Fans await thrilling semifinals

Whilst drama remained in Tuesday's quarterfinal ties in the Champions League, few expected any sort of comebacks from the teams trailing when Wednesday night's second legs began.

A 4-1 win on aggregate for Manchester City over Bayern Munich and Inter Milan's 5-3 aggregate victory against Benfica now only see fans, even neutrals, spend days in anticipation of what promises to be a blockbuster series of Champions League semifinals next month.

With revenge on mind, Erling Haaland, who once again was on the scoresheet during their 1-1 draw in the quarterfinal second leg at the Allianz Arena yesterday, and Manchester City will take on defending champions Real Madrid in one semifinal while the Milan derby will return to the centre stage of European football when the Italian city's two giant clubs – AC Milan and Inter Milan – meet in the other fiery Champions League semifinal.

Can City get revenge?

A year ago Manchester City suffered one of the most heartbreaking European defeats in their history against Real Madrid - but now they have the chance of revenge.

For the second season in a row, and third overall, City and Real have been drawn against each other in the Champions League semifinals.

Last year City went till the 85th minute of the second leg at the Bernabeu just needing to not concede two goals, only to do so in dramatic fashion.

Having won a thrilling first leg 4-3 at Etihad Stadium, Riyad Mahrez gave City a 5-3 aggregate lead.

But substitute Rodrygo netted in the 90th and 91st minutes, with Real's first two shots on target.

Karim Benzema then scored an extra-time winner from the penalty spot to seal a stunning 6-5 aggregate triumph - and Carlo Ancelotti's side went on to beat Liverpool in the final.

But is there is a real feeling things could be different this year – especially with 48-goal striker Erling Haaland in their ranks.

"All clubs know if you want to win the Champions League you need to beat Real Madrid," said City boss Pep Guardiola, who once managed Real's arch-rivals Barcelona.

Real have won 14 European Cups, twice as many as anybody else - including five of the past nine.

"Hopefully yes!" said City midfielder Bernardo Silva when asked about the chance of exacting revenge against the holders on 9 and 17 May, with the second leg at home.

"We will go for it definitely. We always go for it, but we feel the team is very, very confident at the minute. I think we are going through."

Fiery Milan derby in store

Meanwhile, the prospect of the two matches full of colour and pageantry between local rivals Inter and AC Milan, who between them have been crowned kings of Europe 10 times, will dominate discussion in Milan, and remind fans when Italian football had a legitimate claim to call itself the world's best.

Before the draw for the 2005 Champions quarterfinals, former AC Milan managing director Adriano Galliani was desperate to not be drawn with another Italian team.

"Above all I don't want Inter because for those of us who live in Milan it would be hell," he said.

In the end Galliani's wish was not granted and that year's last eight was the scene of possibly the most notorious derby of all, with Inter fans throwing barrage of flares onto the pitch, one which took on a hellish landscape in the second leg after Milan won the first 2-0.

A footballing epoch has passed since those days, with both Milan clubs spending years in the doldrums at home and abroad until they won the two most recent Serie A titles between them.

"For us, this derby is a chance of revenge, a revenge of history and revenge also for last year," said Inter chairman Steven Zhang after Wednesday's straightforward passage past Benfica.