Manchester City have drawn 7-time champions Bayern Munich for their UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal clash.
On April 11/12, City will host the Bundesliga winners at the Etihad Stadium for the opening leg, with the second match taking place in Bavaria the following week.
If City wins the match, they will go to the semifinals where they will play either Real Madrid or Chelsea. The final will be held on June 10 in Istanbul will feature one of Benfica, Inter Milan, AC Milan, or Napoli.
The clash is particularly interesting as Joao Cancelo decided to make the switch from Man City to Bayern in the January transfer window. The loan deal includes a £61m buy-out clause but reports coming from Bayern indicate that he is most likely to move in the summer.
Cancelo had been one of City’s most important creative players during the previous two of seasons, but in the days after the 2022 World Cup, it became obvious that things were not what they should be.
Pep Guardiola favoured Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis as his full-backs, leaving the 28-year-old on the sidelines for the majority of January.
The City manager and the Portuguese fullback bickered on the practise field about playing time. He ultimately decided to leave the English champions for the German juggernauts in January of this year as a result of it.
Can Joao Cancelo play against Manchester City?
In UEFA competitions, loanees are permitted to play against their parent club, despite Premier League rules prohibiting it.
Also, starting in 2018, UEFA has permitted players to compete for two separate teams during the same European season. As a result, Cancelo can be picked by Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann to face City.
City fans worried
After learning of the draw, fans went crazy and were eager to watch Cancelo play against Guardiola’s team, especially following his falling out with the Spanish, which opened the path for his exit. But most city fans had a different reaction.
Some City fans tweeted:
“Read the script, it is Cancelo goal in the penalty shoot out to knock us out.”
“Can’t wait for Cancelo to knock us out of Europe!”
“My head has gone Cancelo is fully gonna knock us out!”
Who do you think will win? Comment and let us know.
