Champions League semifinals: who makes it to the final?

Money time in the Champions League: the 4 remaining teams have one last chance to make it to the final of Europe’s most prestigious club tournament. On the one side, it’s either Paris Saint-Germain or Borussia Dortmund, while on the other side of the brackets, it’s Bayern Munich or Real Madrid. With all scenarios still possible, let’s take a look ahead.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Borussia Dortmund (Tuesday, 7 May, 9 p.m.)

No team is yearning more to lift the trophy than Paris Saint-Germain. Despite notorious financial efforts assembling star-studded squads that have included the likes of Messi, Neymar, and Mbappé, the Parisians have never achieved their ultimate goal. Could this be their year?

PSG seems to have realized that eleven of the world’s most expensive football players don’t necessarily make for a great team. Nowadays, home town hero Kylian Mbappé is the only larger-than life star left in a squad that is more rounded-out than ever before. It’s no surprise, then, that PSG has made it this far. A key exponent of the “new” PSG is goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The Italian goalie and his teammates are at a disadvantage against Borussia Dortmund, which managed to keep a narrow 1-0 victory in its own Signal Iduna stadium on Wednesday, 1 May. Niclas Füllkrug scored the only goal in a game full of opportunities for both sides, with Jadon Sancho especially deserving of a nod for his tireless efforts beleaguering PSG.

On Tuesday, 7 May, the black and yellow Bundesliga powerhouse travels to the Parc des Princes. Its task is tougher than ever: defend the slight, one-goal margin against a PSG that’s dead set on earning a ticket to the final in front of its home crowd. Indeed, that single goals is far from enough to lean back… Expect to see some high-stakes football spectacle here!

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich (Wednesday, 8 May, 9 p.m.)

Two Champions League heavyweights enter the fray on Wednesday, 8 May, but only one can make it to the final. Real Madrid has lifted the so-called “Big Ears” a record 14 times, while Bayern Munich managed to do so 6 times. In other words: neither side is a stranger to the Champions League final, and the pressure that comes with making it that far.

Real Madrid should be heading into the return leg of the semifinal with mixed feelings. In the first leg, on Tuesday, 30 April, it only managed to avoid defeat with a 2-2 equalizer in the 83rd minute after an unnecessary error against Rodrygo. Penalty for Real, flawlessly converted by Vinícius, his second goal of the evening.

It has to be said that Real infamously doesn’t falter when it comes eye to eye with the opposing goaltender. If their defense is as ready to counter wave after wave of Bayern attacks by Harry Kane and co, then a single chance could suffice to see Los Blancos proceed to another final.

For Bayern Munich, there’s more pressure than ever: this Champions League campaign is the Rekordmeister’s only chance left to win a prize this season. That it has to win against a team that it has not defeated in 8 games, in Bernabéu no less, is all the more reason for stress in Munich. For neutral football fans, this ultimate semifinal game will be all the more exciting!