Bayern to square off against Real

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Defending champions face stern semifinal test against Bundesliga winners; Liverpool draw Roma

NYON, SWITZERLAND: Defending champions Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the Champions League while Liverpool play AS Roma in a repeat of the 1984 final.

Real will travel to Munich for the first leg on April 25 as the Spanish giants go in search of a third successive European crown while Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool will host Roma at Anfield on April 24 in their first match.

The Liverpool-roma tie pits Mohamed Salah, who has scored 39 goals in all competitions already this season, against his former club. “Looking forward to seeing you again,” Roma tweeted about the Egyptian striker.

Real, who have won the competition 12 times, reached the semifinals by fighting off a remarkable Juventus comeback as Ronaldo scored a late penalty to earn a 4-3 win on aggregate.

Bayern’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said despite losing to Real in the 2017 quarterfinals, they held no fear for the Bavarians. “They are formidable opponents. We were knocked out by them last year and we want to do better this year,” he said. “I’m optimistic. We have great respect for them but we’re not afraid.”

REAL CONFIDENT

Real director Emilio Butragueno said the team was confident of winning a third consecutive European crown. “It is truly historic to win two finals in a row and so obviously the prospect of reaching another final is an enormous source of motivation,” he said. “We’ll see what we are capable of, but we’re confident.”

Klopp, however, said facing Roma would be tricky.

“I tried to think about what I feel, but it was not that I thought ‘Thank God not Bayern, thank God not Real Madrid, yippee Roma’ or the other way around. It is just the draw and I know it is very exciting, but it is good because the most important news is we are still in the competition,” Klopp went on to add.

“But if anybody thinks this is the easiest draw then I cannot help this person -- they obviously didn’t see both games against Barcelona,” he said.