Bayern Munich vs Man City LIVE: Result and reaction from Champions League quarter-final as City cruise through
Bayern Munich 1-1 Man City (1-4 agg): Erling Haaland missed a penalty before later scoring as Pep Guardiola’s men set up a semi-final against Real Madrid
Erling Haaland scored as Manchester City advanced to a Champions League semi-final rematch with Real Madrid after a 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich in the second leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday.
The Norwegian superstar missed a first-half penalty but atoned as City achieved smooth progress with a 4-1 win on aggregate by scoring the opening goal on a counter-attack in the 57th minute, just after Bayern missed a good chance at the other end.
Bayern’s lack of confidence after losing the first leg 3-0 in Manchester showed as they failed to take advantage of numerous chances. Joshua Kimmich scored the Bavarian powerhouses’ consolation from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute after City defender Manuel Akanji was penalised for handball but it was immaterial to the outcome.
Relive all the action as Bayern Munich miss out to Manchester City:
Foden to start from bench
Phil Foden has been missing in action since mid-March after undergoing surgery for appendicitis. He returned to training for Manchester City earlier this week and travelled with the squad to Germany to take on Bayern Munich tonight.
Whether Foden plays a part in tonight’s game is still to be determined but manager Pep Guardiola says that he will at least have a place on the bench.
“We’re delighted (he is back)” Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference yesterday. “Definitely it’s good news for us. He has trained just once yesterday but we decided he would travel with us and be on the bench.
“(How minutes he is capable of) I don’t know. 90 for sure no. But his physicality is special.
“He is a special player who doesn’t need a lot of training sessions to be fit. But he’s important - not just for tomorrow, but for the tight schedule we have ahead of us.”
Pep Guardiola returns to the place where his Champions League nightmares began
Pep Guardiola is a failure. By his own admission, anyway. The Manchester City manager has started to take a criticism levelled at him – or, more accurately, his Champions League record – and adopt it, while mocking it. Sometimes there can be a surreal element to Guardiola’s rationale: he deemed himself a failure last month on the grounds that Julia Roberts preferred to watch Manchester United.
By any objective criteria, Guardiola is a huge success. But for a perfectionist like the Catalan, there may be a feeling of failure about his European record since 2011. When he claims, as he has, that he would rather win the Premier League or that the domestic division is harder to win, it only serves to underline that European glory is the prize he wants most.
A return to the Allianz Arena should secure him a 10th Champions League semi-final as a manager; it may also remind him of the start of a sequence. If it is a dozen years since Guardiola’s Barcelona won the 2011 final in such a manner to suggest they were the finest team ever, Roberto Di Matteo has lifted the Champions League more recently than Guardiola.
This is his 10th campaign since leaving his boyhood club: whether with Bayern Munich or City, his European runs have ended in disappointment. His case to be deemed the greatest manager ever is weakened, despite the prospect of an 11th league title in 14 seasons, without conquering Europe again. He is aware that he has not won the Champions League without Lionel Messi: that Messi has triumphed in both the Champions League and the World Cup without Guardiola embellishes his claim to be the outstanding footballer in history.
Pep Guardiola returns to the place where his Champions League nightmares began
Guardiola’s first return to Bayern ought to be a procession for Manchester City, but in Munich he will face the ghosts of nine seasons without European glory
Bayern Munich vs Manchester City prediction
This should be a close affair with Bayern Munich showing more of their attacking attributes than they did a week ago. Man City are likely to match them stride for stride though and should go through after securing a draw away from home.
Bayern Munich 2-2 Manchester City (2-5 agg.)
Bayern Munich vs Man City predicted line-ups
Bayern Munich XI: Sommer; Pavard, Upamecano, De Ligt, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Musiala, Coman; Mane.
Manchester City XI: Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Ake; Stones, Rodri; Silva, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Grealish; Haaland.
What is the early team news?
A tough night in Manchester on the pitch last week saw frustrations boil over off it for Bayern Munich, with Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane involved in a dressing room confrontation. That led to Mane’s exclusion from the matchday squad against Hoffenheim, but the forward is set to return for the second leg. He could be joined by Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, who is back in training after a knee injury.
Phil Foden continues to recover after having his appendix removed, but has been back in Manchester City training this week. Pep Guardiola has settled on a favoured system of late, with John Stones likely to continue moving into midfield when his side have the ball.
How to watch Bayern Munich vs Manchester City
Bayern Munich vs Manchester City is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Wednesday 19 April at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on BT Sport 1, with coverage from 7pm BST. Subscribers can stream the second leg via the BT Sport app or online player.
Bayern Munich vs Manchester City
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of this evening’s Champions League quarter-final between Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s men lead 3-0 on aggregate after a stellar performance at the Etihad Stadium and will be hoping to nullify Bayern’s attacking qualities in order to progress through to the final four.
For their part, the Bundesliga champions will be hoping that home advantage plays in their favour as they hunt for an early goal to turn around their fortunes.
City are the big favourites but whoever progresses will face Real Madrid in the semi-finals after Carlo Ancelotti’s men defeated Chelsea last night.
At the least this match will be an entertaining encounter but can City see off Bayern and keep their hopes of winning the Champions League alive?
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