The draw is finally out. The four club’s representatives were present at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon for the Champions League semi-finals draw. UEFA’s secretary Giorgio Marchetii, guided them through the draw procedure and he called Ian Rush (Champions League ambassador) to make the draw.
1st Semi Final: Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid
1st leg – May 2; 2nd leg – May 10
Reigning champions Real Madrid will play their city rivals Atletico Madrid. They’ve already met twice in Champions League finals in the last three years, both won by Real Madrid in action-packed contests. Los Blancos are writing history here, as the first team to reach the Champions League Semi Finals for seven consecutive seasons. They could become the first club to win the trophy two seasons in a row. Anything can happen over the two legs, but the bookies have Real Madrid as favourites to go further and to qualify for the final @1.57 with the green listed bookmaker Bet365. Atletico’s biggest dream is to revenge last season’s results and pull off the upset. They are priced @2.25 with the green listed bookmaker BetVictor to reach the final. We expect an intense double-leg match with Simeone’s team defending at a high level and with Real Madrid attempting to repeat the results from their last mutual encounters.
2nd Semi Final: Monaco vs. Juventus
1st leg – May 3; 2nd leg – May 9
The best attacking team, Monaco, face the best defensive team Juventus, in this Champions League Semi Final. This is the second time they will meet each other in the same knock-out stage. The first was in 1998 when Juventus won their thanks to an Alessandro Del Piero hat-trick. This will be a tough tie for Monaco, as Juventus are more experienced and have a better team, but after knocking out Manchester City and Dortmund from the competition, anything could happen. Both teams are leading their domestic leagues with big chances of winning their respective titles. The youngest eleven Monaco (25.28) face the oldest eleven Juventus (29.33). Monaco are one of the best-attacking teams in the Champions League, but they have a poor defensive record; conceding 16 goals so far in the competition. Talented strikers Dybala, Higuain and Mandzukic should create several scoring opportunities when against such a poor defence. The bookies have priced Juventus as big favourites to reach the final @1.4 with the green listed bookmaker William Hilll. For Monaco the odds are high @3.25 with the green listed bookmaker Bet365.
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