This week, the European club competitions have reached the semi-final stage of their knockout phases. The four best teams from each tournament will compete in this round for a place in the final. In this article, we take a look ahead at these semi-finals.
Champions League
Arsenal and PSG face each other on Tuesday. Arsenal advanced spectacularly after a convincing win at their own Emirates Stadium and another victory at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu. PSG, on the other hand, recently suffered a minor mental setback against OGC Nice. The Parisians had already secured the league title weeks ago and were aiming for an unbeaten season, but had to endure a 1-3 defeat at home in the Parc des Princes last Friday. If we look at the head-to-head meetings between these two teams, Arsenal seems to have the upper hand: in their last encounter, also in the Champions League, the Gunners won 2-0 at home. However, the French side has improved considerably since then, especially when facing strong teams.
On Wednesday evening, FC Barcelona and Inter face off in the other semi-final. Both teams are having excellent seasons and are in contention for their respective domestic titles, but they will also be doing everything they can to win the Champions League. Barça, in particular, go into this semi-final with confidence: last Saturday, they won the Copa del Rey, the Spanish cup, after a thrilling match against arch-rivals Real Madrid. Their opponents, however, are going through a rough patch: Inter were knocked out of the domestic cup by their city rivals and lost their last two league matches. Nevertheless, they can still look back on a strong win against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.
Europa League
On Thursday, Athletic Bilbao will play against Manchester United. Winning a European title has become increasingly important for Manchester United, as the Red Devils are no longer in contention for a top-six finish in the Premier League. United have had a disappointing season overall, and with a streak of seven matches without a victory, there seems to be little sign of improvement. They also had to mount a strong comeback against Lyon to reach the semi-finals. Athletic Bilbao qualified directly for the knockout phase and had a tough quarter-final opponent in Roma, which they narrowly defeated. There are certainly opportunities for the Basque side, but the English team is still expected to be stronger.
Bodo/Glimt made history by becoming the first Norwegian team ever to reach the semi-finals of a European competition. They did so by defeating Lazio 2-0 in the first leg and then winning on penalties in the return leg. On Thursday, however, they will immediately face a strong opponent: Tottenham. The London club has had a poor season, as evidenced by their 16th place in the Premier League, and they are fully aiming for a European title. They also eliminated Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals. Nevertheless, Ange Postecoglou’s team can always be dangerous and generally has more top talent than their Norwegian opponents. If the favorites win, we could very well see an all-English final.
Conference League
Fiorentina were finalists last year and could repeat that achievement. The Italians qualified directly for the knockout phase, overcoming Panathinaikos and Celje. Although these are not the biggest names, Fiorentina still faced some tough moments. Their opponent, Real Betis, performed less impressively during the group stage but were surprisingly strong during the knockouts, eliminating clubs like Gent. However, the advantage still seems to be with Fiorentina in this match.
The last European semi-final is between Djurgarden and Chelsea. The Swedish team performed strongly in the group stage and qualified directly, later eliminating clubs like Rapid Wien. A tough opponent, but perhaps not for Chelsea. The Blues were dominant in the group phase and continued their strong form by beating Copenhagen and Legia Warsaw. It seems almost impossible for Djurgarden to win this, although Chelsea must be cautious not to get surprised.
Magic Betting Live
Want to make these matches even more exciting? Take a look at the Magic Betting App or visit the website www.magicbetting.be for the best online sports betting offers. Be sure to check out the various promotional campaigns. Take your chance and win!
