Steven Petrov
The Paw Print
Real Madrid CF vs. FC Bayern Munich
Club Athletico de Marid vs. Chelsea FC
After the absolutely outstanding ¼ finals in the most prestigious club soccer tournament in the world, where Bayern Munich managed to overpower their English rivals from Manchester United FC after tying the first game in Manchester 1:1 and winning their home game in Munich with 3:1. The other ¼ finals were also extremely intense and dynamic until the last minutes of the games. The Spanish derby between Athletico Madrid and Barcelona FC also ended up 1:1 in the first “leg” played on Camp Nou, but the team from Madrid managed to win the 2nd game played in Madrid with 1:0 and knocked the “giants” from Barcelona out of the tournament. The last but not least game played at the previous stage in UCL, was the French-English derby between PSG and Chelsea FC. After loosing the first game with 3:1 in France, Chelsea FC needed at least a 2:0 shutout win in London in order to advance to the next stage. After a perfectly played game on Stanford Bridge, Chelsea managed to come back and win 2:0, which qualified them for the ½ finals.
The last UEFA Champions League draw in the next 4 months was held on April 11th in the UEFA central office in the city of Nyon, Switzerland. The ½ finals pairs are as what was mostly expected – The big favorites from Spain, Real Madrid CF will face the big favorites and current champions from Germany, FC Bayern Munich. In the other semi-final we will have the pleasure to watch the absolute sensation this year, Athletico Madrid and the solid and really talented team of Chelsea FC led by one of the best, if not the best coach in the world, Jose Mourinho. The games will be played on 22nd – 23rd April and on 29th-30th April. The final will be played in Lisbon, Portugal on May 24th.
Three of the 4 teams left in the tournament have already triumphed in winning the trophy in their history. Real Madrid CF is the current record holder with 9 titles – 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, and 2002. FC Bayern Munich has five titles in the club’s history – 1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013, being the current champion. Chelsea won the trophy in 2012 for the first time in the club’s history after beating FC Bayern Munich in the Final. Athletico Madrid is the only team that has never won the tournament, but has reached the final once in 1974 only to lose to FC Bayern Munich.
These are by far the most interesting matchups that could have happened to be drawn, and the outcomes are absolutely unpredictable. However, my personal opinion and predictions are for Real Madrid CF and Chelsea FC final in Lisbon on May 24th.
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