We’ve reach the semifinals of the Champions League, the final four teams in the top club competition in Europe. Based on the results of the previous three knockout rounds and the group stage before it, these are the top four clubs of UEFA this season, the best of the best as determined by months of brutal and exciting matches.
Champions League draw 2016: Who’s in for the semifinal round?
We’re about to learn who plays who in the Champions League semifinals, just one step away from the final in Milan.
Now we’ll be finding out which of these teams will be playing each other as they take the field home and away one last time, battling it out as they jockey with one another in hopes of reaching the final in Milan on May 28. On Friday, the two semifinal matches will be drawn, pairing off the four remaining teams. The long-familiar and somehow satisfying drawing of balls from a bowl will give us the matchups we so crave, and in two short weeks the matches themselves begin. We’re almost to the end, ladies and gentlemen, so enjoy every moment of this that we get.
Los Merengues battled back from a shocking 2-0 defeat to Wolfsburg in the first leg to absolutely hammer their German foes 3-0 on home soil. Zinedine Zidane has taken some lumps since taking over Real Madrid, but he’s earned some impressive wins as well thanks to the lessons he’s learned along the way. This team might not be as frightening as some past Real Madrid teams, but they’re still going to be tough for anyone to get past, especially if you catch them when they’re feeling particularly motivated.
Bayern have had to work harder than expected in the last two rounds in order to keep advancing in the Champions League, but they’ve gotten the job done despite fierce challenges from Juventus and Benfica. With Barcelona dropping out of the competition, Bayern are probably the favorites of the remaining bunch to win the title in Milan, which would finally fulfill their main goal in the soon-to-end Pep Guardiola era -- but the road is only going to get harder from here. Still, their immense talents and ability to adapt to any foe makes them incredibly dangerous to face, and whoever they face will have to plan their approach to the tiniest detail and execute it to perfection just to have a chance at victory.
Atléti shocked the world when they upended Barcelona in the quarterfinals to knock the defending champions out of the competition, but in hind sight we shouldn’t be so surprised. Madrid’s second team has always been a notoriously tough opponent ever since Diego Simeone became their manager, and this season they’ve been at their absolute best. Their defense is one of the best in Europe, and when their attack clicks, Antoine Griezmann and company are nigh unstoppable. Atlético are often seen as something of a dark horse, but based on the weight of their accomplishments this season, they deserve far more respect than that.
While many are surprised to see Manchester make it to the semifinal round of the Champions League -- their first ever venture this deep into Europe’s top competition -- they certainly earned their place with a massive win earned over Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals. They’ve dealt with the hardships of injury and bouts of poor form from key players more than almost any other major club this season, but things are starting to come together for City at just the right time. They’re a decided underdog compared to their opponents, but you cannot count Manchester City out to cause a surprise or two before all is said and done.
Our Ideal Draw
Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City
Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid
This isn’t strictly the “best” draw, just the one that we would enjoy covering the most. A Madrid Derby would be fun enough to cover, but the other match could be insanely fun. A sort of “Guardiola Derby” between the team Pep Guardiola currently manages and the one he’s moving to next season would be rife with dramatics and entertainment, and what else are these matches for if not to entertain us?
* * *
The first leg matches of the Champions League semifinals will be played on April 26th and 27th, the deciding second legs will be on May 3rd and 4th. The Champions League final is on May 28th in Milan, Italy.
Draw Date/Time: Day, 5:30 a.m. ET, 11:30 a.m. local
Venue: Nyon, Switzerland
TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S.), EuroSport (Europe), BT Sport Europe (U.K.)
Online: Fox Soccer 2 Go (U.S.), BT Sport Live Streaming (U.K.), UEFAtv
See More:
