UEFA Champions League // Meet The Semi-Finalists
Paris St. Germain: Having watched this team live in Paris back in November (in the UCL vs. Tottenham,) I got a glimpse of what this team can do. In that game, PSG was able to bag five goals & even despite picking up a red in that contest, I was very impressed. Let's not forget that this is the team that went on to win this competition last season.The only question mark really on this team is their goaltending. Having let Gianluigi Donnarumma go over the opening transfer window (to Man City) PSG fans began to wonder who would step in and take his place. Well, Lucas Chevalier & Matvey Safanov have practically split time in goal and even though neither of them are all-world talent or anything, they've been able to do the job. Considering Paris St. Germain's skill in the starting XI as well as the bench, there's not much that the goalkeepers have to do in many of its games. Talking about the lineup, Ousmane Dembele (last year's Ballon D'Or Winner) , Khvicha Kvaratskhelia , Bradley Barcola , Désiré Doué & Gonçalo Ramos each have double digit goals in all competitions this season. With a midfield of Joao Neves , Vitinha , Warren Zaire-Emery & Fabian Ruiz, there's not much that opponents can do when defending this side. The defense is also very strong led by Marquinhos. If any team in Europe can take down the giants from Germany, it's this PSG squad. Bayern Munich: Looking at Bayern Munich now, it's probably been the most exciting team to watch this season in the entire world. With 109 goals scored in only 30 games in the Bundesliga, it's almost average four per game. That's entertaining football right here. The defense has also been stellar, allowing less than a goal per game this season inside of Germany. In the lineup, there's not much for weaknesses in this Bayern squad. Yes, there's been injuries over the past couple of seasons that have derailed the success of this team in this competition, with the likes of Neuer, Davies & Musiala being in & out of the lineup. But, now that all three are fully fit and healthy, this teams looking like the team to beat in this competition. Also, it's worth noting that Michael Olise is currently in the Ballon D'Or race for the German side at the moment. His fantastic ability to create something out of nothing is simply out of this world and then his goal scoring makes him the total package. Pairing him with a striker like Harry Kane has just brought his game to a whole new level this season even after looking excellent at Crystal Palace before hand. Atletico Madrid: Probably the most surprising of the four teams to make the Semi-Finals, Atletico Madrid shocked Barcelona for the second time this season by knocking them out in the previous round. I say second because not long ago, Atleti was able to make the final in the Copa Del Rey by beating Barca in the Semis. Somewhat of a disappointment though, it went on to lose the final in penalties against Real Sociedad. As for the roster, it's had to play without veteran goalkeeper Jan Oblak for a bit of time now, and it's done a very good job at navigating through games without him. He possibly could be back for this Semi though. With the great experienced midfield, led by Koke, the attack of Lookman, Simeone & Alvarez get plenty of looks. Being at this club though, you must be patient. But, when the opportunity has come to strike, Atletico has done great things throughout the season. This probably is the less interesting of the two matches, up against Arsenal. However, if you like a pure defensive minded approach by both sides, you're absolutely going to love this match. We may only see a couple of goals within both encounters. Arsenal: Probably the favorite to make the final in this matchup with Atletico Madrid, Arsenal is not in a good state of mind at the moment. Before I wrote this article, Arsenal's on a 2-game losing streak within the Premier League. Yes, it's got the lead currently in the title race. But, all of that could be changed this evening when Man City takes on Burnley. Arsenal's going to need to up its game and manager, Arteta, knows it. The Gunners do possess a ton of talent though, from the backline, all the way up to their forward attack. Saliba & Gabriel is one of the best CB duos in the world when both are healthy. Zubimendi, Rice & Odegaard are a fantastic midfield trio as well. Sometimes, Arsenal lacks that final push in the attacking third. But, having a guy like Kai Havertz back from his injury to begin the season is massive. All in all, Arsenal's going to need to be at its best to win this Champions League and it all starts with one win and building from there. Both of these coaches are fantastic at making adjustments and we're just going to have to wait and see which of the two can be more creative to push through and advance to the UCL Final.
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