CL semi-final 1st leg Preview
We are down to the final four in Europe’s top football competition with the first legs of the CL semi-finals to be played this week. We are left with one club apiece from England, France, Spain and Italy and few will argue with the final four being deserving of their place. Let’s take a closer look at the 1st leg matches!
The quarter-finals were highly entertaining as Arsenal’s first leg performance set them up nicely and they managed an away win at the Bernabeu to round things off. It was tight between Inter and Bayern with the second leg ending in a draw but Inter’s first leg away win in Munich was enough to see them through. Barcelona’s dominant 4-0 home win was more than enough but Dortmund did put up a fight in the return leg, winning that 3-1. Aston Villa also put up a good fight against PSG, winning the return leg 3-2 at Villa Park but the 3-1 away defeat meant it was PSG that made it through to the quarters. The two upcoming ties are both pretty open, on one side of the draw are two teams that have yet to win the tournament, Arsenal and PSG, whereas the other side sees two experienced teams in Barcelona and Inter clash.
The current odds for winning the competition outright are as follows, with not much in it between all four teams:
Barcelona – 3.00
PSG – 3.25
Arsenal – 3.50
Inter – 5.50
Arsenal vs PSG
Emirates Stadium, Tuesday @ 21:00
Despite their success and profile, neither of these clubs have even won Europe’s top prize so both will be desperate to get to the final to give themselves a shot at doing so. The last time that Arsenal reached the final was back in 2006, and they will not fear PSG having already dumped out the most successful European side in history, Real Madrid, with an aggregate score of 5-1. This is the last chance for a trophy for the Gunners as they are going to finish second in the PL for the third season in a row. Whilst it will be regarded as a good season for the team from North London, the pressure is on for Mikel Arteta’s team to actually win some silverware. The fact they face PSG will not be something that worries Arsenal fans too much, as they have a good record against them and are unbeaten in the last five H2H’s, including a 2-0 win earlier this season when the two met in the group stage. Arsenal are unbeaten at home in the CL for the last eleven matches and can focus all their efforts on this competition now. They will be well aware that a win in this first leg is vital, in order to hold the advantage before taking on PSG in their own backyard.
The French giants from Paris have long since been crowned champions of the French league this season, so their ambitions for the rest of the season are chasing records in domestic Football and, more importantly, doing well in the CL. Defeat last weekend against Nice means that their hopes of completing a first ever unbeaten season are now over but the ultimate prize for the Parisiens is the CL, the trophy they have coveted for many years now. They have a poor record against English teams in this competition though, with five defeats from their last six trips to England so they will need to be careful that Arsenal aren’t able to put the tie beyond them in the first leg. That being said, this season they have managed to eliminate both Liverpool and Aston Villa from the tournament, so a third PL giant is their target.
Barcelona vs Inter
Craven Cottage, Sunday @ 15:00
The second of the two semi-finals involves two teams with far more European pedigree and history, as these two teams prepare for their 17th meeting in European competition. Barcelona warmed up for this match with a tough Copa del Rey win over rivals Real Madrid, the match going to extra time before Jules Kounde popped up with a winner a few minutes before the end. They do at least have an extra day’s rest, something they will be grateful for due to the exertions of the cup final. They have a solid record against Inter, winning eight of the sixteen matches played so far and only suffering three defeats at the hands of the Italians. This is the first time that these two will meet since the 2009/10 season, when Barcelona won the home leg 1-0. Another home win will set them up nicely for the second leg and they are unbeaten at home in the CL this term with five wins and a draw from the six matches played. Barcelona are still targeting a quadruple, with one cup in the bag and their league at the top of the La Liga table looking solid.
Inter suffered a disappointing home loss to AS Roma at the weekend, putting a serious dent in their hopes of winning the league title as Napoli now have a three point lead with only four matches to go. Inter’s poor run of form could not have come at a worse time and they are now winless in their last four matches, failing to score in three of those games. On the flip side, their European form has been excellent and they are unbeaten in their last six CL matches, beating Feyenoord and Bayern Munich in the earlier knockout rounds. They would love to register a repeat of their away win in Munich a few weeks ago, a result which set them up nicely. One record they will need to be wary of is the fact that they have not won any match in Spain for the last 20 years, only managing three draws and seven defeats in that time. Should Inter manage another clean sheet they will equal the Italian record of eight CL clean sheets in a season, currently held by Juventus and AC Milan.
Please note that the odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.
Last updated: 28.04.25
