The UEFA Champions League semifinals take centre stage this week as Manchester City and Real Madrid go to battle for a place in the final on May 28.
The football community prepares to feast its eyes on some more appetising action as only four teams remain in the Champions League. Manchester City, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Villarreal are all bidding for the chance to lift Europe’s most coveted title. With the final set for five weeks’ time, Man City host Real Madrid on Tuesday while Liverpool welcome Villarreal on Wednesday.
It’s England versus Spain in both ties with two clubs from either nation present in the semis. There are several potential scenarios for what the final match may look like, including an all-English or all-Spanish matchup. Another possibility is a meeting between Liverpool and Real Madrid, which would be a repeat of the 2018 final in Kyiv.
Who do you want to go all the way this season? 🏆#UCL pic.twitter.com/yLYVq5qH9Q
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 25, 2022
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
Man City recorded a slender 1-0 win over Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals, thanks to Kevin De Bruyne’s goal in the second half of the first leg. Real Madrid, meanwhile, edged past UCL holders Chelsea in an enticing two-legged tie in the English and Spanish capitals which ended 5-4 on aggregate in favour of Carlo Ancelotti’s men.
This is not the first time Man City and Real Madrid have met at this stage of the competition, having faced one another in the 2015/16 semis. Real emerged victorious on their way to capturing the first of three consecutive Champions League titles. More recently, the two sides shared a pitch in the Round of 16 in 2020 as Pep Guardiola’s blue army avenged the defeat four years prior.
Real Madrid are set to make a record 15th appearance in the UCL semis, 10 of which have come in the last 12 years. On the other hand City prepare to feature in a second successive European semifinal, and just their third overall. In six previous meetings Guardiola got the better of Ancelotti on four occasions, compared to two victories for the Italian statesman.
Both teams in question are top of their respective domestic leagues with Los Blancos on the brink of wrapping up a record 35th LaLiga title, needing just a single point from their final five games. Karim Benzema’s four goals versus Chelsea has taken the French striker to 12 goals in Europe this season, more than any other player remaining in the Champions League but still one shy of Robert Lewandowski’s stellar 13 goals in 10 games. No player has registered more assists than Vinícius Júnior with six.
Liveprool vs Villarreal
For Villarreal this is to be a first Champions League semifinal since 2006, when an English club (Arsenal) ultimately proved the Yellow Submarine’s undoing. Flash forward 16 years and Unai Emery’s team stunned Bayern Munich, who have since gone on to secure a 10th successive Bundesliga crown. The reigning Europa League champions edged Bayern in the first leg, 1-0, before the men in yellow scored late in the second leg to cancel out Lewandowski’s opener and advance to the last-four.
Despite eliminating heavyweights Juventus and Bayern in the Champions League knockouts, Villarreal are significantly off the pace in LaLiga currently occupying 7th spot and trailing 4th-placed Atlético Madrid by nine points with five matches remaining. Arnaut Danjuma has netted six times this European campaign.
Liverpool made light work of Benfica in Lisbon, so much so Jürgen Klopp fielded a second-string side in the return leg at Anfield. Benfica fought for a 3-3 draw on Merseyside, but it was not enough to prevent the Reds from progressing to a sixth UCL semi with a 6-4 aggregate score. Mohamed Salah is Liverpool’s top scorer in Europe this term with eight goals.
Liverpool sit one point adrift Premier League leaders Man City and they are unbeaten in their last 22 games domestically. Since the turn of the year Liverpool have shipped 35 goals and conceded just six in 1,260 minutes (21 hours) of league action. A prospective quadruple trophy haul is still very much on the cards for Liverpool, having already secured the EFL Cup and booked their place in the FA Cup final, and Klopp will be eyeing a third UCL Final since 2018.
Following this week’s first legs, Liverpool travel to Villarreal next Tuesday, May 3, and Man City make the trip to Madrid on Wednesday, May 4. The Champions League Final will take place on May 28 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris.
