The UEFA Champions League (UCL) semifinals get underway this week, with Real Madrid facing off against Bayern Munich and PSG doing so against Borussia Dortmund. The winners of these two matchups will go toe-to-toe on June 1 at Wembley Stadium in London for Europe’s most prestigious club trophy. Here are some storylines behind each of the four possible UCL final fixtures.
PSG vs. Real Madrid
The prospect of this as the potential UCL final is exciting. The rumors and discussions of a Kylian Mbappe transfer to Real Madrid have been in the headlines for years. With the French star now certain to make the move this summer, how fitting would it be for his last game at PSG to be against Real? We are one round away from this being the case.
Additionally, this matchup between the two powerhouses would be their first in the UCL since Lionel Messi, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Karim Benzema all exited European soccer. Don’t disregard the storyline for Marco Asensio in this matchup either, who signed with PSG last summer after being with Real Madrid since 2014.
PSG vs. Bayern Munich
PSG is still looking for their first UCL trophy, and the last time they made the final (2019-20 tournament), they were defeated by none other than Bayern. So, if these two teams were to meet at Wembley, PSG would get their rematch and an opportunity for revenge. The turnover of players between that matchup and this potential one is very different between the two sides.
PSG, on one hand, will likely only have Mbappe and Marquinhos from the 2020 final team on the traveling squad. Bayern, on the other hand, have retained much of their team from that final until now, although some notable changes, such as Harry Kane replacing Robert Lewandowski, have occurred.
Dortmund vs. Real Madrid
The headline of this matchup would focus on 20-year-old English midfielder Jude Bellingham, who left Dortmund for Madrid last summer. For Bellingham to face the club that helped establish him as one of the world’s best young talents would be must-see soccer (I mean, I hope the UCL final is a must-see no matter what).
However, Dortmund and Real have not faced each other in the UCL since the 2017-18 group stage, so this would make for an interesting game between teams with contrasting histories in the competition. Real Madrid has won the UCL a record 14 times, while Dortmund has only done so once.
Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich
The improbability of this matchup hides its potential greatness. “Der Klassiker” in the UCL final would be madness. Neither team will win a domestic trophy this season (as Bayer Leverkusen has already won the Bundesliga and plays FC Kaiserslautern in the DFB Pokal final). It is the first time since the 2008-09 season in which one of Bayern or Dortmund has not won the Bundesliga.
The stakes for these two German sides will be particularly high if they face off against each other in the UCL final. They met in the 2013 UCL final, a game in which Bayern came out victorious, and have not battled in the European competition since. And, with Germany hosting the Euros this summer, this fixture would serve as a fabulous lead-up to that tournament.
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