Champions League

Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City squad could not get out of the Estadio do Dragao quickly enough after losing last season's Champions League final ...

The days of stage fright and reasons for falling short are long gone. It is debatable whether playing in the Premier League continues to be a disadvantage to clubs like City, though. City used to be able to argue that they were the new kids on the block, battling to catch up with the established elite. They are top of the Premier League, with key players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Raheem Sterling and Ederson all fit and on top form. Not all the competition we face in the Champions League has that." Even accounting for the time needed to build the club up following the takeover, City have still failed to punch their weight.

The two EPL giants are separated by a point in the league standings with five games to go.

The UEFA Champions League semifinals start Tuesday with a massive clash in England as Manchester City host Real Madrid in the first of two legs.

Real Madrid: No injuries of note for Real, even including the struggling Eden Hazard, and that combined with no suspensions means Ancelotti will have pretty much everybody at his disposal. There are no major injury concerns, and no player will miss the next match if they get a yellow in this one as the accumulation is reset following the quarterfinals. Craving even more coverage of the world's game? - UEFA Champions League Today, 2 p.m. ET,CBS and Paramount+ - UEFA Champions League Today, 2 p.m. ET,CBS and Paramount+ These two teams have plenty of recent history in the competition, meeting in the 2015/16 semifinals with Real winning, while City bounced Los Blancos in the round of 16 in the 2019-20 edition of the competition.

The Champions League semifinals begin as four teams remain in pursuit of continental glory. The action starts on Tuesday when Real Madrid head to Manchester ...

Match prediction: Manchester City 2, Real Madrid 1. His technical ability and speed should give the Real Madrid center-backs some serious trouble. I'll go with the guy who has to be on for Real to advance. He's had back-to-back hat tricks in the knockout stage and is playing out of his mind. Benzema, 34, is having far and away the best season of his career. The action kicks off on Tuesday when Real Madrid head to Manchester City for the first leg.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of today's football news.Leeds were unable to extend their lead above the relegation zone by much after their 0-0 ...

“We have time tonight and tomorrow morning to decide. Then we will see what happens in terms of renewing my contract or ending a cycle." "When I arrived I was very young, only 19, and both the club and the players have won many trophies. GO FURTHER GO FURTHER GO FURTHER That will certainly be my last game with Italy.” GO FURTHER GO FURTHER GO FURTHER GO FURTHER Blackburn Rovers, however, have kept themselves in the fight for a play-off spot after their 4-1 win over Preston North End moved them within three points of the top six.

With Real Madrid and Man City knocked out in the same stage of Europa League play last year, we should have a good match. For updates on this game and more, ...

- UEFA Champions League Today, 2 p.m. ET,CBS and Paramount+ - UEFA Champions League Today, 2 p.m. ET,CBS and Paramount+ - UEFA Champions League Post-Match Show, 5 p.m. ET,CBS Sports Networkand Paramount+ As for Man City, they were one match away from winning it all, losing to Chelsea 1-0 in the Champions League final. Craving even more coverage of the world's game? Man City tied Atletico Madrid in their previous round but narrowly survived based on tiebreaking rules.

It was a wild Champions League semifinal, but Man City leave Etihad Stadium with the upper hand over Real Madrid. Here are the key talking points.

The one thing City couldn't control was Benzema's brilliance. The 37-year-old started well -- it was his cross which set up Foden's header -- but struggled more as the game wore on. While other world-class midfielders like Luka Modric and Toni Kroos took a while to find their rhythm, De Bruyne scored after just 90 seconds and set up Jesus 10 minutes later. Even after Foden had scored City's third, Aymeric passed up another clear opportunity from Oleksandr Zinchenko's cross. Phil Foden made it 3-1 after 53 minutes, only for Vinicius Junior to hit back again two minutes later. Here are three thoughts on the game.

Manchester City meets Real Madrid Tuesday in the first of two Champions League semifinal first legs this week, with Liverpool and Villareal locking up on ...

