Man City have two favorites hoping to damage Liverpool’s Champions League dreams
If Liverpool is to win a seventh European Cup this season, they will need to re-unite with some familiar faces.
A slew of former Manchester City players are standing in the way of the Reds’ progress, and they may do their old employers a tremendous favor by stopping Jurgen Klopp’s quadruple-chasing side in their tracks.
The Reds’ first opponent is Benfica, whose defense unit includes Nicolas Otamendi.
The 34-year-old Argentinian joined the Sky Blues in the summer of 2015 and faced Klopp’s men 11 times, winning five, drawing one, and losing five of these encounters.
After a good career in England, he moved to the Portuguese top division in 2020.
Liverpool are the favourites to beat the Eagles, which would set up a semi-final clash with either Bayern Munich or Villarreal.
If Villarreal repeats their heroics from the Round of 16 to knock out the German giants, Geronimo Rulli will be the goalkeeper aiming to keep the Reds’ offensive line at bay.
Rulli joined City from Uruguayan club Deportivo Maldonado ahead of the 2016/17 season, but was quickly loaned out to Real Sociedad before signing permanently in January 2017.
Prior to his sale, the Argentine had not made a single first-team appearance for Pep Guardiola’s side.
The 29-year-old later joined Villarreal in 2020 and has made 35 appearances for the Spanish club this season in all competitions.
If Bayern Munich advances, Leroy Sane will be the former City player with the potential to derail Liverpool’s European dreams.
Throughout his time in England, the German winger was a continual thorn in Liverpool’s side, with his most significant contribution coming in the shape of a winning goal during a critical 2-1 victory against the Reds as the two clubs contended for title glory in 2018/19.
Away from Manchester, the remaining five foreign teams in Europe’s elite league have a plethora of ex-Premier League players among their ranks.
Real Madrid’s squad includes two former Chelsea fans’ favorites in Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois, two Tottenham Hotspur players (Gareth Bale and Luka Modric), and a former Arsenal loanee in Dani Ceballos.
Alberto Moreno of Villarreal is one name that Liverpool fans will remember from his time on Merseyside. The same can be said about Luis Suarez of Atletico Madrid, whose time at Anfield will not be forgotten easily.
The following is a complete list of the other stars that have graced the English top division and are still in contention for trophies in Europe’s best tournament.
Atletico Madrid: Luis Suarez (Liverpool), Stefan Savic (Man City).
Bayern Munich: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Stoke City), Leroy Sane (Man City), Serge Gnabry (Arsenal, West Brom).
Benfica: Adel Taarabt (QPR), Jan Vertonghen (Spurs), Joao Mario (West Ham), Nicolas Otamendi (Man City).
Real Madrid: Dani Ceballos (Arsenal), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Gareth Bale (Spurs), Luka Modric (Spurs), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid).
Villarreal: Alberto Moreno (Liverpool), Arnaut Danjuma (Bournemouth), Etienne Capoue (Spurs, Watford), Francis Coquelin (Arsenal), Serge Aurier (Spurs).
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Man City have two favorites hoping to damage Liverpool’s Champions League dreams
