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    Supercomputer predicts Champions League winner as each team’s chances of European glory is revealed

    MANCHESTER CITY are overwhelming favourites to win the Champions League this season, according to our supercomputer.Pep Guardiola’s side are aiming to finally win the famous competition for the first time after a string of near misses.

    Man City booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday nightCredit: Getty
    City booked their place in the semi-finals on Wednesday night by completing an impressive 4-1 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich.
    And our supercomputer reckons it’s their time to win it all.
    The boffins over at Bettingexpert have built BETSiE – a supercomputer tasked with determining probabilities in football.
    BETSiE takes into account factors like results, xG and pre-season expectations while running a simulator 20,000 times.
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    Having worked its magic, BETSiE gives City a 65.75 per cent chance of reaching the final and a 50.25 per cent likelihood that they go on and win it.
    Real Madrid are distant second favourites, despite their amazing pedigree in the competition, given just a 22.57 per cent chance of winning the final and 34.25 per cent shot at beating City in the semis.
    BETSiE reckons that Inter will beat Milan in the other semi-final, giving them a 54.22 per cent chance – compared to 45.78 per cent for their rivals – of reaching the final.
    Neither Italian side are given much of a shot at beating City or Madrid, however, with Inter at 14.65 per cent and Milan at 12.53 per cent.
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    Real Madrid beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday nightCredit: Alamy
    AC Milan knocked out Serie A leaders NapoliCredit: Rex
    Both semi-finals will take place next month, before the final in Istanbul on June 10.
    City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted that his side are feeling the fatigue as they continue to fight on three fronts.
    Ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United, he said: “We are exhausted.
    “I don’t know how we recover to play against Sheffield United. Now is a tough moment for the game on Saturday.
    “Three years in a row in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
    “We struggled in the first half. (Dayot) Upamecano broke all the lines down our left side and we struggled with (Kingsley) Coman.
    “We were fortunate before the penalty miss, they had one or two chances and anything could happen but we defended really well.
    “The finishing from Erling (Haaland) was really, really good. He is so young. The experience that we have in this competition, the players feel it a lot, they want to do it really well. The second half was much, much better since minute one.”
    Inter Milan celebrate their quarter-final triumph over BenficaCredit: Alamy More

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    Fans concerned for Erling Haaland as striker suffers brief ‘software glitch’ during Man City clash at Bayern

    FOOTBALL fans hilariously claimed Erling Haaland suffered a “software glitch” as Manchester City booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals.Pep Guardiola’s side drew 1-1 with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening, clinching a 4-1 aggregate victory.
    Erling Haaland turned to his Manchester City team-mates in an intimidatory mannerCredit: Twitter@FootballReprt
    He then quickly punched his first in a somewhat bizarre celebration while shaking his headCredit: Twitter@FootballReprt
    And Haaland, who missed a first-half penalty, helped himself to his 48th goal of the season after the break following Dayot Upamecano’s crucial slip.
    But the pair were involved in an incident earlier on in the game when Haaland was brought down by the French defender as he went through on goal.
    Upamecano was shown a red card by Clement Turpin for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
    However, the offside flag then went up – a decision which was confirmed by VAR.
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    And Turpin then wiped out Upamecano’s dismissal as his blushes were temporarily spared.
    But before the red card had been rescinded, the cameras caught Haaland celebrating in a rather bizarre manner.
    He swiftly pumped his fist in an aggressive way while rapidly turning his head.
    And fans jokingly claimed Haaland – who has often been compared to a robot for his freakish goalscoring ability – had suffered a “glitch”.
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    Reacting on social media, one person said: “Software update required.”
    Another added: “What if it’s hardware glitch.”
    A third replied: “Error 404. Update required 😂😭.”
    And a fourth responded: “Hahaha downloaded software updates mid-game.”
    Haaland’s 48 goals in 41 games could fire Man City to a treble this season.
    They sit four points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table, but have a game in hand and face the Gunners at the Etihad on Wednesday.
    In the Champions League, they will face holders Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
    But before that they take on Championship side Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Saturday. More

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    Watch shocking moment Benfica fans throw FLARES at Inter supporters as they crash out of Champions League