The Scottish has just one European title to its name (the 1972 Cup Winners’ Cup) and last approached glory in this tournament 14 years ago, when it lost to Zenit Saint Petersburg in the final of what was then known as the UEFA Cup. Despite being such a young franchise, this is RB Leipzig’s second semifinal appearance in a major European competition, having advanced to the final four of the Champions League in 2020. Thursday, 3 p.m. Eintracht Frankfurt has a minus-two goal differential and sits in ninth place in the Bundesliga, but has won four of its last five road Europa League games this year, and tied the other. Thursday, 3 p.m. Liverpool is one of three six-time winners of Europe’s top club competition, last taking the Champions League in 2019, and is a heavy favorite here against a Villareal side that sits only seventh in the La Liga standings. City and Real Madrid, who both lead their respective domestic leagues, met in the Champions League round of 16 two years ago, with the Premier League team winning both legs by identical 2-1 scores.

UEFA plans to give two Champions League places to teams that didn't qualify based on their historic record in Europe when the tournament expands to 36 teams ...

“We are just a small club, a middle-class club in Germany, and we are not the voice of all the European clubs,” Hellman said. We could give the other middle-class clubs a voice and organizing an initiative with some other clubs, and that’s something we are working on.” “If you’re participating in the Champions League, your coefficient gets higher and higher and the shop is more closed,” Hellman said in a video call on Monday. “So I do not believe that should be the right requirement to participate in the European competitions.

Villarreal boss Unai Emery said his team deserve to be in the semifinals of the Champions League ahead of Wednesday's clash with Liverpool.

"Anfield is special and the atmosphere is impressive, incredible," Villarreal midfielder Dani Parejo said. "I recognise the work done and the identity created by Klopp, which has since been further improved. "It's not by chance that we are here," Villarreal midfielder Dani Parejo said. "Any side that is in a Champions League semifinal is there because they deserve to be. They are the number one favourites to win this competition. They will feel like favourites, of course, but will have respect for us."

The stars are out at the Etihad, where the Premier League leader and La Liga leader go head-to-head with a place in the Champions League final the endgame.

Then, City held on for a scrappy 1–0 aggregate win over Atlético Madrid in the quarterfinal. However, Real Madrid eliminated City in the 2016 semifinals on a tight 1–0 aggregate en route to its first of three straight Champions League titles. Then, in the quarterfinals, Real eliminated defending champion Chelsea in extra time after blowing a 3–1 aggregate lead.

The Blues have reached only their third Champions League semi-final, with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, and Atletico Madrid already beaten ...

As expected, Pep Guardiola explained in yesterday's pre-match press conference that Kyle Walker and John Stones had not trained with the rest of the City squad and were major doubts for the clash. Manchester City Diego Simeone's La Liga champions were beaten in the quarter-finals, with Kevin De Bruyne's lone goal at the Etihad enough for City to earn progression.

MLS has ambitions of being among the best in the world, but that can't happen until it can best the league in the country it shares a border with.

There needs to be a prolonged period of MLS-over-Liga MX success at all stages of the competition, not just in the final, before MLS would have any claim to CONCACAF superiority. (However, the revamped Leagues Cup, set to begin in 2023, has intriguing potential). If MLS is able to usurp Liga MX atop a theoretical CONCACAF "power ranking" of leagues, it would a represent one of the most important milestones in league history. In many ways, the Sounders would be a fitting club to break the seal for MLS. They have long been one of the league's standard bearers, a club that has showcased the potential of what MLS can be. Since the format of the competition changed, and it was rebranded from the Champions Cup to the Champions League in 2008-09, only four MLS teams prior to Seattle reached the final: Real Salt Lake, 2010-11; CF Montreal, 2014-15; Toronto FC, 2018; LAFC, 2020. However, the most important layer of validation for MLS has remained elusive: a CONCACAF Champions League winner. Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber's long-held aspiration for the league to grow into one of the best in the world has always felt more like a bit than a worthwhile pursuit.

Kevin De Bruyne's superb header has given Manchester City an early lead in this Champions League semi-final first leg.Manchester City: Ederson; Stones, ...

