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After what has been arguably the most entertaining quarterfinals in a decade and more, a stage at which established order, a whole lot of money, mammoth first leg leads, Pep Guardiola’s hipsterism, and the mere presence of Leo Messi meant absolutely nothing we have some intriguing semifinalists lined up.
On the face of it the fact that both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid made it this far is far from surprising… Madrid, and that no. 7 of theirs, have dominated every facet of this competition for the last half a decade while Bayern Munich are Bayern Munich-ing their way through life… but the Bavarians look oddly brittle and susceptible; while Madrid got here by the skin of their teeth. The other semifinalists, though, are here because they played out of their damn skin – Liverpool in the first 45 minutes of their 180 min, 5-1 evisceration of the prematurely lauded Manchester City ‘winning machine’ and Roma in the latter half of their 180 when they utterly, completely, totally dominated Barcelona.
Now, while each club may have favourites, this season has proven, there are no sure things, no clubs who will simply roll over and die. This is the Champions League, and to win it, you need to goddamn earn it.
Without further ado, then, here are the semifinals for you (remember, first names play the first leg at home)
Semi-Final 1: Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid
The Bavarians will face the Castillians in what promises to be the "Hollywood" semifinal... and they'll be thirsting for revenge.
Cristiano Ronaldo meanwhile will want to make sure that winners medal goes nowhere
Semi-Final 2: Liverpool vs Roma
While Liverpool fans are gleeful for having drawn Roma, the wily gladiators may pose a bigger threat than what they've bargained for. Especially as the second leg is in Rome.
