It is a jinx that Naples does not want to believe.
The European Football Federation (UFEA) held a draw for the 2022-23 season UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarterfinals and semifinals at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland at 8:00 pm (Korean time) on the 17th.
Interesting matchups were made. Benfica, the protagonist of the storm, and Inter Milan, the stronghold of Serie A, clash. In addition, Manchester City and Bayern Munich, considered favorites for the championship, clash, and ‘defending champions’ Real Madrid face Chelsea.
Here, Napoli, where Kim Min-jae belongs, will face off against AC Milan. Napoli are having a historic season this season. While Napoli is overwhelmingly in first place with 68 points (22 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses) in the league this season, they will meet AC Milan (48 points), which is in a relatively low position. In the 7th round of the last league match between the two teams, Napoli won 2-1.
Also, the momentum in the Champions League is good. Napoli performed well in Group A with Liverpool, Ajax and Rangers, recording only one loss, and in the round of 16, they faced Frankfurt and won lightly with a combined score of 5-0 in the first and second games, raising their momentum. In addition, it is the first time in the club’s history to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, which is more motivated than any other competition. 메이저사이트
Napoli are desperate for higher ground. In the quarter-finals, they avoided champion candidates such as Real, Man City, and Munich, and even if they beat AC Milan and advance to the quarter-finals, they will face off against the victors of Benfica and Inter Milan. It is possible not to meet Real Madrid, Manchester City, Munich or Chelsea until reaching the final.
But Napoli have one ominous jinx. The jinx that the first team to advance to the Champions League never wins. As a representative example, in the 2018-19 season final, Tottenham Hotspur reached the final for the first time in club history, but lost 0-2 to Liverpool.
Interestingly, of the eight teams that reached the quarter-finals, all but Napoli have experienced at least one Champions League final. Benfica, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Real, Chelsea, Man City, and Munich all have experience winning the Champions League, so they are familiar with the final, and Man City, who has no championship experience, has also reached the final in the 2020-21 season. Attention is focusing on whether this jinx will apply to Napoli, which has no Champions League final experience.