The bookmaker's odds suggest that Manchester City and Liverpool are likely to be the two teams contesting the Champions League final. Manchester City have made four changes from their demolition of Watford at the weekend. As talk rages on about where Mahrez will be playing his football next season, he has been given the trust of his manager this evening. This evening's clash has all the hallmarks of a classic Champions League clash. Success is what every footballer craves as a youngster and then when they get their break at the top level. It is unlikely the England regular would have got a look in had Cancelo not been suspended but such is the scenario that he and Guardiola find themselves in. Rematch.— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 26, 2022 We are just 20 minutes away from kick off in the first of the two Champions League semi finals. We are just moments away from kick off in Manchester as the two teams make their way out onto the Etihad pitch. That is exactly what Guardiola would have wanted as Mahrez clips a perfect cross into the Real Madrid penalty area where De Bruyne is on hand to bravely nod beyond Thibaut Courtois. Although, they do seem relatively happy to let City control the ball in rather ineffective areas. City have doubled their lead and De Bruyne is once again at the heart of it.

Join Matt Furniss and Graham Bell as they look forward with UEFA Champions League preview to the semi-final first-leg between Manchester City and Real ...

Carlo Ancelotti believes Real Madrid's record of 13 European Cup wins is a “positive burden” for his players as they face Manchester City in the Champions ...

Normally, if Real Madrid get to the final, there is more of a possibility to win it.” “I think the history that Real Madrid has in this competition counts for a lot, more for us than opponents,” Ancelotti said. Real last won the competition in 2018, sealing a third consecutive triumph, while Ancelotti was the head coach who guided the club to their 10th success in 2014.

The quarterfinal round saw reigning champions Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid and Benfica eliminated from the competition, as the field was cut down ...

Manchester City’s own Raheem Sterling secured a total of three goals in the Champions League. Manchester City are the favorite to win against Real Madrid in the semifinals, and also make it to the finals. He scores an average of 1.11 goals every 90 minutes with 32 total goals so far this season, 13 of those being in the UEFA Champions League. Chelsea did come back to claim victory in the second leg at 3-2, but it wasn’t enough for them to advance. Manchester City’s 1-0 victory occurred in the first leg while their second matchup with Atlético Madrid resulted in a tie of 0-0. The second leg of the quarterfinals ended in a tie, 3-3, so Benfica said their goodbyes.

A Spanish team's run to the semifinals offers a template for how teams can thrive by turning the impatience of Europe's giants against them.

It demonstrates that it is possible to grow strong on the scraps from the feast, to thrive in soccer’s increasingly Anglocentric ecosystem, by remembering that the appeal of a product depends on its use. Villarreal has long nurtured connections in South America in general and in Argentina in particular: When it last reached a Champions League semifinal, in 2006, it was with a team stocked with Boca Juniors alumni. Villarreal, on the other hand, does not feel like a vision of what is to come. “So they created a cleaning product made with vinegar,” Miguel Blanco, a business economics professor at King Juan Carlos University, once told a business journal from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mercadona, like Villarreal, understands that the appeal of a product depends on how it is used. There is Vicente Iborra, a 34-year-old midfielder who struggled to make an impact at Leicester City, and Pervis Estupiñán, the young Ecuadorean left back who noodled around the great Watford loan factory for a while. But both contained trace elements of lightning strikes, too: difficult — if not impossible — to repeat or replicate. These are held at 10 stores around Spain, and each is devoted to a particular strand of the business: pet care, for example, or snacks or personal hygiene. Those familiar with Villarreal’s strategy say that is not a deliberate policy. To ensure the company is meeting their needs, Mercadona, every so often, invites a selection of its most reliable customers to take part in a testing laboratory. There has, instead, been a degree of opportunism. It was in Monaco’s run past Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund that Kylian Mbappé, Bernardo Silva and Fabinho first pierced the sport’s broader consciousness. Fernando Roig, Villarreal’s president and benefactor, has a minority stake in Mercadona, Spain’s largest retail chain, but it is his brother, Juan, the majority shareholder, who is credited with turning the latter into a staple case study for business schools around the world.

Raheem Sterling claims Manchester City are 'focussed' on the Champions League because it is the one trophy the club have yet to win.

