Chapter 392: Bayern’s Nightmare

The Champions League quarter-final lineup is complete: AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Liverpool, Roma, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Valencia.

This season, Premier League teams have been particularly dominant.

Led by Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea, each has shown strong competitiveness.

Mourinho's Chelsea, after winning three consecutive league titles, is once again making a push for the Champions League, aiming to replicate his miracle with Porto.

The "Special One" Mourinho is currently the most talked-about and controversial coach among the elite managers.

He constantly argues with the media, bans this and that outlet, and delivers sharp-tongued evaluations of other teams.

Some media outlets even say that teams facing Chelsea get mentally broken before the match, just from Mourinho's pre-game trash talk.

Though Mourinho becomes more composed in the future, right now he's at the peak of his powers and full of energy and drive — ready to clash with anyone.

The most-watched teams this season are Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, and AC Milan.

Chelsea and United are considered the top contenders for the title.

Under Ferguson's leadership, Manchester United has completed its transition. The Ronaldo-Rooney-Modrić combo is now performing strongly.

They are extremely competitive both in the league and in Europe.

Germany's Bayern Munich is the only remaining team from the Bundesliga.

AC Milan and Roma represent Serie A in the quarter-finals.

Valencia is the lone survivor from La Liga.

As the Champions League draw begins, most fans are hoping for one particular matchup.

That is: AC Milan vs Liverpool.

The Miracle of Istanbul still feels like yesterday. That game, a historic Champions League final, made Liverpool legends — and made AC Milan a laughingstock for a time.

Since that match, AC Milan has been obsessed with getting revenge on Liverpool.

They've been itching for a rematch.

But the draw results ended in disappointment.

Bayern Munich drew AC Milan.

Milan's revenge match was put on hold.

"This sucks!"

"Why not Liverpool?!"

"Damn it! What kind of lousy draw is this?!"

AC Milan's players were frustrated. They didn't want to face Bayern — they wanted a shot at revenge against Liverpool.

But the draw cannot be changed.

Meanwhile, the camera caught Bayern Munich's general manager on screen.

The German executive couldn't even force a smile — his face was filled with anxiety.

Why AC Milan?

Bayern isn't afraid of anyone else — but facing AC Milan? That's a nightmare.

In the past ten years of European competition, Bayern has only beaten Milan once. The rest were either draws or losses.

Just last season, AC Milan humiliated Bayern at the San Siro.

That "Night of San Siro" may not match the Istanbul Miracle in scale, but it still nailed Bayern to the wall of shame.

Inside Bayern's tactical room, after seeing the draw, silence filled the air.

No one spoke. Everyone furrowed their brows in worry.

"Hey! We don't need to be so down. We beat AC Milan in the preseason!" said Lahm, trying to lift the mood.

But Lucio quickly shot him down: "You said it — that was a preseason friendly. Can you really compare that to a Champions League knockout match?"

Lahm was speechless.

Van Buyten added: "I remember Suker didn't even play that match because he was preparing for Euro qualifiers. Without Suker, is Milan even really Milan?"

Lahm looked down in silence.

"I think Lahm has a point," Schweinsteiger raised his hand. "We've done well in the Champions League. If we cut down on mistakes and create more tactical attacking options, we do have a chance."

"And in the league…" he trailed off.

Bayern's league performance this season has been a disaster.

They really aren't in good form compared to Milan.

"No worries! I'm here! I'll score!" Podolski declared boldly.

A prodigy with a big reputation.

Podolski had been performing well recently and was feeling confident — he didn't believe in failure.

He believed he'd lead Bayern to victory.

Lucio glanced at Podolski. Many had shared that same confidence, but so far, no one had succeeded in defeating Suker.

Still, Lucio said nothing. Maybe he too hoped Podolski's form could help them win.

But like it or not, the quarterfinal matchup is set:

Serie A giants AC Milan vs Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich!

There's still almost a month to go before the Champions League quarter-finals.

In the meantime, AC Milan must focus on the league, while Suker will return to Croatia around March 24 to prepare for the Euro qualifiers.

Suker's schedule is packed!

With a tight calendar, Ancelotti tried to rest Suker whenever possible.

In less crucial games, Inzaghi and Gilardino played instead — this preserved Suker's energy and gave the others more playing time.

In fact, this season, Inzaghi and Gilardino have barely had any minutes because of Suker's dominance.

After Ronaldo joined during the winter break, it became even tougher.

Gilardino didn't mind much, but Inzaghi — a Milan veteran — was someone Ancelotti felt guilty about. Still, tactics came first.

They simply couldn't compete with Suker.

"This league is so intense!"

Watching Inzaghi and Gilardino fight for goals, Suker shook his head.

Ronaldo said, "Inter is two points ahead, and Roma is right behind. We must win every game."

Suker nodded.

As the season nears its end, both Inter and Roma were on fire — Milan, caught in the middle, was under pressure.

The real issue: the bench wasn't deep enough. They didn't have the squad depth to compete on multiple fronts.

Because of this, Ancelotti went to upper management. After much convincing, Milan gave up on the Coppa Italia.

That very moment, Ancelotti fielded a full bench team for the Italian Cup — clearly not intending to win.

He just wanted out, to focus fully on the league and Champions League.

"When do you leave?" Ronaldo asked.

Suker replied, "Heading back to Croatia on the 19th."

"You're playing North Macedonia, right? Their defense is tough!" Ronaldo said.

Suker groaned: "Tough my ass — they just park the bus. They parked it against England and now they'll do the same to us!"

Just thinking about parked-bus tactics gave Suker a headache.

It's not the first or second time this season.

From league matches to European qualifiers — everyone's playing the bus.

No doubt, the age of parked buses has arrived — a serious challenge for any forward.

Swoosh!

On the field, Inzaghi scored with a sliding shot.

Suker raised his hand in celebration.

"Well done, Filippo!"

Then he looked at Ancelotti with anticipation.

Ancelotti felt his gaze but avoided eye contact.

Suker wanted to play — he wanted to score.

But Ancelotti avoided his stare, determined not to play him. He wanted Suker to rest.

Suker sighed in resignation.

Fine — no match, no problem. He could use the rest. Maybe he'd save up energy for another hat trick.

He still had the league, the Euro qualifiers, and the Bayern clash ahead.

The schedule was brutal.

Good thing Milan dropped the Coppa Italia — otherwise, even if Suker held up, the older players on the team might not survive.

Full time.

Serie A Round 28: AC Milan 1–0 Atalanta.

One more match, then Suker would return to Croatia for the Euro qualifiers.

Croatian players across Europe were already being called up.

March 24 — Euro Qualifier: Croatia vs North Macedonia, at home.