The UEFA Champions League semifinals have arrived, and fans have been gifted with matchups featuring the top two teams from both the German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga.
Today, the first of the two-legged semis kicks off, with last year’s runner up Bayern Munich hosting the perennial contender F.C. Barcelona. Then, on Wednesday, up and coming German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund will take on Real Madrid.
With three world soccer powers and one underdog story mixed in with the Germany against Spain for European soccer dominance plot, the semifinals will undoubtedly be memorable affairs. Here is a closer look at the matchups for this week.
Bayern Munich v. Barcelona
This game has goals written all over it, but I believe this tie to be much more one sided than it appears on paper.
Bayern Munich has been unstoppable all year in both its domestic league and in European competition. They have already locked up the German league, and did so weeks ago with fixtures still left to be played and are riding so much momentum at this point in the campaign. They have the ideal combination of robust defensive play and a speedy, decisive counterattack that has earned them a larger domestic goal differential than goals scored (+75 goal differential, compared to 74 goals scored by second place Dortmund). I can see Bayern running away with this one, especially playing at home in the Allianz Arena, where only Arsenal (R.I.P) have beat them in the Champions League this year.
Having said that, you can never count out Barcelona because of that little magician Lionel Messi. He is the second leading scorer in Europe this season with eight, and he has the ability to turn a game on its head in seconds. He demonstrated that two weeks ago in the quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain, coming off the bench to inspire a team that looked dead in the water.
The problem for Barcelona is its play when Messi is either not on his game or injured. Simply put, they look like a completely different team without him. Messi is recovering from an injury at the moment, but he should at least feature in todays match. But I still don’t think that will be enough.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 3-1 Barcelona
Borussia Dortmund v. Real Madrid
Despite all the glitz and glam of the other semifinal, Dortmund against Madrid could steal the show.
This game features two strong counter-attacking teams that like to play the game at a lightning pace for the full 90 minutes. Dortmund is lead by the Polish-German connection of forward Robert Lewandowski and attacking midfielder Mario Gotze. The young duo has lit up the stat sheet, with Lewandowski at third in scoring and Gotze tied for second in assists in the Champions League. The center back pairing of Felipe Santana and Mats Hummels also have been very strong for Dortmund, and the attacking stars of Madrid will surely test it.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been stellar again, leading all scorers in the competition with 11, including three in Madrid’s 5-3 aggregate win in the quarterfinals against Galatasary. He will be the focal point in the attack, but Dortmund should be worried about Mesut Ozil in the attacking mid slot and an in-form Angel di Maria down the flanks.
The problem that I see for Madrid is one that has been its Achilles’ heel of sorts, and that is their lack of discipline, both tactically and mentally. If Dortmund can keep them quiet for the first 30 minutes or get the first goal, Madrid will get flustered. And when they are flustered, they commit silly fouls and get players sent off in frustration. I would not be surprised to see that tomorrow.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Real Madrid
