We are inching towards the business end of the UEFA Champions League this season and with the recently concluded quarter-finals, only four teams are left who have a chance of crowning themselves the champions of Europe.
Also Read: Champions League: Best XI from the quarter-finals
Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Monaco and Real Madrid are the ones left with a shout at winning the trophy and the semi-final draw threw up interesting matchups. Juventus and Monaco face off in a superb battle while Atletico Madrid face Real Madrid in the El Derbi Madrileno.
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So, let's rank the semi-finalists in order of their chances to win the Champions League.
#4 AS Monaco
The dark horses in this year’s tournament, AS Monaco have surprised one and all with their irresistible attacking play throughout the season. The Ligue 1 side have scored 90 goals in 32 league games this season, the second-highest in Europe’s top five leagues behind Spanish side Barcelona’s 91 goals in the same number of games.
Led by Leonardo Jardim and consisting of a bunch of exciting young talents like Thomas Lemar, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy, Fabinho and Kylian Mbappe, Monaco are fighting for the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain and are now set to compete for a place in the Champions League final against Juventus.
Monaco topped their group consisting of London club Tottenham, Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen and Russia’s CSKA Moscow. They then contested in one of the most exciting ties in the round of 16 against Manchester City with Radamel Falcao, the captain, leading the line with aplomb, like he has done all season. The club from the principality then drew another young exciting side in Borussia Dortmund at the quarter-finals stage - whom they beat in both legs as Kylian Mbappe ran riot to book them a place in the last four.
In the semi-finals, Monaco are up against the best defensive side in the tournament in Juventus. Their youthful exuberance in contrast to the experienced Juventus side, the Ligue 1 side have a tough ask in making it to the final.
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However, the Ligue 1 side are the neutral’s favourites for this tournament and they will be ready as per the words of their club vice-president Vadim Vasilyev.
“It will be a matter of revenge, clearly. We're better than two years ago, no doubt about it. At this level of competition, we knew we were going to play a big team. All teams are on top. We played Juventus two years ago in the quarter-finals and since then they have strengthened themselves. It is only the happiness of being at this stage of the competition. We will do everything to qualify. Juventus can defend but we know we score goals,” quipped Vasilyev in a recent interview.
#3 Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid have undergone a massive resurgence under Diego Simeone and have even broken the duopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain with their La Liga triumph with their limited resources in 2014. They have been one of the most consistent sides in the Champions League in recent years - appearing in two finals in the past three years.
They are having a below par season so far compared to their recent lofty standards as they sit third in the La Liga table and totally out of contention for the title race. One of the reasons is that in an effort to improve their attacking threat this season, some of their defensive prowess has been compromised as well. In the Champions League, they topped their group which also had German champions Bayern Munich in it.
They had a relatively easy passage in the knock-out stages as they dispatched Bayer Leverkusen and English champions Leicester City in consecutive rounds. Now they are up against their local rivals Real Madrid in the semi-finals, thereby creating a Champions League record of meeting the same team in the knock-out stages for four consecutive years.
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However, Atletico have failed to get past Madrid in their last three matchups and Diego Simeone will be hoping that his superstars in the form of Antoine Griezmann, Yannick Carrasco, Diego Godin and Koke will be itching to change the record against their derby rivals and give themselves a good chance of winning the trophy finally.
#2 Juventus
One of the two sides who are now favourites to be crowned as the Champions of Europe, Juventus are the best defensive side and have been Italy’s only hope in the competiton this decade. Previously managed by Antonio Conte, they are now coached by former AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri.
Juventus have been head and shoulder above their competition in Italy and have recovered splendidly from the Calciopoli scandal to win the Serie A five years in a row. And they are firmly on course to make it six this year. The Italians are blessed with a great defence consisting of the timeless Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. The names on the sheet going forward are not too shabby as well with the likes of Miralem Pjanic, Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain. They seem to be the perfect mix of youth and experience.
Such domination has not translated into Europe though. Their best run in recent years was reaching the final in 2015, only to lose to Barcelona. They avenged that defeat this season in the quarter-finals where they shut-out Barcelona over two legs and scored thrice to secure their passage into the semis.
Over the course of the group stage, they faced the likes of French side Lyon and Spanish side Sevilla, followed by Portuguese giants FC Porto in the round of 16 and then Barcelona in the quarters. And that makes it even more remarkable that the Old Lady have conceded just two goals so far.
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This makes the semi-final matchup against high-flying Monaco all the more interesting as the unstoppable force of Monaco meets the immovable object in the Bianconeri. However, with the experience and quality in the squad coupled with having the second leg at home, Allegri’s men are well-placed to make it to the finals and have the required tools to beat either of the Madrid clubs.
#1 Real Madrid
Traditionally, every team who has won the Champions League has struggled the following season and therefore no team has ever retained the title. However, if there was ever a team who have the ability and are in the position to do it, then it has to be Real Madrid this year.
Also Read: 5 reasons why Real Madrid will become the first team to retain the Champions League
Los Blancos are having a great season as they have their noses in front in the La Liga title race and their manager Zinedine Zidane has used his vast squad to great effect to balance the league and the Champions League, such that the capital club lasts the distance on both fronts.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s evolution into a centre-forward this year has definitely prolonged his career at the top and has helped Madrid as well with Karim Benzema misfiring and Alvaro Morata yet to stake a permanent claim for a starting berth. The rest of the team have contributed as well with their captain Sergio Ramos in imperious goalscoring form, having scored important goals throughout the season.
In the Champions League, Real Madrid finished second to Borussia Dortmund in the group stage and then dug deep to see off Maurizio Sarri’s Napoli in the round of 16. They faced their favourite European rivals Bayern Munich next. Led by five goals from Ronaldo over two legs, the Blancos reached the semi-finals, where they are set to face fellow Madrid team Atletico for a spot in the final.
Real have come out on top the last two times these two teams met in the competition - the Champions League finals in 2014 and 2016. As a result, they definitely have the psychological edge and should consider themselves favourites to reach the final.
In the final, the match-winners in Zidane’s squad in the form of Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos, James Rodriguez and Isco are a handful for either Juventus or Monaco. Further, given that this squad knows how to get it done, Real Madrid are hands down the favourites to win a record 12th crown in the top competition in Europe.
