Europe Champions League Semifinals - 2nd Leg

[spkutano]

 

[spkutano]

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Borussia Dortmund Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Paris Saint-Germain:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Zaire-Emery; Dembele, Ramos, Mbappe

Borussia Dortmund:
Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Sabitzer, Emre Can; Sancho, Brandt, Adeyemi; Fullkrug

Paris Saint-Germain will try to overturn an one-goal deficit when they host Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-final. The German side won 1:0 in the first match. Niclas Fullkrug was the scorer in the 36th minute. That was his third goal in the competition this season. After a poor first half, PSG missed two big opportunities to equalize the result in the second half, with Kylian Mbappe curling an effort off the inside of the post before Achraf Hakimi struck the woodwork moments later. Fullkrug should have scored a second after great work down the right flank from Jadon Sancho, but the striker could only blaze over the bar from five yards out.

Paris Saint-Germain were better than Real Sociedad in the first knock-out round and Barcelona in the quarterfinals. The Catalans won 3:2 in the first match, but PSG managed to secure a spectacular 4:1 win in the second leg. Les Parisiens could now become the first team in tournament history to reach the final after losing their opening quarter and semi-final battles. But something else could be a problem - the home form. PSG have won just three of their last eight matches at the Parc des Princes. In addition, Enrique will be without defender Lucas Hernandez who sustained a devastating ACL injury that will prevent him from playing at EURO 2024. Presnel Kimpembe is also sidelined, as well as Layvin Kurzawa and Sergio Rico.

Borussia Dortmund have eliminated PSV and Atletico Madrid in the previous rounds of the competition. The home form was crucial for the success, they managed to beat PSV 2:0 and Atletico 4:2 at Westfalen. And, of course, the mentioned 1:0 win against PSG last week. The domestic form isn't at highest level, despite the high 5:1 win over Augsburg last weekend. Previously they drew 1:1 with Bayer Leverkusen and lost 4:1 to RB Leipzig. In addition, coach Terzic has some injury issues. Right-back Julian Ryerson, who wasn't involved in the beating of Augsburg, is rated as doubtful with cramp. Ramy Bensebaini, Julien Duranville and Sebastien Haller are also struggling with injury. Karim Adeyemi sustained a knock at the weekend and will be assessed on Tuesday.

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Borussia Dortmund Prediction:

I will give advantage to Paris Saint-Germain. There are two reasons: first, the home advantage, while the second is connect with the squads. PSG have Killian M'bappe, a player able to make the difference. He has scored 48 goals in 72 UEFA Champions League appearances, enjoying the goals with Monaco (9 games, 6 goals) and PSG (63 games, 42 goals). PSG are huge favorites in this match, but I was surprised when saw the odds. They are too low and that is why I will suggest a "light version" of handicap. The pick is winning if PSG celebrate with two, or more, goals. In addition, Your stake is back if PSG win with exactly one goal.

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Borussia Dortmund Pick: Paris Saint-Germain -1.0 AH @ 1.76 with Pinnacle

 

[spkutano]

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Real Madrid:
Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior

Bayern Munich:
Neuer; Kimmich, Dier, De Ligt, Mazraoui; Goretzka, Laimer; Sane, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane

The two former conquerors of Europe - Real Madrid and Bayern Munich - will try to secure another Champions League final. They played a 2:2 draw in Munich last week. Vinicius Junior took advantage of big mistake from Bayern defender Kim Min-jae - beating him for pace and slotting a shot past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for the opener in the 24th minute. After eight minutes in the second half, Leroy Sane had struck a thunderous effort inside the near post, cancelling out Vinicius' opener. Just few minutes later Jamal Musiala was tripped by Lucas Vazquez in the box. England captain Harry Kane converted the penalty to give advantage to Bayern. However, Vinicius Jr equalized in the 83rd minute thanks to another mistake made by Kim. The South Korean fouled Rodrygo in the box and Vinicius put away the resulting penalty.

The last seven days were good for Real fans. A 2:2 draw at Allianz Arena in Munich is a positive result, but there is more. Few days later Carlo Ancelotti's men beat Cadiz and few hours later came good news from other venue. Girona crushed the closest challengers Barcelona and Real started to celebrate another domestic title. It is the 36th La Liga crown and only Juventus have claimed as many titles in the history of Europe's big five leagues. The atmosphere in the squad is excellent and now they put the focus on the Champions League, looking for the 15th title. There are more good news as Thibaut Courtois has recovered from a knee injury and should displace Andriy Lunin. That means the former Bayern defender David Alaba is the only absentee. Key players, who started at the bench against Cadiz - Vinicius Junior, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Kroos and Federico Valverde - are expect to start from the first minute.

Bayern Munich will try to save the season in Madrid as the Champions League is their only remaining competition they could win. The German Giants lost the Bundesliga and suffered elimination from DFB Pokal. Thomas Tuchel's men were far from their best during the weekend, losing 3:1 to Stuttgart. Kane scored his 36th Bundesliga goal, but defense is not at desired level. Indeed, Bayern have not kept a single clean sheet away from home in 2024. In addition, Tuchel has some injury issues ahead of this match. Guerreiro is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to ankle injury he picked up against Stuttgart, while Dier, who came off at half time in the same match due to a thigh injury, is rated as doubtful. To be worse, Matthijs de Ligt is also doubtful with a knee injury. Four players are definitely sidelined - Kingsley Coman, Sacha Boey, Bouna Sarr and Tarek Buchmann.

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich Prediction:

It is hard to predict the winners here, however I expect an efficient match at Bernabeu. Both sides have fantastic scorers, Vinicius Junior, Bellingham and Rodrygo for Real, Kane and Sane for Bayern. Looking the 'big' home games that Real played in the last month, both were efficient. They played 3:3 with Manchester City in the Champions League and won 3:2 against Barcelona in La Liga. In addition, Real won 3:0 against Cadiz on Saturday. Bayern also played high scoring matches as guests - the last three have produced 16 goals. Tuchel's men have played 3:3 with Arsenal in London, won 5:1 at Union Berlin and lost 3:1 in Stuttgart.

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich Pick: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.61 with Pinnacle