Can Parisians and Los Blancos prevent allEnglish final?

PARIS: A second all-English Champions League final in three seasons is in sight with Manchester City and Chelsea in strong positions heading into the second legs of their last-four ties against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid this week.

In 2019, Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid to win the Champions League.

The talk then was of a new era of English dominance in Europe being ushered in. Two years on, and despite the twin hits of Brexit and the pandemic, an identical scenario is a distinct possibility.

Pep Guardiola’s City host PSG after winning 2-1 in France, leaving them on the brink of a first-ever Champions League final.

The appointment of Thomas Tuchel has transformed Chelsea and their 1-1 draw in Madrid makes them favourites to reach a first final since winning the trophy in 2012.

Nine months after losing to Lyon in a quarter-final in Lisbon, City look ready to reach that elusive final following over a decade of huge investment from their Emirati owners.

Chelsea’s own run is not just about Tuchel but also partly their decision to spend close to €250 million (RM1.2 billion) on new signings last summer.

Only two of the last 12 Champions Leagues have been won by English sides, with Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich the main forces in that time.

Indeed, with 11, Spain’s giants have won more than twice as many Champions League titles since 1998 as English clubs, with five, combined.

City appear to have the most complete team left, not to mention the finest coach of his generation.

“If we play like who we are, maybe we have the chance to reach the final,” Guardiola said after the win in Paris.

Chelsea have a fine coach and some brilliant young talents, and PSG the stardust of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria.

yet Real retain the core of the team that won four Champions Leagues between 2014 and 2018, and in Zinedine Zidane the coach who delivered three of those.

From Raphael Varane and Luka Modric to Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema, their experience means the prospect of them beating Chelsea and winning the trophy in Istanbul on May 29 must not be dismissed.

“We’re alive and we’re going to the second leg with the idea of winning,” said Zidane.