I always help the team, if I can get records even better," the winger said. As ever, Sterling was humble in his response, pointing out that he just takes games one at a time. He continued, "It's a special competition, every young player wants to be here.

Villarreal are thriving against Europe's elite with sights set on Champions League glory. Can they crack Liverpool next in semifinal bid?

Yet he's the one, in the Yellow Submarine's words, ensuring that 'everyone of us, has all we need' for a Champions League semifinal against the six-time competition winners. He was told on arrival that his negative test hadn't been produced early enough to allow him access to the stadium where his team were on the verge of history. Then we have optimistic expectations but based on a lot of work." Win, lose, draw -- Emery immediately sensed that there was urgency, ambition and grit about the Yellow Submarine project. Villarreal were on a promotion mission that, by 1967, would see them wriggle their way back into the third division, and there's a lovely faded black-and-white photo of a fan banner held up by first-team players on the day which reads: "The Yellow Submarine is Advancing At Full Steam." Emery, a Basque-born footballer of workmanlike ability, is a good witness to what his boss has achieved. I experienced the final by myself because my kids were in Poland, my brother was in Poland; everyone was in Poland. I watched more or less alone because my wife finds it very tense. There's a presumption that because the club have only become world-known over the last sixteen or so years the nickname is a modern creation. Relegation, from which the club bounced back with rubber-ball speed, was the most painful experience for him across this magical quarter-century. But 2006, the last time the Yellow Submarine reached the Champions League semifinal, was the more brutally iconic image. Like his brother and sister-in-law, he is a billionaire. On the day when the Beatles' publicity machine for their Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby release went into overdrive, Villarreal were in Spanish football's fifth tier.

The Champions League is down to four clubs, two from the Premier League and two from La Liga. Manchester City, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Villarreal will battle ...

Then there's West Ham, who cannot reach the Champions League places in England, so their only route to the Champions League is by winning the Europa League (and look how well that path has worked out for Villarreal!). They're facing a Frankfurt team that sits in ninth place in Germany with a goal differential of -2. While they've played well in the Europa League, they're not likely to provide much of a threat to the Hammers in London. Pick: West Ham and RB Leipzig to win (+156) Rangers getting this far in the competition is a credit to them, but they aren't in the same league as Leipzig, and I can't imagine they'll go to Germany and come away with a result. I see the value on a parlay of the likely winners. Villarreal are a great story and an excellent example of what a club can accomplish when the entire organization is in line and follows a vision. Villarreal's problem is that Liverpool are a club very much in the same mold, but with more money and much better players. After all, Liverpool did allow four goals in two matches against Benfica and have allowed at least one goal in seven of their 10 Champions League matches this season. Like the last round against Chelsea, I want to take the over, but I fear what Carlo Ancelloti did in the Round of 16 against PSG. He sent Real Madrid out there and had them playing like Sean Dyche's Burnley squad. The good news is Villarreal are strong enough in attack that I believe they can get at least one goal of their own more often than not. In other words, a pragmatic approach against City might not work out nearly as well as Ancelloti hopes, so I'm betting on City finding the back of the net at least twice. I can't guarantee anything, but I have a pretty good idea of what to expect. The Champions League semifinals begin this week, and while Manchester City and Liverpool are the heavy favorites to move on and give us an all-England final, Real Madrid has been written off a few times in this tournament already, and it's still here.

Los Blancos are runaway winners in La Liga, but their expected goal differential is second-best in Spain and suggests that Real Madrid is a bit fortunate to ...

Madrid’s best path to success in this fixture is to sit back and allow City the lion’s share of possession. Los Blancos are runaway winners in La Liga, but their expected goal differential is second-best in Spain and suggests that Real Madrid is a bit fortunate to have such a big cushion over Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. Manchester City and Real Madrid begin their two-leg Champions League semifinal on Tuesday afternoon.

Madrid have again defied rational explanation through incredible rollercoaster victories in the Champions League against PSG and Chelsea.

