Preview of the UEFA Champions League Semifinals

The UEFA Champions League has reached its zenith this season with the semifinals and it is time for the last four remaining teams to challenge and compete for the biggest and most important trophy at club level. Who are the favourites at this stage of the season? Which matchup is the most interesting? And which players are going to be the most interesting to pay attention to?

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This and many other questions are going to be answered in the following sections:

Inter Milan – AC Milan

Two of the biggest clubs in Italian football are again returning to the highest level of European football and will be up against their lifelong rivals this time. This will be the third time the two Milan clubs face each other in the Champions League semifinals after the events of 2003 and 2005, with AC Milan qualifying on both occasions.

In terms of their current state of affairs, both clubs have been somewhat underwhelming so far this season on the local side of things. Inter and AC Milan have struggled to keep up with Napoli in the title race for the Scudetto and their focus have quickly shifted to qualifying for the next edition of the UEFA Champions League. This would be particularly disappointing since both clubs won the league in the previous two seasons.

When it comes to their recent history, Inter Milan have had the upper hand, defeating AC Milan in the Coppa Italia semifinals, the SuperCoppa Italiana, and the most recent Serie A fixture, but AC Milan have proven to be a team capable of overcoming the odds, eliminating Tottenham Hotspurs and Napoli in the last two previous rounds, who seemed like the favorites.

It will be a classic for sure and a welcomed return of two of the most important football clubs in the world to the top of the sport.

Derby della Madonnina ⌛#UCL pic.twitter.com/r6RxqPFFd0

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 8, 2023

Real Madrid – Manchester City

A rematch from last season’s semifinals, the reigning champions Real Madrid would want to reach the final once again, but Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have long desired this trophy and they seem to be in pole position to achieve it this time around.

Most semi-final appearances 🤝
Two great coaches square off 🔜#UCL pic.twitter.com/sGle6QFUdq

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 8, 2023

Madrid easily dispatched Liverpool and Chelsea in the last two previous rounds, but it is true that these clubs haven’t been at their best this season. On the other hand, Manchester City destroyed RB Leipzig in the round of 16 and easily beat Bayern Munich with a global score of 4-1, although it is worth pointing that the Bavarian giants have also been in crisis this season.

So, there is an argument to be made that this is the first real test for these two teams in this edition of the competition and is going to require their absolute best to reach the final. City have long been filled with top-quality players during the Guardiola tenure, but have struggled to win when it matters in this competition, and Madrid have a core of players that are extremely experienced in this competition, and manager Carlo Ancelotti is the most decorated coach in the Champions League format.

In this regard, neither of the semifinals has a clear favorite, but it promises to be one of the best editions in this particular regard due to the quality of the teams and the narratives that are going to ensue because of it.

Down to the final four 🍿#UCL pic.twitter.com/GBDmKjgN3m

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 8, 2023