    SHOCKING footage shows Benfica fans throwing flares during their Champions League exit earlier this week.The Portuguese side drew 3-3 with the Italian side at San Siro last night.
    Benfica fans lit flares in the stands at San SiroCredit: https://twitter.com/tancredipalmeri/status/1648788247991013376
    Flares could be seen being thrown at Inter fansCredit: https://twitter.com/tancredipalmeri/status/1648788247991013376
    Their late rally wasn’t enough to progress, having lost 2-0 on home soil last week.
    Disgruntled Benfica fans lit flares at Inter’s historic San Siro home.
    And in disturbing scenes, the flares could be seen being thrown down from the upper reaches of the stands, hurtling towards Inter Milan fans sat in the lower tier.
    Italian reporter Tancredi Palmeri tweeted a video of the shocking scene.
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    He wrote, all in capital letters: “The criminal moment when Benfica fans could have cause a tragedy by throwing several flares amongst fans!”
    Supporters online were disgusted by the scene.
    One blasted: “Benfica must be banned from European competitions.”
    While a second called it: “Poor behaviour.”
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    And a third wrote: “Hopefully @UEFA will punish them.”
    Palmeri later shared a further clip, in which Inter fans could be seen mockingly flashing their phone torches at Benfica fans as their team sailed into the semi-finals.
    Inter went 1-0 up on the night and 3-0 on aggregate via Nicolo Barella’s early goal.
    Fredrik Aursnes scored for Benfica on 38 minutes, with Inter leading the tie 3-1 at half-time last night.
    Further goals by Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa made progression comfortable, before a late Benfica rally that saw Antonio Silva and Petar Musa pull goals back.
    Inter will face city rivals AC Milan in next month’s semi-finals after their rivals beat Serie A leaders Napoli 2-1 on aggregate.
    Inter Milan booked their place in the Champions League final last nightCredit: Alamy More

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    Two-time Champions League finalists could face extinction with club ‘only able to survive one year if relegated’

    VALENCIA may only survive for ONE YEAR if they are relegated from LaLiga this season.The Spanish giants sit 18th in the top flight, three points adrift of safety with just nine games remaining.
    Valencia sit three points adrift of safety following defeat to Sevilla on SundayCredit: Getty
    Peter Lim has been slammed for his ownership of the clubCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    Owner Peter Lim, who also has a share in Salford City, has been heavily criticised for the demise of the club and dragging them into a relegation dog fight.
    It comes just two decades on from a thoroughly successful era.
    They reached back-to-back Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001, losing to Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
    Rafa Benitez then took over and guided the club to two league titles in three years between 2002 and 2004.
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    But now they face the very real prospect of dropping down to the second tier for the first time since 1987.
    And Marca Valencia’s journalist Javi Lazaro insists the club could cease to exist under its current ownership.
    He said: “To this day, the continuity of Meriton [the owners] can only bring one thought, that of disappearance.
    “Practically the team economically could last a year in the second [division], for sure it would not manage two.
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    “And seeing Lim’s management, they are hardly going to make a project to get promoted from the second to the first.”
    Valencia, who appointed Ruben Baraja as Gennaro Gattuso’s replacement in February, are on a run of four games without a win.
    On Sunday, a frustrated home crowd watched them lose 2-0 to fellow strugglers Sevilla.
    Next up in their fight to avoid the drop is a trip to Elche this weekend. More

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    Lampard should be calling out Boehly – that Drogba can say he lacks the ‘class’ of Putin crony Abramovich says it all