It is very possible that we will win the Champions League again this year, not just for the quality of the players, but their spirit, their competitiveness, and the confidence with which they have been playing in recent games.” “I remember training in the stadium the night before and getting used to the environment around the place before it. It is difficult for all the teams in the Champions League to have the same confidence level for the whole game. The Italian’s substitutions in the second legs against PSG and Chelsea this year helped his team through both ties, with the surprise decision to replace the control of Kroos with the energy of 19-year-old Eduardo Camavinga against Chelsea working spectacularly well. “It was a fantastic team, fantastic players — and the final was at the Bernabeu. That was a big pressure. “Madrid have a lot of maturity now — they have a good mix between older and younger players,” Puel says. That is why Real Madrid players have to be very well prepared, not just in a football sense, but mentally.” “The current Real Madrid team is a historic team – winning many trophies, three consecutive Champions Leagues,” he says. The idea that “90 minutes at the Bernabeu is very long”, first coined by Madrid forward Juanito in the 1980s, also became part of club folklore. That is why we have won more trophies than any other team, and are the best club in the history of football.” It is an incredible symbiosis of the fans with the players and with the club, to transform yourselves in this competition, from European Cup to Champions League, to make history.” “Those of us who have played at Real Madrid always know that this is a complicated club, very difficult to play for,” Mijatovic says.

The critics say this must be the year Manchester City win the Champions League. The predictor says it's the most likely outcome with Liverpool not far ...

Their opponents shouldn’t expect the same. What that seems to be doing is giving their attackers some space on the occasion that they are attacking. Villarreal seem to know what they’re doing at this stage of knockout tournaments. One step at a time, and the Reds are at 85% to be playing at the Stade de France on 28 May. Unai Emery’s side held Bayern to 0.07 xG per shot over 180 minutes, while Julian Nagelsmann’s side settled for plenty of low-quality opportunities: They’ve had six or fewer high turnovers three times in the Champions League this season. They’ve had 10 or more in the remaining seven. Real Madrid have scored a goal from a high turnover in three straight games. Pep Guardiola’s side have allowed 24 shots on target in the entire competition. But the two Spanish teams they’ll face have just eliminated the last two European champions in Chelsea and Bayern Munich. It should be said their group contained an attacking-mad RB Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain, but the recent form is nonetheless encouraging. Sixteen of them only played six games.

The Champions League knockout phase has become a machine for generating stunning comebacks, as Barca's historic result redefined what is possible.

But that astonishing result at Camp Nou in 2017 accelerated the trend, to the point where we are now not as surprised by such events as we once were. Results were already trending toward more comebacks in the years immediately before Barca's Remontada, with five two-goal deficits overturned in the previous four seasons alone. And just last month, almost exactly five years to the day since Barca's heroics, Real Madrid staged their own Remontada against PSG as Karim Benzema's second-half hat trick saw the 13-time champions progress against all odds. But still, even then, habitual comeback victims PSG managed to get their own taste of a European reversal by beating Dortmund 2-0 in Paris to win their tie 3-2 in one of the last matches played before football across the continent ground to a halt. PSG itself and Borussia Dortmund's 4-0 win over Benfica after losing the first leg 1-0, which was happening at the very same time as history was being made in Catalonia, that's still 12 comebacks at a rate of 2.4 a year. PSG, when a Monaco side featuring Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Fabinho and Thomas Lemar overcame Manchester City 3-1, having lost 5-3 at the Etihad. In the past five years, it's happened three times, with Barca twice finding themselves on the receiving end after their amazing comeback. But it also proved that, when it comes to the Champions League, anything can happen. Given what has happened in the competition since, you wouldn't bet against one of this season's semifinalists staging a miraculous comeback of their own if required. Barca came into the second leg of their round-of-16 tie vs. This, after all, is a team that got knocked out of the Europa League the other week. When the Champions League semifinals begin this week, with Manchester City hosting Real Madrid on Tuesday and Villarreal travelling to Liverpool the following night, none of those clubs are likely to be taking inspiration from Barcelona. And why would they?

Latest updates from the Man City versus Real Madrid semi-final first leg taking place at Etihad Stadium in England.

