BARCELONA, Spain: As if a combined 16 European Cups were not enough, the Champions League quarterfinal between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will also offer an intriguing duel between master and pupil.
Zinedine Zidane’s transition from retired player to successful coach at Madrid owes a lot to his time at the club under current Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Come Wednesday, the former colleagues will face off in the first of two contests to determine which will guide his team to Europe’s final four.
“We’re ready for Real,” said Ancelotti, who led Madrid to the 2014 title with Zidane as his assistant, a run which included defeating Bayern 5-0 on aggregate in the semifinals.
Two years later, it was Zidane’s turn to lift the European Cup as Madrid’s manager, just four months after taking the job over from Ancelotti’s short-lived replacement, Rafa Benitez.
Toni Kroos, who left Bayern for Madrid when Ancelotti was still in charge, gives credit to Zidane for taking Madrid back to the top.
“He has had a huge impact here. He brought positivity when he arrived and took us in a new direction,” Kroos said. “We are playing better football than before and that was rewarded when we won the Champions League last season.”
The powerhouses’ meeting will be their 23rd, a record for UEFA club competition.
“They will be two fantastic games. This tie could easily be the Champions League final,” Kroos said.
Here is a look at all four quarterfinals:
JUVENTUS vs. BARCELONA
Barcelona returns to the Champions League on Tuesday for its first match since its historic 6-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain that made it the first team to overturn a 4-0 first-leg loss in the history of the competition.
But the Catalan club heads into the rematch of the 2015 final it won against Juventus on the heels of a 2-0 loss at Malaga on Saturday. The defeat included a red card for Neymar and damaged its chances of retaining the Spanish league title.
“That shouldn’t be considered, it doesn’t change anything,” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said. “Barcelona is a team which is used to playing big matches like this.”
Allegri could welcome striker Mario Mandzukic back from injury, while Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets is suspended.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND vs. MONACO
It may lack the big names and champion pedigree, but if you want goals then look no further than Tuesday’s match between Borussia Dortmund and Monaco.
Monaco has scored a whopping tally of 133 goals in all competitions this season, including a bundle by teenage standout Kylian Mbappe.
The 18-year-old forward, newly capped by France, has netted 12 times in his last 11 games and 19 for the season. He scored in both legs against Manchester City in the Round-of-16.
Dortmund is no slouch either, led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 32 goals overall.
But Dortmund is facing serious injury worries. It was without Marco Reus, Andre Schuerrle, Sven Bender, Julian Weigl, Shinji Kagawa, Erik Durm and Lukasz Piszczek in a 4-1 loss to Bayern on Saturday.
ATLETICO MADRID vs. LEICESTER
As the only side in the quarterfinals that had to play a domestic fixture as late as Sunday, Leicester comes into the match having lost its unbeaten record under new manager Craig Shakespeare after falling 4-2 at Everton.
The Premier League champions had won six consecutive games, including its Round-of-16 victory over Sevilla, after sacking Claudio Ranieri.
However, with Shakespeare making five changes to his starting lineup, Leicester should be at full strength in Madrid.
“We’re all excited for Wednesday night and it’s going to be a great occasion, but we have to improve on that performance today,” winger Marc Albrighton said.
Atletico is playing its best football of the season and got a big boost Saturday from Antoine Griezmann, whose late equalizer earned a 1-1 draw at Real Madrid.
BAYERN MUNICH vs. REAL MADRID
Besides relying on its own potent attack, Bayern will also hope that Cristiano Ronaldo continues to struggle in front of goal this season in Europe.
The Champions League’s all-time scorer with 95 career goals has only struck twice this campaign. That has allowed Barcelona rival Lionel Messi to close the gap after scoring 11 goals to take his total to 94.
Bayern arrives in fine form, enjoying a 10-point lead in the Bundesliga.
The German side will be without defender Mats Hummels (ankle), while Madrid will likely be missing defenders Pepe (ribs) and Raphael Varane (leg).
Zidane meets mentor Ancelotti in Champions League quarterfinals
Zidane meets mentor Ancelotti in Champions League quarterfinals
Patrick Reed keeps his cool to win Dubai Desert Classic by 4 shots
- Andy Sullivan fought back from a shaky front nine to hit a one-under 71 and finish second at 10 under
DUBAI: Patrick Reed was presented with the Dallah Trophy by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline & Group, in front of a big crowd at Emirates Golf Club as the American claimed the fourth DP World Tour title of his career with a composed four-shot victory at the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
The 35-year-old stayed patient on a testing front nine as he carded eight pars and one dropped shot to reach the turn with his overnight advantage cut in half to two shots.
David Puig completed a hat-trick of birdies from the eighth to briefly sit one back before Reed signed for his first birdie at the 10th.
But when Reed birdied the 13th and Puig dropped a shot on the same hole, the World No. 44 regained his four-shot lead with five holes to play, and he never looked back.
Reed parred his way home for a 14-under-par total to become the sixth American winner of the Dallah trophy with his first Rolex Series event success at Emirates Golf Club.
“It hasn’t fully set in yet. Today was a lot harder than expected; I knew it was going to be,” Reed said.
“I just couldn’t get anything going on the front nine. I think I learned a lot about the round today.
“Instead of keeping my foot on the gas early, I tried to protect that four-shot lead, and then David goes and birdied eight and nine, and shut it down to two.
“Kess (Kessler Karain, caddie) was like, ‘It’s a dogfight. Now let’s get going and shoot under par on the back nine and no one will beat you.’ We were able to get that birdie there on 13 to get to one under and he (Puig) gave me a gift there by bogeying. From there on, it was hit fairways, hit greens and make no mistakes.”
The first movement came at the par-three fourth when Puig salvaged a bogey from a plugged lie. Reed safely found the green with his tee-shot, but the American three-putted as he missed the chance to extend his four-shot lead.
Reed could not improve on 13 under as he continued his par streak, but Puig made his move as the final group reached the turn.
He picked up his first birdie of the day at the eighth, and when he dialed in his approach to six feet for birdie at the ninth, he was two behind at 11 under.
Reed held his nerve to find the par-five 10th green in two, but he had to watch Puig card his third straight birdie at the same hole.
His lead was cut to one, but only briefly, as the American found the cup with a short birdie putt to return to 14 under.
Both men failed to find the green at the par-three 11th, with Reed missing his par putt from 5 feet. Puig had 4 feet to trim the leader’s advantage to one, only to miss his par effort.
The momentum swung back in the American’s favor with a birdie at the 13th, and when his Spanish playing partner, who produced a remarkable par save at the 12th, bogeyed the same hole, Reed was four ahead at 14 under.
Puig’s chance of victory proved even slimmer when he bogeyed the 15th as the leader opened up a five-shot advantage with three to play.
Reed had looks to increase his lead as he finished with five straight pars for his first DP World Tour crown since the 2020 WGC-Mexico Championship.
Andy Sullivan fought back from a shaky front nine as he finished birdie-birdie in his one-under 71 to sit in solo second at 10 under.
Frenchman Julien Guerrier carded an eagle, two birdies and a bogey for his best finish at a Rolex Series event in third at nine under.
Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard, Francesco Molinari and Race to Dubai Rankings delivered by DP World leader Jayden Schaper were one shot further back, while Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia, Englishman Marcus Armitage and Puig, who was given a two-shot penalty for grounding a club in the bunker at the last, finished at seven under.
South African amateur Christiaan Maas was presented with the Emirates Golf Federation’s Leading Amateur award.