    SO this is the stage we’re at with Todd Boehly’s Stamford Bridge omnishambles.A stage where Didier Drogba can accuse Boehly and co-owner Behdad Eghbali of lacking the ‘class’ and ‘principles’ of Vladimir Putin’s crony, Roman Abramovich, while everyone nods sagely and reckons the Chelsea legend has a valid point.
    Caretaker boss Frank Lampard faces a crisis on and off the fieldCredit: Getty
    Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have much to answer forCredit: Getty
    It says much about the way Chelsea, and the ownership of Premier League clubs in general, has evolved, that the tainted, hire-and-fire regime of Abramovich is now being seen as a benchmark for sense and dignity.
    When the Russian became the first foreigner to buy an English top-flight club in 2003, he was soon accused by David Dein of parking his tanks on Arsenal’s lawn and firing £50 notes.
    But Abramovich never scatter-gunned his cash like Boehly & Co — who have spaffed more than £600million in the transfer market, plus another £34m for hiring and firing Graham Potter — without a functioning team to show for it.
    Being patient with Potter as a ‘long-term project’ was supposedly the definition of the new Clearlake ownership model.
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    Seven months later, Potter was axed and that definition was clear  as mud.
    That Potter wasn’t the chief problem became increasingly obvious with the rose-tinted temporary appointment of Frank Lampard, which has heralded Chelsea’s first four-match losing streak in 30 years.
    Nostalgia ain’t even what it used to be when the club’s record goalscorer returned a fortnight ago.
    Chelsea, in the bottom half of the Premier League, are winless in seven games and have scored just once in six outings, via a wicked deflection in a home defeat by Brighton.
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    Drogba, of course, was a mighty centre-forward. Now Chelsea don’t have any sort of centre-forward, despite their expensive trolley dash.Last summer, Boehly wanted the human stinkbomb Cristiano Ronaldo in that role but was dissuaded by Thomas Tuchel, the Champions League winner he soon sacked.
    In the meantime, N’Golo Kante was employed as an inside-forward during the 2-0 Champions League quarter- final second-leg defeat by Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge which sealed Chelsea’s fruitless campaign.
    We can only hope, for the sake of Lampard’s own sanity, that he privately shares the views of his old team-mate Drogba about Boehly, who brashly predicted a 3-0 win in the Bernabeu last week.
    Then, after defeat by Brighton, he stormed the sanctuary of the dressing room to accuse some players of being ‘embarrassing’ in what was said to be a ‘pep talk’.
    And word has it that anyone assuming Eghbali is the quiet, sensible one of the ruling pair will be sadly mistaken.
    Apparently, this is a double act without a straight man.
    Why is Lampard acting as a human shield for these people?
    Without a permanent role, he has nothing to lose and should be calling out, rather than defending them. Perhaps during the remaining six weeks of Chelsea’s season, Lampard might deliver a few home truths.
    Ralf Rangnick did so at Manchester United last season and his medicine helped an ailing club.
    Whoever takes over from Lampard will inherit an obese squad without a core, without identity, without balance, but with plenty of lengthy, fat contracts.
    Chelsea must hold a summer fire sale, which has become even more of an emergency now that they are highly unlikely to play European  football next season.
    On Tuesday, Lampard claimed, with some complacency, that the ‘reality is this club is going to be back’. There is absolutely no guarantee of a swift Champions League return.
    Chelsea have signed duds —Cucurella and Koulibaly have been huge disappointments, while nobody at Arsenal is mourning the hijacking of Mudryk.
    The Clearlake crew are filthy rich but they must compete with the  sovereign wealth of Abu Dhabi at Manchester City, Saudi Arabia at Newcastle and soon, perhaps, Qatar at Manchester United.
    What Raheem Sterling made of Lampard’s team selection against Real — and what he made of Kante missing two excellent chances when the second leg was goalless — is anyone’s guess.
    Sterling was supposed to be a statement signing in Boehly’s first window — a multiple title-winner lured from champions Manchester City.
    The winger, once the subject of infamous abuse as a visiting player at Stamford Bridge, always felt like a bad fit.
    Now he’s being scapegoated by fans and was benched for the club’s biggest match of the season.
    Still only 28, he is no longer a first-choice England player either. Mason Mount, one of the few homegrown players with some feeling for the club, looks certain to be off this summer.
    Chelsea have certainly signed some duds — defenders Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly have been huge disappointments for a combined initial fee of £90m, while nobody at Arsenal is mourning the hijacking of winger Mykhailo Mudryk in an £88m deal.
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    All in all, it is an epic mess.
    And while Abramovich was worshipped at the Bridge — with many supporters perhaps fooled by the Russian’s expensive lawyers as much as to his close links to Putin — Drogba’s views are shared by many fans, who view Boehly’s mob with growing contempt.
    Roman Abramovich reigned at Chelsea when Drogba and Co thrivedCredit: AFP or licensors More

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    Fans say ‘Roy Keane won’t be happy’ as they spot Chelsea and Real Madrid stars sitting together in the tunnel

