Europe Champions League Semifinals - 1st Leg (9-10. May)

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Real Madrid vs. Manchester City Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Real Madrid:
Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Kroos, Modric; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr

Manchester City:
Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland

Real Madrid welcome Manchester City to the Spanish capital for the first leg of another Champions League semifinal on Tuesday night. As You probably know, these two teams faced in the last season's semifinal too. Real were more successful a year ago and they qualified for the final where eventually beat Liverpool. The reigning champions are favorites again, but it won't be easy against Pep Guardiola and his players. However, Los Blancos are the most successful club in the history of the competition. Their group-stage results were not at highest level, but a high 5:1 victory against Celtic on the final day saw the holders finishing on the first place in the group. The actual form is solid, they defeated Osasuna 2:0 on Saturday and lifted the trophy in Copa del Rey thanks to a brace scored by Rodrygo. Ancelotti has another type of problem as some players are unavailable. Eder Militao will miss the first leg due to suspension. He was cautioned for the third time in the previous match against Chelsea, after which players on one or two bookings had their yellow cards wiped. Left-back Ferland Mendy is doubtful due to a calf injury. Finally, the veteran midfielder Luka Modric is also an injury doubt with a hamstring concern. The 37-year-old played a part of the cup final after entering the match as substitute. Aurelien Tchouameni is ready to deputize if the Croatian don't recover in time.

Manchester City are first in the Premier League, but the fans and Arab owners are hungry for European glory. Pep Guardiola's side made it past Red Bull Leipzig 8:1 on aggregate in the last 16 and then beat 4:1 Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals. The Citizens are in good form, they won 15 of the last 16 matches across all competitions. They are easily scoring goals and Erling Haaland looks unstoppable. The Norwegian averages a goal every 58 minutes in the Champions League, unsurprisingly the best ratio in the history of the competition. The atmosphere in the squad is very good, while the players confidence is high. Guardiola has no suspension worries, but two defenders are struggling with injuries. Nathan Ake suffered a hamstring injury after played 54 minutes against Leeds United on Saturday and he is rated as doubtful. Cole Palmer is out with an ankle problem, but the 21-year-old would never have started here. Some rotations are possible - Rodri, John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish could provide fresh legs.

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City Prediction:

Real Madrid are closer to the victory. They are the most successful side in the history of the competition and they play at home. Los Blancos enter this match on the back of five successive Champions League wins - keeping clean sheets in each of their last three. On the top of that, they have scored in each of the last 16 continental games. Real are more experienced as club and I expect to win the first match.

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City Pick: Real Madrid to win @ 3.22 with Pinnacle

 

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AC Milan vs. Inter Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

AC Milan:
Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Kjaer, Hernandez; Tonali, Krunic; Diaz, Bennacer, Saelemaekers; Giroud

Inter:
Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Lukaku

City rivals AC Milan and Inter will face on Wednesday in the Champions League semifinal first leg. What is sure, Italy will have participants in the final for the first time since 2017. AC Milan have lifted the trophy seven times so far, most recently in 2006-07 season when they earned a slice of revenge against Liverpool following the clubs' epic clash in Istanbul two years earlier. I am sure the Rossoneri fans will never forget the match when their team dropped a three-goal advantage only to lose on penalties. Inter, meanwhile, have three trophies, most recently in 2009-10 season when they beat Bayern Munich. This is a fourth Derby della Madonnina of the season, with Inter recording two victories, one in Serie A in February and one in Supercoppa. The Rossoneri were 3:2 winners back in September.

AC Milan finished as second in Group E, behind Chelsea, but ahead of Red Bull Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb. The Stefano Pioli's men then eliminated Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16, winning 1:0 at San Siro and playing goalless in London. In the quarterfinals the Rossoneri secured a 2:1 aggregate win against their Scudetto successors Napoli. The players confidence is surely high and they will try to win the first match. The problem is Rafael Leao's availability. He suffered a muscular injury against Lazio during the weekend and he is rated as doubtful. If the Portuguese striker do not recover in time for this match, Alexis Saelemaekers or Ante Rebic could deputize. Tommaso Pobega and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are sidelined through injuries. By the way, the Sweden veteran is not registered for the Champions League in any case.

Inter fans were probably disappointed when found out the opponents in the group stage. Indeed, Bayern Munich and Barcelona were huge favorites for progress, though Simone Inzaghi's men showed their class in the direct clash with La Liga Giants, winning at home and playing a 3:3 draw at Camp Nou. The Nerazzurri then faced the Portuguese opposition in the knock out phase. First they managed to eliminate Porto with 1:0 aggregate victory, and then beat Benfica 5:3. Just like their actual rivals, Inzaghi has improved the defense and kept the net untouched on three of the four knock-out matches. On top of that, Romelu Lukaku has found the form and play much better in the last period. Three players are struggling with injuries - Milan Skriniar and Robin Gosens are definitely sidelined, while Danilo D'Ambrosio is rated as doubtful with a muscular injury.

AC Milan vs. Inter Prediction:

AC Milan have conceded only once across four games in the knock-out phase. Strong defense is exactly what Pioli need again. Inter, meanwhile, have kept three clean sheets, but then conceded three goals at home from Benfica. I believe some of the players were not fully focused after the first-leg victory in Lisbon. There will be nothing similar here, so I expect a tight and low scoring match.

AC Milan vs. Inter Pick: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.65 with Pinnacle