Storied clubs set to pack Champions League semis
The Champions League semifinals could feature four of the five most successful teams in European soccer’s elite competition.
Real Madrid, which lifted the European Cup for a recordextending 12th time last season, holds a 3-0 lead over Juventus heading into Wednesday’s quarter-final second leg.
Liverpool and Barcelona — both five-time European champions — also enjoy three-goal advantages. Today, Barcelona heads to AS Roma 4-1 in front, and Liverpool goes to Manchester City leading 3-0.
The closest contest for a spot in the last-four will be in Munich on Wednesday. Bayern, another five-time winner, only managed to build a 2-1 lead at Sevilla.
With a sixth Bundesliga title wrapped up on Saturday, Bayern’s only domestic concern is a German Cup semifinal later this month.
The main target is winning the Champions League for the first time since Jupp Heynckes claimed a treble in his last season before retiring in 2013.
Drafted in for a fourth stint as coach in October, Heynckes is determined to retire for good in May.
Such is Bayern’s dominance that it was able to clinch the Bundesliga with five games to spare by beating Augsburg 4-1 while resting Robert Lewandowski, Thiago Alcantara, Mats Hummels, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller for the visit of Sevilla.
The Spanish team travels to Bavaria at low ebb, having lost four consecutive matches in all competitions since stunning Manchester United in the round of 16.
“We are in a key part of the season, we can’t let our guard down,” said Sevilla defender Daniel Carrico, whose side lost 4-0 at Celta Vigo on Saturday. “We have to turn the page because we have a chance to make history in our next game. We are disappointed, but have to find a way to move on and keep alive our hopes of reversing the result against Bayern.”
Like Bayern, Manchester City had a chance to secure the domestic title. It failed.
Leading Manchester United 2-0 at halftime, the Premier League trophy seemed to be in the bag for Pep Guardiola. That’s until a three-goal collapse mirroring last week’s Champions League loss to Liverpool .
Regardless of the 3-2 loss to United, City will undoubtedly win the Premier League.
But given that City missed out on the symbolic derby title win after key talent started on the bench — including Kevin De Bruyne — Guardiola can only show the gamble was worth it by making a comeback against Liverpool.