Man City 2-0 Real Madrid Man City 2-0 Real Madrid Man City 2-0 Real Madrid Man City 2-1 Real Madrid Man City 2-0 Real Madrid Man City 2-1 Real Madrid Man City 2-1 Real Madrid Man City 2-1 Real Madrid Man City 2-1 Real Madrid Man City 2-1 Real Madrid Man City 2-1 Real Madrid Man City 2-1 Real Madrid

As the semifinals begin, is English club success inevitable?

A defense that may have only Craig Dawson as a fit center back will be tested but this is a team that has stood firm at both ends of the pitch in Europe. With the London Stadium at their backs they could well do enough to take control of the tie this week and book their passage back to Seville, where their knockout stage journey began. But, there is something to be said for the remorseless momentum that has gripped this club, where everything is being funneled into their pursuit of continental silverware. if their manager is ready to abandon the possession play he has gravitated to of late. Certainly that's no great surprise in the case of the Champions League where Liverpool and Manchester City have been strides ahead of the field for some time now. Here's one that has been sizzling away in the background for a while, not ready to be unleashed on the world until Barcelona crashed out of the Europa League. Now is the time to boldly declare this bit of Premier League exceptionalism. But, it was in that first half of the second leg that Villarreal seemed to conclude that they would win this tie, their belief not repressed even by Robert Lewandowski's goal. Flip the script of recent Villarreal games and if Klopp needs to tighten things up, he tends to have a top tier midfielder with fresh legs on the bench. Almost certainly not is the answer, an unfortunate one for those of a Villarreal persuasion or indeed those who just want to see a bit of spice in the latter stages of the Champions League. Then again one could have written the exact same thing throughout this competition. Across their Champions League games so far Villarreal have given up 4.85 expected goals and two actual goals in the first half as opposed to 9.73 and nine in the second. As the Belgian has hit top gear in recent weeks he has had something of another Manchester City great to his game. At full pelt Walker should be able to tame the Brazilian. If City do not have their best covering defender at that sort of level, then it might be Vinicius rather than Benzema who does the damage. Real Madrid have not gotten this far because they have been the clearly better team across the entirety of two legs in the previous rounds.

It will be Liverpool and Villarreal on Wednesday in the other semifinal. Tuesday's clash at the Etihad features a club in Real that have won the tournament 13 ...

Match prediction: Manchester City 2, Real Madrid 1. His technical ability and speed should give the Real Madrid center-backs some serious trouble. I'll go with the guy who has to be on for Real to advance. He's had back-to-back hat tricks in the knockout stage and is playing out of his mind. Benzema, 34, is having far and away the best season of his career. It will be Liverpool and Villarreal on Wednesday in the other semifinal.

Both clubs' tendencies were on full display, leading to a seven-goal thriller and an open-ended set of potential outcomes entering the second leg.

We performed really well the first one, you have to do it the second one. Pep Guardiola had reacted with fury to the Mahrez miss, largely because he went for goal when he could have squared it to Foden who would have had an open goal, but that response showed that he knew the game was not won at 2–0, no matter how dominant City seemed. It missed opportunity after opportunity, although it won the shot count only 16–11 and the shots-on-target count only 6–5. Not for the first time in a big game in Guardiola’s career, it felt like an opportunity had been wasted; both league games against Liverpool this season went the same way. When it took on a more natural shape, City looked like much the better side. And that it lost only 4–3 to a Manchester City that threatened at times to outclass it said much for its remarkable stickability. Madrid for long spells simply couldn’t get out, while every turnover threatened to become an opportunity for the hosts.

Based on Tuesday's evidence, scoring at least once at Santiago Bernabeu is not beyond Real Madrid. They countered an onslaught from Manchester City ...

The Brazil international remains a key piece for Los Blancos, and at least two of City's goals could have been avoided with his vigilance. The balance that he brings to Real's midfield is inimitable and his presence would certainly have helped to avoid the quickfire efforts which arguably cost the Spanish giants this game, but not the overall tie. Bernardo Silva spectacularly re-established the two-goal cushion entering the final quarter of an hour and then Benzema cut the deficit again from the penalty spot with a sublime panenka. Based on Tuesday's evidence, scoring at least once at Santiago Bernabeu is not beyond Real Madrid. They countered an onslaught from Manchester City impressively to emerge just one goal down after a breathless 4-3 first leg. Real looked a shambles at that point. City go to Madrid a goal to the good in the UEFA Champions League semifinals after a wild opener at Etihad Stadium and it could easily have been over before it even started.