    FOOTBALL fans joked Roy Keane would be seething after Chelsea and Real Madrid stars chilled together in the tunnel.The Blues and Los Blancos went head to head in their Champions League quarter-final.
    Joao Felix and Mateo Kovacic joined Eder Militao, Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric in the Stamford Bridge tunnelCredit: Getty
    Real won both legs 2-0, including at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
    But after Chelsea were dumped out by two Rodrygo goals, two of their players were spotted hanging out with three Madrid men.
    A picture from inside the tunnel showed Joao Felix and Mateo Kovacic sitting on the steps of the tunnel with Eder Militao, Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric.
    Kovacic spent three years with Real and is a Croatian team-mate of Modric but while Portuguese Felix speaks the same language as Brazilian duo Militao and Vinicius, he is on loan from rivals Atletico Madrid.
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    But plenty of fans were not having any of it and did not want to see rivals socialising together after the tie.
    One said: “Roy Keane will not be happy…”
    Another wrote: “The game has changed but you would NEVER find Drogba, Terry or Lampard sitting with the opposing team after a Champions League loss at the Bridge.”
    A third added: “Who invited Felix? What’s the connection? Bro thinks he’s part of them.”
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    A fourth joked: “Vini Jr wondering why Felix is sitting down with them.”
    And a final user simply typed: “Game is gone.”
    Hilariously, though, Real Madrid supporters were getting worried by the photo – because they were scared Felix would want to join the 14-time European champions.
    Chelsea paid £14million including wages to take Felix on loan from Atleti but it has not worked out as planned.
    He has managed just two goals in 15 appearances, was sent off on his debut and found himself on the bench last night in Chelsea’s biggest game of the season.
    Fans joked Roy Keane would be fuming if he saw the photoCredit: Getty
    Felix came on but struggled to make an impact in the gameCredit: Getty More

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    Bayern Munich 1 Man City 1 (1-4): Pep’s side ease to Champions League semi with bad-tempered draw as Tuchel is sent off

    IT promises to be quite some semi-final – the most lethal goal machine on the face of the Earth against the greatest trophy-winning institution in Europe. As Manchester City teed up another classic shoot-out with Real Madrid, Erling Haaland briefly showed signs of fallibility in the Allianz Arena last night. 
    Manchester City eased into the Champions League semi-finalCredit: AFP
    Erling Haaland netted for Manchester City once againCredit: AFP
    The Norwegian skyrocketed a spot-kick, Harry Kane-style into the Gods, but recovered to bury his 48th goal of a murderous campaign.
    Yet anybody who believes Pep Guardiola’s side will coast it to the Treble obviously hasn’t been watching Real very closely.
    The 14-time champions of Europe, who have beaten English clubs in their last five Champions League knock-out ties, will give City one hell of a test.
    Last year they staged an epic comeback – or was it an epic City collapse? – in the Bernabeu to secure a remarkable 6-5 aggregate victory.
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    But that was City without Haaland – the extra dimension, the missing link, the free-scoring Norseman of the Apocalypse.
    Oh and City are at home in the second leg this time, which could make all the difference.
    Say what you like about the filthy money at play in the elite end of European club football but in pure sporting terms this upcoming two-legged tie promises to be an absolute treat.
    Carlo Ancelotti, with four European Cups, will have been licking his lips while watching Bayern tear into City last night.
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    While a fuming Thomas Tuchel was sent offCredit: AP
    The ex-Chelsea boss watched the rest of the game from behind the dugoutCredit: Reuters
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    Guardiola is insisting on playing four specialist centre-halfs and Ancelotti will be wondering if he dares do the same against wingers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, who snatched away glory from City last season.
    Surely there will be a recall for Kyle Walker against Vincius?
    That, and plenty of other intriguing questions, will be answered in May. As for last night, City showed a decent amount of steel to get past Germany’s perma-champions without any serious scare.
    Bayern centre-half Dayot Upamecano has suffered a personal nightmare in this tie.
    Here, he was red-carded then reprieved; he conceded a penalty only for Haaland to miss it; then he slipped and allowed the Norwegian to thump City ahead on the night, effectively sealing the deal.
    Joshua Kimmich scored the equaliser from the penalty spotCredit: AP
    After ten straight wins in all competitions, Guardiola made the unusual decision not to do anything unusual and picked the same team that stuffed Bayern 3-0 last week.
    That had arguably been City’s best performance in a Champions League match and it had been more than six years since they’d lost by the four-goal margin Thomas Tuchel’s men required.
    But Bayern are so used to winning that the Allianz Arena – this mighty spacecraft, with its permanent whiff of curried bratwurst – always holds a certain belief.
    Tuchel recalled on-loan City full-back Joao Cancelo, farmed out after a bust-up with Guardiola in January, and he was booked after a toasting from Bernardo Silva.
    After a bizarre four-minute delay to the kick-off, while ref Clement Turpin got himself miked up, Bayern were quick out of the traps, though – Kingsley Coman’s pace giving makeshift left-back Nathan Ake a few headaches.
    Jack Grealish was rightly delighted at the endCredit: PA
    Erling Haaland takes it all in from the visiting supportCredit: PA
    Then when Jamal Musiala picked out a peachy pass, Leroy Sane – recovered from a dressing-room biffing from Sadio Mane at the Etihad – sped past John Stones but shot just wide of the far post.
    But City soon thought they had reduced Bayern to ten men.
    Kevin De Bruyne’s through-ball sent Haaland bearing down on goal and the great blond bomber checked his run, inviting the trip from Dayot Upamecano.
    The French centre-half had endured a shocker in Manchester and when Turpin showed red, it looked as if the tie was done and dusted within 20 minutes of the return.
    But the ref had not spotted an offside flag, which VAR upheld, so Upamecano survived.
    Tuchel was booked for gobbing off and Ederson was soon turning a Sane free-kick round the post.
    Then came Upamecano’s second major let-off, as Ilkay Gundogan’s curling shot deflected off the centre-back’s arm and Turpin pointed to the spot.
    Bayern were left to contemplate their quarter-final exitCredit: Reuters
    Haaland, who had scored all seven of his City penalties, stepped up and ballooned it.
    The place went wild and Bayern continued to attack with pace and purpose, exploiting City’s makeshift full-backs, but unable to find a way past Ederson, who pushed away a Coman effort.
    But 12 minutes into the second half, Bayern were undone by an extraordinary end-to-end sequence.
    Coman had gone on a teasing run and shot across the face of goal, where Stones launched a long ball at Haaland.
    The City centre-forward chested down for De Bruyne, who returned the favour with a cute pass which put Haaland one-on-one with his bunny Upamecano.
    Naturally, Upamecano fell flat on his jacksie and Haaland leathered it past Yann Sommer, to be greeted by a hail of plastic beer tumblers.
    It was Haaland’s 35th goal in 27 Champions League appearances. This is a thoroughbred competition, yet he continually makes mincemeat of it.
    Mane replaced Sane without smacking him one on the way off and Guardiola sent on Aymeric Laporte for Ake, his fifth centre half of the evening.
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    Bayern grabbed a consolation, and a second-leg equaliser when Josh Kimmich converted a late penalty after a Manuel Akanji handball.
    Tuchel was sent off for a second yellow card but Guardiola is serenely through for a summit meeting with Ancelotti. More

