Next week, two clubs will officially book their ticket to Istanbul for the 2020-2021 UEFA Champions League final. The first legs of the semi-finals are in the books and the second legs ought to be interesting. Real Madrid and Chelsea are tied 1-1 on aggregate. Paris Saint-Germain trails Manchester City 2-1 after losing the first leg at home.
The world is in for something special next week. Each of the second legs are in a situation where anything can happen. In other words, there is much optimism going into next week from all involved.
Manchester City are 90 minutes away from the Champions League final 🏆 pic.twitter.com/khRm9xkgJ2
— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 28, 2021
Chelsea vs. Real Madrid
Chelsea has a golden opportunity to seal the deal on home soil at Stamford Bridge. It’s not going to be easy for them as Los Blancos have played exceptionally well in the tournament. Both clubs looked very good in the first leg. Chelsea looked better of the two and could have easily won the game if it weren’t for many missed chances. Real Madrid knows that they cannot get that lucky twice in a row, so they are aware that they need to beat Chelsea soundly.
Coming into the clash against Real Madrid, Christian Pulisic became the third American to play in a Champions League semifinal. He also became the first American to score in a Champions League semifinal and the youngest Chelsea player to score in a Champions League semifinal match. Pulisic is a strong asset for Chelsea’s quest to eliminate Los Blancos and advance to the final.
Man City vs. PSG
Paris Saint-Germain is in quite the predicament. All the resiliency that they showed against Barcelona and Bayern Munich suddenly disappeared. Les Parisiens took an early lead in the 15th minute, but failing to add to that lead really hurt the team. On top of that, losing their focus allowed Manchester City to equalize in the 64th minute and then take the lead just a few minutes later. Kylian MbappĂ© was unable to make an impact, failing to register a shot. In MbappĂ©’s case, it was the first time he failed to register a shot as a starter in a Champions League match. However, on a positive note, MbappĂ© did create four scoring chances in the first half of the game.
There is much optimism for Les Parisiens going into the second leg, trailing by one goal and playing the second leg in Manchester. To have any chance of pulling off a miracle, PSG needs to put the ball into the back of the net at least twice and keep a clean sheet. They are going to have to find a way to take full advantage of the away-goals rule. Unfortunately, their chances are quite slim due to Manchester City’s ability to show great resilience and team chemistry. In addition, Manchester City’s winning mentality is the toughest obstacle for Les Parisiens to overcome.
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