Nick Hennion of The Action Network provides a preview + best bet for Wednesday's Champions League semifinal between Liverpool and Villarreal.

Add in Liverpool’s defensive numbers in the Champions League and I don’t believe Villarreal are capable of grabbing more than a single goal. Plus, for as strong as Liverpool’s attack has played in the Champions League, I would expect some tired legs here. At the same time, though, Villarreal’s attack has proven somewhat reliable of late. The 2019 UCL winners have created 19.5 expected goals through 10 fixtures, the second-highest mark amongst the four semi-finalists. That came in the second leg against Benfica with the tie virtually wrapped up. Hosts Liverpool, which knocked out Benfica in the quarterfinals, are sizable favorites for the opener.

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City just couldn't shake off Real Madrid. In a wild Champions League match that resembled a basketball game at times, ...

Benzema now has 41 goals in all competitions in the most prolific season of his career. “It is a defeat,” Ancelotti said, “that leaves us alive in the second leg.” “Madrid is just Madrid," Guardiola said. Benzema had the final say, however, like he has so many times in this season's competition, and Madrid has renewed belief of reaching a first final since 2018. With Madrid fielding a ball-playing midfield — of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde — that lacked the bite of injured Casemiro, City cut through the visitors at will and should have been further clear before Benzema steered a volley in off the post from Ferland Mendy's cross in the 33rd. But he surely knows City should be out of sight and already preparing for a second straight appearance in the final and the chance to avenge last year's loss to Chelsea.

Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva were on target for Pep Guardiola's men, who should have scored many more. But Karim Benzema's ...

Benzema was the coolest man in the stadium as he chipped the spot-kick down the middle to leave the tie on a knife-edge headed back to the Spanish capital. Again City failed to put the tie to bed as Mahrez was inches away from finding the far corner from the narrowest of angles. But his decision to break from the mould of the past two seasons and play Jesus as a central striker was inspired as the Brazilian ran the Real defence ragged.

The Champions League semifinals have begun and the first leg started with Manchester City and Real Madrid. Here's a rundown of what happened during the ...

Goal number two was not far behind. At the start of the second half, Real Madrid lost possession within the first few minutes allowing Phil Foden to score yet another for Manchester, upping the score to 3-1. Oh, but that’s not all. De Bruyne has once again proved his relentless rigor, making this his seventh goal during his Champions League glory. Jesus has now scored in each of his three games for Manchester against Real Madrid in the Champions League. His first two goals were in the 2020 Round of 16 and now his success has poured into the 2022 semifinals. The first was during the Round of 16 match with Real Madrid in 2020, next was during the 2020 quarterfinals against Lyon and then in 2021 during the Round of 16 against Gladbach. Then came his goal during the 2021 quarterfinals against Dortmund, the 2021 Semifinals against Paris and the 2022 quarterfinals against Atlético. And now the 2022 semifinals.

Manchester City had its way with Real Madrid — sort of. In the game's aftermath, it was hard to shake the feeling that things had gone the other way.

After one of the greatest of Champions League semi-final clashes, Manchester City will take a 4-3 lead into the second leg of their tie against Real Madrid ...

But we take three goals to the Bernabeu. We now hope to get to the final." "As a football fan, it was a fantastic game of football. Yet again City found a way through. Unfortunately we conceded goals and we could not score more. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

The Champions League semifinals have begun and the first leg started with Manchester City and Real Madrid. Heres a rundown of what happened during the ...

The two teams came out fighting but Manchester took home the win after defeating Real Madrid 4-3. Goal number two was not far behind. Oh, but that’s not all. De Bruyne has once again proved his relentless rigor, making this his seventh goal during his Champions League glory. The first was during the Round of 16 match with Real Madrid in 2020, next was during the 2020 quarterfinals against Lyon and then in 2021 during the Round of 16 against Gladbach. Then came his goal during the 2021 quarterfinals against Dortmund, the 2021 Semifinals against Paris and the 2022 quarterfinals against Atlético. And now the 2022 semifinals. Arguably the best team in the world, Manchester City, took on Real Madrid in the first game of the first leg of the semifinals.