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    Thomas Tuchel SENT OFF for touchline antics as Bayern Munich are dumped out of Champions League by Man City

    BAYERN MUNICH boss Thomas Tuchel was SENT OFF during his side’s Champions League clash against Manchester City.The ex-Chelsea gaffer was sent to the stands by the ref on 85 minutes after screaming in anger over a decision.
    Thomas Tuchel turns away in disgust after the ref sends him offCredit: Getty
    Tuchel was forced to watch the rest of the game behind the dugoutCredit: Reuters
    Tuchel was fuming over a foul by Man City defender Aymeric Laporte on Kingsley Coman which he was booked for.
    But Tuchel’s continued rage saw ref Clement Turpin stroll over and brandish a second yellow card to the 49-year-old.
    Former England and Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock was left confused with the German’s reaction.
    He told BBC Radio 5Live: “I just don’t understand it because Laporte was always going to get a yellow card.
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    “He’s just animated and we called it in the first half, he’s got to go.”
    Tuchel was shown his first yellow in the first half as passions ran high in the Allianz Arena.
    He watched the last five minutes of the game behind a steel barrier – with his team without any realistic chance of progression to the Champions League semis.
    Bayern had equalised on the night for 1-1 through a Joshua Kimmich penalty just before Tuchel’s misdemeanour.
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    That goal cancelled out Erling Haaland’s 57th-minute strike – the Norwegian making amends after missing a penalty in the first 45.
    Pep Guardiola’s side went through 4-1 on aggregate, their dominant showing at the Etihad proving too big a hurdle for Bayern to overcome.
    They will face Real Madrid in the semi-finals, the Spaniards easing to a 4-0 aggregate win against Chelsea in their quarter-final clash.
    And according to former City and Bayern star Owen Hargreaves, destiny is in their own hands.
    Speaking on BT Sport, he said: “Credit Manchester City and Pep Guardiola they are in a great place right now, definitely favourites to win the Champions League.
    “Over the two legs they were the better side. This is such a dominant team in every phase.”
    Thomas Tuchel was left raging at what he thought were bad decisions by the refCredit: Getty More