Champions League draw 2016: Who's in for the semifinal round?
Its time for the semifinals of the Champions League, the final four teams in
the top club competition in Europe. Based on the verdict 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.
Now we'll be finding out which
of these teams will be playing 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. We're almost to the end, ladies and gentlemen,
so enjoy every moment of this that we get.
Real Madrid
Los Merengues played back from a shocking 2-0 defeat to Wolfsburg in the first leg to absolutely hammer their German foes 3-0 on home ground. 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 Munich
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.
Atlético Madrid
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.
Manchester City
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 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.
waiting for the big game haha...
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