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).
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Zidane meets mentor Ancelotti in Champions League quarterfinals
Zidane meets mentor Ancelotti in Champions League quarterfinals
Teen burnout to Olympic gold: Alysa Liu ‘looking to inspire others’
- Newly crowned Olympic women’s figure skating champion Alysa Liu says she wants her story to “inspire others” after the golden return of a former child prodigy who suffered burnout
MILAN:Newly crowned Olympic women’s figure skating champion Alysa Liu says she wants her story to “inspire others” after the golden return of a former child prodigy who suffered burnout.
Liu stepped away from figure skating aged just 16 years, tired of the endless training and wanting to live the life of a normal teenager.
But she returned to the rink even stronger two years later, and on Thursday night the 20-year-old produced an electrifying performance that put the US women back on top of the Olympic women’s podium for the first time since 2002.
“Honestly, it was more than just work, it was experience,” Liu said after her second gold of the Milan-Cortina Games having helped the US defend their team title.
“The last time I was skating, it was so rough. I genuinely can’t begin to start (talking) on it. It took a lot to get to this point, and studying psychology has really helped. I love psychology.”
The daughter of a Chinese political refugee, Liu started skating at the age of five with her life consumed by the sport as a child.
The Californian won her first senior US title aged 13, landing a rare triple axel jump and breaking Tara Lipinski’s record to become the youngest national champion.
For her first Olympic Games four years ago Liu’s preparation was disrupted by Covid. After testing positive she missed the US trials but was still selected for the Beijing Games where she finished sixth.
The following month, in the absence of Russian skaters she won the bronze medal at the 2022 world championships, giving the United States its first world medal in the women’s event since 2016.
But just a few weeks later Liu announced that she was ending her career, saying she felt she had achieved all her goals in the sport.
Away from competition, she got her driver’s license, enjoyed holidays, went to concerts and experienced something she had not before — a normal teenager’s life.
“Honestly, I didn’t have many people to look up to,” she explained.
“I only really had myself, and I think that’s all I needed. I got ‘alone’ time (during the pandemic). I got to think a lot.
“When Covid hit, that’s when I had my first ‘what to do with myself’ moment. It was like a ‘lightbulb’ moment.
“I was also going through puberty and my brain helped with that process (of understanding herself). A lot has happened in four years.”
Mental health awareness
She began to miss skating and competition and laced up her skates again for the 2024-2025 season.
In her very first year back, she won the world championship title shocking three-time reigning champion Kaori Sakamoto.
For her second Olympic Games, the 20-year-old skater approached things with a “completely different” mindset compared to Beijing.
“This time just feels so completely different. I know who I am as a person now,” she said.
Showing her own style with her streaked “Halo” hairstyle, she opened her competition by winning the team title.
Then, in the individual event, she placed third in the short program, just 2.12 points off the lead.
Two days later, she skated a magnificent free program to the disco sounds of Donna Summer and lit up the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
She gave the United States their first Olympic title in the women’s event since Sarah Hughes in 2002 and first medal since Sasha Cohen’s silver in 2006.
“I have no idea how I am going to deal with it (the fame). I’ll probably wear some wigs when I go outside,” she laughed.
“I think my story’s more important than anything to me and that’s what I hold dear and this journey has been incredible.
“I hope with all this attention I can raise awareness about mental health in sports, and mental health more generally.
“I think my story is very cool. Hopefully, I can inspire some people.
“All I want in my life is human connection and, damn, now I am connected with a hell of a ton of people.”
Liu stepped away from figure skating aged just 16 years, tired of the endless training and wanting to live the life of a normal teenager.
But she returned to the rink even stronger two years later, and on Thursday night the 20-year-old produced an electrifying performance that put the US women back on top of the Olympic women’s podium for the first time since 2002.
“Honestly, it was more than just work, it was experience,” Liu said after her second gold of the Milan-Cortina Games having helped the US defend their team title.
“The last time I was skating, it was so rough. I genuinely can’t begin to start (talking) on it. It took a lot to get to this point, and studying psychology has really helped. I love psychology.”
The daughter of a Chinese political refugee, Liu started skating at the age of five with her life consumed by the sport as a child.
The Californian won her first senior US title aged 13, landing a rare triple axel jump and breaking Tara Lipinski’s record to become the youngest national champion.
For her first Olympic Games four years ago Liu’s preparation was disrupted by Covid. After testing positive she missed the US trials but was still selected for the Beijing Games where she finished sixth.
The following month, in the absence of Russian skaters she won the bronze medal at the 2022 world championships, giving the United States its first world medal in the women’s event since 2016.
But just a few weeks later Liu announced that she was ending her career, saying she felt she had achieved all her goals in the sport.
Away from competition, she got her driver’s license, enjoyed holidays, went to concerts and experienced something she had not before — a normal teenager’s life.
“Honestly, I didn’t have many people to look up to,” she explained.
“I only really had myself, and I think that’s all I needed. I got ‘alone’ time (during the pandemic). I got to think a lot.
“When Covid hit, that’s when I had my first ‘what to do with myself’ moment. It was like a ‘lightbulb’ moment.
“I was also going through puberty and my brain helped with that process (of understanding herself). A lot has happened in four years.”
Mental health awareness
She began to miss skating and competition and laced up her skates again for the 2024-2025 season.
In her very first year back, she won the world championship title shocking three-time reigning champion Kaori Sakamoto.
For her second Olympic Games, the 20-year-old skater approached things with a “completely different” mindset compared to Beijing.
“This time just feels so completely different. I know who I am as a person now,” she said.
Showing her own style with her streaked “Halo” hairstyle, she opened her competition by winning the team title.
Then, in the individual event, she placed third in the short program, just 2.12 points off the lead.
Two days later, she skated a magnificent free program to the disco sounds of Donna Summer and lit up the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
She gave the United States their first Olympic title in the women’s event since Sarah Hughes in 2002 and first medal since Sasha Cohen’s silver in 2006.
“I have no idea how I am going to deal with it (the fame). I’ll probably wear some wigs when I go outside,” she laughed.
“I think my story’s more important than anything to me and that’s what I hold dear and this journey has been incredible.
“I hope with all this attention I can raise awareness about mental health in sports, and mental health more generally.
“I think my story is very cool. Hopefully, I can inspire some people.
“All I want in my life is human connection and, damn, now I am connected with a hell of a ton of people.”
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