Champions League semi-final first legs: betPawa BIG match insights
It’s almost that time. The first Champions League Milan Derby since AC Milan and Inter met in the 2004/05 quarter-finals and a mouthwatering battle between Real Madrid and Man City are just around the corner. Here’s a look at all of the intriguing subplots. Who’s going to take a BIG step towards the final in Istanbul on 10th June?
Real Madrid vs Man City
Europe’s greatest meet arguably the world’s current best
Match context
It’s impossible not to get carried away at the prospect of Real Madrid against Manchester City in a crunch Champions League match. A repeat of last season’s semi-final, at the exact same stage of the competition, should produce glitz, glamour, goals and plenty of fireworks.
Team news and tactics
Éder Militão is suspended, but David Alaba should return meaning outstanding Frenchman Eduardo Camavinga could move back to his more natural role in the centre of midfield, but it wouldn’t be a shock either to see him retained at left-back where he has been excelling in an inverted role. The evergreen Luka Modrić is a minor injury doubt, but could be fit.
Aurélien Tchouaméni faces a fight for a place in the side with Federico Valverde, a BIG-game player who laid on Vinícius Jr’s winner in last season’s final. As a side note, next season Madrid fans appear highly likely to be cheering the name of Jude Bellingham in a white jersey. Man City were reportedly interested in the Englishman, but Real’s pulling power for many players is undeniable. Another little subplot.
City’s recent deployment of 4 centre backs has worked wonders. John Stones starts at right-back but regularly inverts into midfield and sprays passes around like a seasoned deep-lying playmaker. Rúben Dias is back to his domineering best, Nathan Aké has been a revelation in his 1-on-1 battles in England and Manuel Akanji continues to quietly go about his business. Goalkeeper Ederson dictates the pace in his own unique way.
Form guide
Real have conceded defeat in the LaLiga title race and now face a scrap for second place with their city rivals Atlético. As has often been the case in recent years, Los Blancos’ main focus appears to be on the Champions League, a tactic which has served them rather well.
City, on the other hand, are hurtling towards a treble, winning match after match and keeping quite a few clean sheets in the process. Before facing Leeds at the weekend, they had clocked up 9 consecutive Premier League wins to wrestle the initiative away from long-time leaders Arsenal. When Pep Guardiola’s team gather momentum like this, they’re difficult to stop.
If anyone can stop them, though, then surely it’s the mighty Real Madrid. The 14-time European champions simply know how to get the job done when it matters most. They’ll need to be at their imperious best to get past a City squad boasting sensational depth in virtually all positions.
Most recent H2H
These sides shared 11 goals in last season’s semi-finals with Los Blancos advancing 6-5 on aggregate after a pulsating 210 minutes of football. Neutrals will want this one to go all the way again, but supporters of both clubs won’t have any fingernails left if that’s the case.
Karim Benzema scored 3 of those 11 goals, and in-form Brazilian winger Rodrygo bagged 2 inside 2 minutes to take the second leg to extra time. Undoubtedly the BIGGEST moments of his Real Madrid career so far, and he’s still only 22.
City’s new defensive resolution (they’ve conceded just 4 goals in 10 Champions League matches since) might mean that a repeat of 11 goals over 2 legs is unlikely, but you just never know. There are so many brilliant attacking players on show.
Haaland looking to claim Benzema’s crown
35-year-old Benzema shows no signs of slowing down and the current Ballon d’Or holder just keeps delivering on the BIGGEST stages. The Frenchman has 17 goals from 21 LaLiga appearances, and 4 goals in 8 Champions league encounters this season.
While we’re talking about impressive numbers, let’s discuss Erling Haaland for a second. The football world watches the Norwegian with its collective jaw dragging on the ground as he continues to break records and defy the rules of putting the ball in the back of the net.
How can a player score so many goals but still seem largely uninvolved in football matches for large periods? According to a piece in The Athletic last month, Haaland was averaging just 26.8 touches per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He makes those touches matter though, scoring his 35th top-flight goal of the campaign against West Ham last Wednesday to break the record for most goals in a Premier League season.
Haaland was recruited to take City all the way to Champions League glory. How he performs against Real Madrid will be crucial to their chances, and it’ll be a fascinating test of his temperament. There’s no doubt he has what it takes, but will he shine in the Spanish capital?
Likely XIs
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Rüdiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Kroos, Modrić; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinícius Jr.
Man City (4-3-3): Ederson; Stones, Akanji, Dias, Aké; Rodri, Gündoğan, De Bruyne; Silva, Haaland, Grealish
AC Milan vs Inter
The Derby della Madonnina conjures up so many emotions
Match context
One of football’s most iconic images emerged from the 2005 Milan Derby in this competition when Marco Materazzi and Manuel Rui Costa, adversaries on the night, stood side-by-side watching on as flares rained down at the San Siro.
AC Milan prevailed 5-0 on aggregate, being awarded a 3-0 win in that “away” leg after it was abandoned. As you’ll recall, they went all the way to the final and lost in astonishing fashion against Liverpool in Istanbul. A place in the final 18 years later, in the same city, is on the line.
Team news and tactics
AC Milan will rely on the ball-playing central defensive pairing of Simon Kjær and Fikayo Tomori to build things from the back, with assistance from the stylish Sandro Tonali dropping deep to collect the ball.
Inter’s style is more direct and aggressive with flying wing-backs and 2 physical strikers in the shape of Edin Džeko and Lautaro Martínez. In truth, however, both sides have a host of direct players and that should make this a fun game to watch.
Form guide
AC Milan have hit a bit of a dip. They did recover points from losing positions against Bologna, Roma and Cremonese, but a run of just 2 Serie A wins in 9 (ahead of the 6th May clash with Lazio) has damaged their chances of a top-4 finish.
Inter have beaten Empoli, Juventus, Lazio and Hellas Verona in recent matches and are looking in great shape. They have a Coppa Italia final date with Fiorentina on the horizon, but right now the focus is on the Champions League and the Rossoneri.
Most recent H2H
The aforementioned 2005 quarter-final is the last time these sides met in the Champions League, but they have clashed plenty of times since. Inter won 3 of their last 6 collisions across all competitions, Milan won 2 and the other was a goalless draw.
Wide players could be the difference
Inter’s 3-5-2 sees Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries provide the attacking thrust from their wing-back positions, but both will need to be diligent against the ball-retention expert Brahim Díaz and ball-carrying wizard Rafael Leão.
We mentioned an evergreen French striker in our Real Madrid vs Man City preview, and would be remiss to not talk about another here. Olivier Giroud will hope to feast off Leao’s excellent service. How can you ever doubt his pedigree and ability to produce the goods? There is no shortage of potential match-winners ready to decorate this massive occasion.
Likely XIs
Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kjær, Tomori, Hernández; Krunić, Tonali; Díaz, Bennacer, Leão; Giroud
Inter (3-5-2): Onana; Škriniar, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Džeko, Martínez