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On Tuesday, two more participants of the Champions League quarterfinals will be determined.
Munich's "Bayern" - "Basel" First leg: 0-1 Location: Allianz Arena, Munich (Germany) Time: 21.45 (Lithuanian time) Referee: Mark Clattenburg (England) Broadcast: TV6 (live)
Munich's "Bayern" coach Jupp Heynckes hopes that the team's experience will help them get revenge against the modest "Basel" club, whose coach Heiko Vogel urges his players to play "bravely".
"As I said before, the Swiss team is very good. It has a great mix of young and experienced players. However, new matches await us, in which, I am sure, we will achieve the desired result," said Heynckes, not hiding his joy after an impressive 7-1 victory in the German championship against "Hoffenheim".
"Bastian Schweinsteiger is returning to the field, and we are very happy about that. He is a player of the same level as Andres Iniesta or Sergio Busquets. However, I do not know if he will last 90 minutes on the field."
And he added: "The atmosphere in the team is good and positive. The guys understand very well what task awaits them. Of course, we feel the pressure, but I have a feeling that everything will be fine. We have to attack, but we cannot lose balance or lose concentration in defense."
The situation for the German club is complicated by the injury of one of their leaders, Mario Gomez. However, it is expected that he will recover.
Meanwhile, Vogel said: "I am really looking forward to this match because it promises to be very interesting. We are in a good position after winning the first leg, but we respect our opponents a lot and we know it will be difficult. The hosts will attack and press, and for us, it is most important to withstand the first minutes. If we could score, the situation for "Bayern" would be significantly complicated."
When asked if he was not worried about the crushing victory of "Bayern" against "Hoffenheim", the specialist said: "I do not think about the results of other teams. The most important thing for me is my own team and strategy, which would help us reach the quarterfinals. We cannot focus only on defense. We are not afraid and we will be focused for 90 minutes."
"Bayern" fans are optimistic because the team has won 11 out of the last 12 Champions League matches at home, celebrating victories four times this season.
Milan's "Inter" - "Marseille" First leg: 0-1 Location: Giuseppe Meazza, Milan (Italy) Time: 21.45 (Lithuanian time) Referee: Pedro Proenca (Portugal) Broadcast: "Viasat Sport Baltic" (live)
Milan's "Inter" coach Claudio Ranieri hopes that the improved mood in the team will help them get revenge for the loss in France and break into the eight strongest clubs on the continent.
However, the good results of "Marseille" away, having experienced four consecutive defeats, should be worrying for the Italians.
"We will try to score, but we cannot concede a goal," said Ranieri. "The opponents are strong and dangerous on counterattacks. We know their strengths and weaknesses.
"I am glad that compared to the first match, the mood and atmosphere in the team are completely different. The victory against Verona's "Chievo" lifted us, so we hope this will have a positive impact in the Champions League. We found self-confidence in this difficult time."
Furthermore, "Inter" will have defender Maicon back after missing the last few matches due to a knee injury. However, Cristian Chivu is suspended, and Andrea Ranocchia and Ricardo Alvarez will not play due to injuries.
Still, "Marseille" coach Didier Deschamps looked optimistically towards the match: "The victory in the first match gave us a slight advantage, but I consider 'Inter' as the favorites. We have nothing to lose. Tactically, it will be most important not only to defend but also to score a goal. Draws satisfy us as well, so we will try to withstand the storm and create problems during our attacks. Three important players are returning: Loic Remy, Stephane Mbia, and Matthieu Valbuena.
"Many of our supporters will be there. Although the main goal - to reach the knockout stages - has already been achieved, we will try to travel as far as possible."
