The dust has settled on the draws for the various European tournaments, so who will be happiest with their fate? Take a look:
Talking about destiny when talking about soccer always feels clichéd. If this YPL leader can win this season's
European crown
It's definitely because they make a great team, not because there's a deity out there who's controlling everything. Having said that, if there is a higher being interfering in the soccer world, then His script could be something like this: the same season that Argentina won the World Cup for the heavenly Diego Maradona, his former team Napoli would bring home the greatest trophy of all time.
Before the underdogs in Nyon, Switzerland, decided everything, this Luciano Spalletti-led team was one of the four teams with the best chance of winning the title - and the
Bayern
München or Munich, capital of Bavaria, Germany
Real Madrid (soccer team)
和
Manchester City football club
The draw was made and the other three were destined to fight each other to reach the final. After the draw, the other three teams were destined to fight each other to reach the final, while Napoli only had to win first against
AC Milan (football club)
And then beat
FC Internazionale Milano (football club)
Or Benfica for one, the road to Istanbul is much smoother in comparison. There couldn't have been a better draw for them; and if it was really divine providence, the gods were probably wearing the sky-blue Napoli jersey.
Manchester City football club
commander-in-chief
What does Pep Guardiola dream about when he has nightmares? Is it that Julia Roberts, who was phenomenal in Sparrow to Phoenix, didn't win that year's Oscar, and that Kathy Bates of The Wargames walked away with a big smile on her face? Or was it the year Detroit
pistons
What about the legions of bad boys who developed Jordan's Law against Michael Jordan, giving the greatest basketball player of all time a hard time? At least for the time being, it's likely to be something he'll have to deal with, very unkindly
European crown
Drawing results.
For years, these most important games have always left Guardiola in a cold sweat over his tactical maneuvers, and now he's encountering an opposing coach, Julian Nagelsmann, who is just like him.
Bayern
(fired in favor of Thomas Tuchel), the formation changed on a whim. Even if he manages to get through the battle of the details, the next thing he must face is a battle against the
Manchester City football club
The Match of Weaknesses - Targeting
Manchester City football club
在
European crown
Always insecure.
If this never-say-die
Real Madrid soccer team
passed
Chelsea
This level, they are facing
Manchester City football club
Then, as each year passes, there is more and more faith in their
European crown
The path will always go wrong somewhere.
Manchester City football club
Perhaps the most likely team in this half of the bracket to make it to the finals, but they're bound to have to keep fighting their way through thick and thin along the way.
While it's true that everything on the soccer field will always attract attention, what the world is increasingly interested in is what's going on under the table.
transfer to another club (professional sports)
The more expensive and ill-considered the deal, the better. With such a trend, it's inevitable that the entire continent will be watching Benfica's every move on the field, eyeing up which player to snatch from them. The Portuguese Premier League table-toppers are likely to reach the quarter-finals, and any team that arrives at this stage as a dark horse (press: like Ajax in 2018/19) will attract the covetousness of the landed clubs, hovering over them like vultures.
Benfica's star striker Gonçalo Ramos has been their goal-scoring hero, making the team seem completely unaffected by the departure of Darwin Nuñez. A number of clubs have been tempted to snap him up, but center back António Silva is probably the most sought after prize. He'll next be playing for
European crown
With Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martínez on the field against Inter, it will be a great opportunity for him to shine; many insiders expect him to capitalize on this opportunity and establish himself as Europe's next defensive superstar. If Benfica's coffers aren't full by now, they probably will be soon.
The reason why he is a winner is not because his arch-rival Pep Guardiola has to face one bloodbath after another over the next few months, but the UEFA draw seems to have been tailor-made for that most particular one to lead Roma. If
Manchester United Football Club
Planted at the feet of Sevilla, that would be, in Mourinho's own words, a soccer heritage. If
Juventus, Italian football team
Out of the game, we can all expect to see him shellacking his domestic rivals with witticisms once again, perhaps even more brilliantly than last time! On March 17th, Taiwan time, Lazio were in the
EFTA
After the defeat by Alkmaar in the Round of 16, Mourinho was a bit sour: I feel sorry for UEFA, because the trophy could have stayed in Rome, but now it will probably have to be shipped to Florence, and they'll have to spend a fortune on transportation. (Press: Ferentina Success)
advancement
EFTA
(Final Eight)
