Champions League semi-finals: What to look for in Real Madrid v Manchester City & AC Milan v Inter Milan

1 year ago 27

The Champions League semi-finals commencement this week, with Manchester City facing European royalty Real Madrid and Inter Milan taking connected AC Milan successful a derby.

They were seconds distant from back-to-back finals, but Madrid scored doubly successful the last infinitesimal earlier netting an extra-time winner.

But City person Erling Haaland now.

The different crippled pits Inter against Milan, with some legs astatine their shared San Siro ground.

That has happened doubly earlier successful the Champions League, with Milan beating Inter successful the 2003 semis and 2005 quarters.

So what other should we beryllium looking retired for?

Is this yet City's year?

Manchester City person arguably been the astir accordant squad successful Europe implicit the past decennary not to triumph the Champions League.

City are closing successful connected a 5th Premier League rubric successful six years and a seventh since 2011-12.

They person reached the semi-finals for the past 3 years - including losing the 2021 last to Chelsea - having got to the past 8 for the 3 years earlier that.

But City person yet to triumph the European crown.

By contrast, since 2011-12 Chelsea and Liverpool person won arsenic galore Champions Leagues arsenic Premier League titles - 2 and 1 respectively.

Pep Guardiola's broadside person deed their stride astatine the cleanable clip too, with 20 games unbeaten taking them adjacent to a archetypal Treble by an English squad since 1999.

Guardiola volition anticipation it goes amended than Liverpool's quadruple effort past year, which saw them suffer the Champions League last and miss retired connected the Premier League title.

Haaland's 51 goals successful 46 games person helped too, with Dixie Dean's 63 goals for Everton successful 1927-28 - the all-time single-season English goalscoring grounds - inactive precise overmuch wrong his grasp.

Football writer Guillem Balague said connected BBC Radio 5 Live: "His accomplishment has had a tsunami effect connected the remainder of the team.

"He is simply a spot erstwhile they get the shot long, helium volition people successful the large games. He is simply a antheral for the large moments and that does impact the mode Manchester City play."

Julien Laurens said: "They person recovered solidity. This squad has a spot much and is simply a spot peculiar compared to past year.

"It feels similar it is City's year, they are going for the Treble. It conscionable feels similar determination is thing happening."

Can Real bash it again?

Something seems to hap to Real Madrid successful Europe - they conscionable travel alive.

They person won 5 of the past 9 Champions Leagues - contempt lone winning the Spanish league 3 times during that period.

In 2 of those triumphant campaigns they lone finished 3rd successful La Liga.

That means you cannot work excessively overmuch into their miserable home campaign, wherever they beryllium 3rd again, 14 points disconnected leaders Barcelona.

And they person truthful overmuch acquisition against English teams.

This volition beryllium their sixth knockout circular successful a enactment against Premier League sides, facing Liverpool, Chelsea and City this play and last.

They person succeeded successful the erstwhile 5 - beating Jurgen Klopp's broadside successful past year's final.

Leao's clip to shine?

Most radical expected Victor Osimhen to beryllium the striker to determine the quarter-final betwixt Napoli and Milan, but the infinitesimal of the necktie belonged to Rafael Leao.

The 23-year-old Milan striker picked the shot up conscionable extracurricular his ain container and ran astir the full magnitude of the transportation earlier mounting up Olivier Giroud for the extremity that made it 2-1 connected aggregate successful the 2nd leg.

He had besides been 1 of their liveliest players successful the archetypal limb too. Not to notation the 2 goals helium scored against the present champions successful their 4-0 Serie A triumph earlier successful April.

Portugal planetary Leao has truly caught the oculus successful caller weeks and, contempt a comparatively humble extremity haul of 13 this season, helium has besides created 10 goals.

"There are not galore players similar him successful satellite football," said Laurens.

Leao's declaration runs retired astatine the extremity of adjacent play - with Chelsea among his reported suitors.

Italian shot writer James Horncastle said: "I deliberation the hierarchy astatine AC Milan deliberation that you tin inactive person a competitory squad erstwhile players are connected fractional that [salary budget].

"But they recognise that Leao is an exceptional endowment and Leao has said helium wants to stay. This is simply a woody they've got to get done."

Balague added: "If helium goes to Chelsea oregon Manchester United, what happens to him? I spot a subordinate that tin thrive with the ball. He seems unstoppable and successful a tighter crippled with higher tempo I don't cognize if he'll beryllium arsenic impressive."

Leao is besides a rapper, who goes by the sanction Way 45, and is acceptable to merchandise a 2nd medium this year. One of his songs has implicit a cardinal views connected YouTube.

"Zlatan Ibrahimovic laughed astatine it. He laughed astatine it and told maine to absorption connected shot instead," Leao told Rolling Stone UK successful a caller interview.

Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, is acceptable to extremity his vocation without a azygous Champions League medal. The 41-year-old, who is expected to permission Milan this summer, is not registered successful their Champions League squad arsenic helium was injured astatine the clip they featured.

Can Lukaku measurement up?

Lukaku's instrumentality to Inter Milan has been a letdown for each concerned.

The Belgian striker won Serie A with the nine successful 2020-21 and was named the Serie A subordinate of the year, earlier moving to Chelsea, wherever helium had a disappointing season.

But his indebtedness spell to Inter past summertime has not rekindled his form.

He has lone netted 10 goals this term, compared to 64 goals successful his different 2 years successful Italy.

What a clip this would beryllium to commencement a scoring spree - though the BBC Euro Leagues squad are not convinced that volition happen.

Laurens said: "Over the 2 legs against Benfica, helium was precise important and scored a precocious penalty. But helium was not a starter. So Lukaku mightiness person to ticker it from the seat archetypal and past spot if helium tin person an interaction from the bench.

"I'm not excessively optimistic."

Balague said: "He's alert he's not the astir important astatine the moment. Right now, helium doesn't person the assurance to bash so. Where his assurance has been dented, helium himself has to rebuild that, perchance astatine Chelsea next."

Inter's apical scorers this play are Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko connected 23 and 13 goals respectively.

Horncastle added: "Lukaku didn't acceptable successful astatine Chelsea and it's the aforesaid strategy astatine Inter. He's had injuries and a World Cup successful the mediate and the absorption of him hasn't helped arsenic they person flipped betwixt him and Dzeko."

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