And then there were 4, The Champions League with Ahmed Nashat
We have barely caught our breath after the exhilarating Champions League quarter-finals but already myself and fellow soccer fanatic Ahmed Nashat are already looking ahead to the semi-finals. The big boys who usually occupy these last 4 positions are almost all but gone with Real, Bayern, Dortmund, Juve, PSG and Atletico already having been dumped out of the tournament, so let’s take a look at the remaining 4 and see who has the best chance of lifting the trophy.
Spurs
Spurs have no right to be here after almost failing to advance beyond the group stages but some heroic performances, a slice of luck and some gargantuan levels of spirit have brought Tottenham Hotspur to their first European Cup semi-final since 1961. Spurs have had to overcome an energetic Dortmund side before performing miracles to overcome Manchester City in the quarterfinals, including one of the greatest games ever played in the competition with a 4-3 loss to City, winning the tie overall thanks to VAR. Spurs face Ajax in the semifinals if they can clinch that then who knows what can happen in a 90-minute final. We predict them to get to the final and finish runners up.
Ajax
This young Ajax team makes watching football so much fun, they are slick, precise and exciting with their passing game, and stern and strong in defense. Much of this team will head off for pastures new in the summer, as is always the way with Ajax, but they have a chance to cement their place in history with a semi-final against Spurs. Ajax have already put Roma and Juve out of the competition but for us, we think that the semi-finals will be as far as this hungry young team will reach.
Liverpool
Liverpool will have learned mistakes from their crushing defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in last year’s final. Those learning will be key to the Redmen getting past Barcelona with Messi and co seeking their first Champions League since 2014/15. Liverpool’s issue may be that their domestic title is still up for grabs whereas Barca are already home and hosed. Expect an absolute goal-fest in both legs and we think that given the form Messi is in, this may be as far as Liverpool get this year.
Barcelona
The biggest issue which Barcelona have here is that they play Liverpool away for the second leg, when that famous stadium is in full voice it is a scary prospect for any footballer. What will make the tie far more interesting is that Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho know all too well what it is like to play at Anfield and with Messi in the scintillating form which we have already seen in this year’s competition, Barca will certainly fancy their chances at reaching the final.
Our prediction is a Spurs v Barcelona final which, sadly for Spurs, will be won by the genius of Lionel Messi, what do you think?
Boris Dzhingarov graduated UNWE with a major in marketing. He is the founder of ESBO ltd a brand mentioning company. He is also passionate about meditation and healthy living. You can find articles on such topics at his spiritual blog Dzhingarov.com.