Wolfsburg’s March Madness
March Madness may have already busted your bracket, but fear not, the Champions League quarterfinals have just what you need.
If it’s underdogs you seek, consider Bundesliga upstart Wolfsburg, which can be found peeking out between the imposing figures of several of Europe’s top- ranked giants. The team plays in the 30,000- capacity Volkswagen Arena — named for the team’s major backer — and has reached the quarterfinals of this competition for the first time.
At a draw ceremony Friday, Die Wolfe ( the Wolves, obviously) landed the biggest club in the world — Real Madrid — for their quarterfinal series, to be played April 6 and 12. Portuguese attacker Cristiano Ronaldo — he of the rock- hard abs and dazzling female companions — and a glittering array of stars stamp the 10- time European champion as a heavy favorite to sweep aside the team from a city with a population of about 120,000.
Yet Wolfsburg can punch effectively in a higher weight class. It topped a group that included Manchester United and PSV Eindhoven ( Netherlands) to get into the knockout phase. It consistently finishes in the top quadrant of the Bundesliga, dominated by Bayern Munich. Said midfielder Andre
Schurrle of the matchup on UEFA. com, “We had been hoping for an opponent of this caliber, and now we've got one!”
One other nugget: A former head coach of the Wolves is Wolfgang Wolf. ( Can’t make this stuff up.)
Two other Spanish teams were paired in the draw: Defending champion Barcelona plays Real’s city rival, Atletico Madrid. The lone English Premier League survivor, Manchester City, meets Paris St. Germain, and Bayern Munich faces Benfica.
The quarterfinal results might produce a derby ( pronounced “darby”) between Real and Atletico in the next round. There are several such showdowns of local rivals this weekend.
Heading the list is the Manchester derby between United and City on Sunday. Managerial changes are a- comin’ for both: Louis van Gaal’s reign at United has been a crushing disappointment, and Bayern boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed he’ll be taking over for Manuel Pellegrini at City next season.
City could win the European title — perhaps after beating Bayern in the final — and still bid Pellegrini farewell. These men work in a strange, strange world.
Other derbys of note are London rivals West Ham and Chelsea ( 8 a. m. Saturday, USA Network), and il
derby di Torino (“derby of Turin”) between Torino and Juventus ( 7 a. m. Sunday, BeIN Sports).
What of the QuakesGalaxy tangle Saturday in SoCal? That is a clasico, a showdown of bitter rivals located some distance apart. Giants- A’s is a derby, as is Lakers- Clippers. Warriors- Spurs is not.