Four questions to consider ahead of the Champions League semi-finals | OneFootball

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Dan Burke·24 April 2018

Four questions to consider ahead of the Champions League semi-finals

Article image:Four questions to consider ahead of the Champions League semi-finals

We’re down to the final four of the Champions League and there is no margin for error now.

So ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Roma on Tuesday and Real Madrid’s trip to Bayern Munich on Wednesday, here is one question for each of the fantastic four to mull over…


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How will Liverpool react to being the favourites?

Article image:Four questions to consider ahead of the Champions League semi-finals

There are many who believe Liverpool’s tie with Roma represents a bye into the final but if the Reds don’t take care to guard against complacency heading into the two matches, it could very well be their undoing.

Manchester City were widely considered the favourites in the last round but Liverpool and their supporters rose to the occasion and saw off a much more expensively assembled side with a spirited combination of hard work and skill.

But will Jürgen Klopp’s approach to a tie in which his team are deemed the favourites be different this time around?

The evidence we’ve seen so far this season in Europe would suggest not.

In the group stages, Liverpool put 10 goals past Maribor, eight past Spartak Moscow and five past Sevilla which leads us to conclude they have no qualms whatsoever about performing the role of flat-track bully when necessary.

But for all their attacking brilliance, the Merseyside outfit reminded us again in their 2-2 draw with struggling West Brom that they still have issues when it comes to defending their penalty area from crosses and set-pieces.

And Roma just so happen to have one or two players capable of targeting that weak spot.

Can Roma stem the Anfield tide?

Article image:Four questions to consider ahead of the Champions League semi-finals

Playing the second leg of a two-legged tie on your home ground is an ideal scenario but as Manchester City will testify, home advantage is less effective when you have a three-goal deficit to make up.

Then again, Roma could quite rightly point to their remarkable comeback against Barcelona in the last round as evidence that what happens in the first leg doesn’t always matter all that much.

However, lightning won’t strike in the same place twice and if the Giallorossi are to have any hope of making it to the final, they must keep it as tight as possible when they travel to Anfield on Tuesday.

Of course, it will be far from easy. There are few, if any, defences in world football capable of keeping Liverpool’s front three at bay when they’re in the mood and Mohamed Salah coming back to haunt his former employer would not be the most surprising thing to happen across the semi-finals.

Kevin Strootman says he and his team-mates have a “special” plan for dealing with the Egyptian but they must be careful not to focus too much of their energy on just one aspect of a team which can hurt you from a variety of angles.

The Anfield atmosphere will once again be a spine-chilling proposition before and during the game and Eusebio Di Francesco’s side – who have the fourth best defensive record in Serie A this season – must be tactically impeccable if they’re to effectively manage the tie and give themselves a fighting chance in the second leg. The Stadio Olimpico isn’t exactly a library on big European nights either.

An away goal would be advantageous but a 0-0 draw would suit them just fine. Park the bus.

How will Bayern respond to a challenge?

Article image:Four questions to consider ahead of the Champions League semi-finals

For Bayern Munich, reaching a Champions League semi-final is nothing new.

The Bundesliga giants have made it (at least) to the last four of the competition in six of the last seven seasons and anything less is considered a failure in that part of the world.

They won’t be overawed by their surroundings but it will be interesting to see whether or not such a drastic leap in the standard of opposition comes as a shock to the system.

The Bavarians have once again swept aside all before them domestically this season but German football is going through something of a crisis of quality at the moment and Bayern failed their sternest examination when they lost 3-0 away at Paris Saint-Germain in September.

That defeat signalled the end of Carlo Ancelotti’s managerial regime and Jupp Heynckes’ side did win the return fixture, but you can count on one hand the number of times they’ve come up against an genuine opponent and it’s therefore difficult to get an accurate gauge of how good a team they are.

The next week will be what ultimately defines Bayern’s season.

Beat Real Madrid and they should probably be considered the strongest team in Europe but lose and they look like little more than a big fish in a small pond. No pressure.

What if Ronaldo doesn’t come to Real Madrid’s rescue?

Article image:Four questions to consider ahead of the Champions League semi-finals

Remember back in October and November when Cristiano Ronaldo suffered an uncharacteristic goal drought and everyone hastily assumed his days as one of the world’s very top players were over?

Well rumours of Ronaldo’s demise were greatly exaggerated and the 33-year-old has quietly racked up a staggering 42 goals in all competitions this season – which is one more than Mohamed Salah.

While they’ve been disappointing domestically, Real Madrid’s season will now be defined by what they do in the Champions League and though they’re far from a one man team, you suspect their success will be dependent on whether or not Ronaldo can produce one or two more big moments in the semi-finals and beyond.

Because if he can’t, Zinedine Zidane might have a problem. Of course, the likes of Isco, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio are all capable of moments of magic, but Los Blancos don’t have a match-winner at this level quite like Ronaldo and if Bayern can nullify the threat he poses, they’ll have a great chance of going through.

But the good news for Madrid is that the Portuguese is a man on a mission and stopping him has always been easier said than done.

Were it not for Lionel Messi, Ronaldo would be considered the undisputed star of his generation and possibly even the greatest footballer of all time. But having already surpassed Messi in the Ballon d’Or stakes, Ronaldo could make it 5-4 in terms of Champions League winners’ medals this season too.

That fact will definitely not be lost on him, and he will undoubtedly be doing everything in his immense power to make it a reality.