UEFA Champions League : More drama expected as Leipzig, Lyon battle PSG, Bayern
Without any doubt, the concluding stage of the 2020 UEFA Champions League has thrown up major upsets and two ‘underdogs’ might reach the finals for the first time, if they would subdue their more illustrious opponents in the semi-final matches beginning tonight in Benfica.
This year’s UEFA Champions League finals will be played on Sunday May 23 at Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Portugal.
Tonight, giant killers RB Leipzig will be up against Ligue 1 heavyweights, Paris Saint German in the first semi-final clash.
Both teams are in the hunt for a historic appearance in the finals of the lucrative Champions League.
Although the form book suggests a Bayern-PSG final, after this week, which has generated the kind of buzz and narratives normally reserved for a World Cup or European Championship, predictions are far from certain.
By their quarter-final performances against highly rated opponents, Lyon and Leipzig have clearly demonstrated quality and ability to do the unimaginable.
Consequently, football fans around the globe would wait tonight with bated breath to see if Leipzig can do in their second Champions League campaign what Paris have failed to do in 12 previous attempts and reach the final.
But for PSG, a long-awaited first European title is so close now that Paris can practically sniff it. The French champions will feel destiny is on their side as they face a team few expected to reach this stage, particularly with Ángel Di
María back from suspension and Kylian Mbappé now a potential starter. Paris's "dream bigger" motto never felt more appropriate.
The last time PSG reached the Champions League semifinals was during the 1994/5 season and they are now seeking to go a step further into the final.
In the other semi-final billed for tomorrow, title favourites Bayern Munich will face the giant killing instinct of Ligue 1 side, Lyon who shocked English giants, Manchester City 3-1.
The Bundesliga giants have been unstoppable and are favoured to end Lyon’s dream but the French side propelled by Marcelo, Houssem Aouar and Moussa Dembélé can wreck unexpected havoc.
Interestingly, results from the quarter-final matches have shown clearly that German coaching and tactics have proved to be the cutting edge of the modern game.
Three of the coaches in the last four are Germans, with former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel in charge of PSG.