece at this point, but don't discount Milan. It'll be fascinating to see how Napoli deal with the added expectation of not only their Serie A title charge but also being favorites to advance to a Champions League semi-final. This is a massively talented squad that people are beginning to expect historic things from.
Remember, Napoli haven't won a European trophy since the UEFA Cup final triumph over Stuttgart in the 1988-89 season, a match in which club icon Diego Maradona scored.
These players are approaching legendary status, and many will feel this is as good a shot as they'll ever get at winning the competition. It's mouthwatering to realise every club on that side of the draw must feel the same.
Losers: The Terrifying Side of the Draw
2 of 4
The Champions League draw giveth, the Champions League draw taketh.
While the Italian clubs and Benfica will be rejoicing, spare a thought for Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Chelsea. All were handed the route of nightmares and know a victory in their quarterfinal will set up a semi with a guaranteed European juggernaut.
Real will undoubtedly be the happiest on this side of the draw. Chelsea's season has improved slightly but is still bordering on disaster under manager Graham Potter.
Los Blancos have already dispatched Liverpool in one-sided fashion and will maintain a smirk of happiness at seeing City and Bayern pulled together at this stage. Real don't fear anybody—it's not in the club's nature—but Carlo Ancelotti will have wanted a simpler run now La Liga is all but Barcelona's.
This is pretty much the worst draw available for City and Pep Guardiola. He is under great pressure to deliver the club's first-ever Champions League trophy, an achievement that feels a long time coming considering City's investment and star names across the last 15 years.
Of course, Pep famously failed to win the competition while managing Bayern. As this week's odd comment about Julia Roberts reaffirmed, he has the habit of raising the temperature on himself as May approaches. He'll probably make some questionable tactical decisions that City will live or die by. He needs to get it right, and quickly.
You just feel Real and Bayern, with their proven record of winning, will feel slightly more comfortable about an immensely difficult draw. The Premier League sides have it all to prove, but make no mistake that all four managers will have been lamenting their bad luck in a private moment after the ties were made.
Winners: Young Managers Who Need to Make a Splash
3 of 4
That bad luck might just provide the perfect opportunity for Potter at Chelsea. Few expect the Blues to topple the defending champions, who have an incredible knack of always coming out on top in the Champions League. Ancelotti has seen it all, won it all and will barely raise his iconic eyebrow at the prospect of facing a young manager who has everything to prove.
But for Potter, there's a potential sliding doors moment on offer here. A recent upturn in form can't hide the fact that he's struggled to address any of the issues Thomas Tuchel left behind when he was sacked in September.
Chelsea's midfield still lacks control, the defence is still prone to switching off and goals remain at a premium. January's absurd investment has made things a little brighter, but this is very much a team of individuals feeling their way into becoming a quality group.
The return of Ben Chilwell and fitness of Reece James is absolutely vital; Potter needs his attacking full-backs if Chelsea are going to trouble a Madrid team that rendered Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold useless. Potter must push Vinicius Jr. onto the back foot and bring all the small improvements together into a defining moment.
Like Potter, Julian Nagelsmann might feel like he needs an impressive win over Pep's City to dispel any lingering doubters.
Bayern walked through Paris Saint-Germain in the last round without conceding a goal, a huge feather in the 35-year-old's cap. But beating Christophe Galtier doesn't carry the same glory as beating Pep Guardiola. Ancelotti and Pep have defined an era; Potter and Nagelsmann should feel this is their opportunity to begin doing the same.
Losers: Teams Hoping to Keep Star Strikers
4 of 4
Victor Osihmen and Gonçalo Ramos, I am looking at you. The aforementioned great draw for Napoli and Benfica is likely to make it more difficult for these clubs to keep their best goalscorers. Both are deservedly hyped right now, but a run to the final with a couple of goals thrown in is likely to smash transfer rumours into the stratosphere.
Expect Manchester United to be at the front of the pack. Top of the Red Devils' summer shopping list will be a striker to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, despite the considerable efforts of Wout Weghorst to make an impact at Old Trafford.
They need an elite goalscorer to complement an improving Marcus Rashford as Erik ten Hag continues to mold the side into a fast-paced, attack-minded group that hasn't consistently been present at Old Trafford in recent years.
Alongside United, you can expect all the usual suspects to be monitoring both Osimhen and Ramos. Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool…maybe even Paris Saint-Germain if one of their big three decide to move on. Osimhen has 23 goals this season and Ramos has 18, and both have shown they can impact matches on major occasions.
Both Napoli and Benfica will already be braced for a hectic summer. The impact of going even further into the Champions League should be bittersweet; price tags will rise, but so will the likelihood of star assets moving on.
.png?w=600 "Who Will Panthers Take at No. 9 ? 🤔")