Brandt Sutton locked in his Champions League picks and best bets for Villarreal vs. Liverpool on Wednesday, April 27.

- Liverpool vs. Sutton has analyzed the Liverpool vs. Liverpool has allowed a total of eight goals during its unbeaten streak, which consists of eight wins and a pair of draws. Arnaut Danjuma scored both goals in that win and also netted the lone tally on April 6 in a 1-0 triumph versus Bayern. Here are the betting lines and trends for Villarreal vs. Villarreal odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Villarreal is the +850 underdog, a draw is listed at +420 and the over-under for total goals scored is 2.5. Before you lock in any Villarreal vs.

Arnaut Danjuma has been a star of Villarreal's run to the UCL semis. He talks to ESPN about his career and returning to England to face Liverpool.

"I want to play against the best to prove myself and test myself against the best. It was a privilege to play there and always special to come back." As a forward, it is so great to have a high defensive line behind you because it keeps you high up the pitch." It is the best league, and you want to compete there. It made me more mature, I developed a lot and it took me to where I am right now. Juventus are one of the best defensive teams in the world, while Bayern have some of the best forwards in the world and play very attacking football. "I watch everything," he tells ESPN. "I am a fan to start with and because I want to become one of the best in the world, watching a lot of football will improve my skills. "Maybe the rest of the world didn't expect us to get this far, but we have always been confident," Danjuma said. The "Yellow Submarine" will have the same mindset they had against Juventus and Bayern Munich in the two previous rounds. They finished second in a group with Manchester United, Young Boys and Atalanta, charging their way to the semifinals with huge victories away at Atalanta to qualify for the last-16, in Turin against Juventus to book their place in the quarterfinals, and at home against Bayern to defy all the odds over the two legs, eliminating the Bundesliga champions 2-1 on aggregate. We should keep doing what we have been doing and believe in our own strategy." It's also about football intelligence and the amount of work you put in outside of the pitch.

"We have to do a magical thing," said Karim Benzema after Real Madrid performed another Houdini act in the Champions League to escape only 4-3 down from ...

This time it took just 10 minutes for Madrid to be clinging on to stay in the tie. Once again it was left to Benzema to dig Los Blancos out of the mire by halving the deficit before half-time. It was the first time the City fans had something to cheer in a semi-final. Had City not successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, they would have been banned from the Champions League for the past two seasons. By contrast, this was just City's third trip to the semi-finals, but the English champions justified their status as tournament favourites on the night the Etihad Stadium may finally have warmed to the Champions League. Benzema set up what should be a special night at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 4 by scoring twice to take his tally for the season to 41 goals in as many games.

Manchester City earned a dramatic 4-3 win over Real Madrid on Tuesday at Etihad Stadium in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal matchup.

City's Phil Foden scored a header in the opening minutes of the second to restore his club's two-goal advantage. De Bruyne scored a header inside two minutes to give City an early 1-0 lead in the match. Kevin De Bruyne quickly put City ahead and the Premier League club never looked back in the thrilling seven-goal affair.

Soccer's elite teams have all trended towards all-out attack, but the Champions League has shown that elite defensive play is every bit as awesome.

Many fans -- perhaps even Atléti and Villarreal's own supporters -- would prefer to see these defensive sides break out of their shells and show a little bravery, but if every team plays the same style of football and the game becomes tactically homogeneous, we're left with something that's frankly not interesting, and loses its value as an entertainment product. Real Madrid, a matchup between two teams who wouldn't know how to sit back in a bunker in the unlikely event it was demanded of them, was a back-and-forth thriller with multiple goals for both sides in Tuesday's first leg at the Etihad. But it's just as intriguing to see Liverpool, a team that thrives on attacking quickly into open spaces, have to contend with a Villarreal team that's proven they can stifle Europe's best with their low defensive block. Everton was kind enough to give the Reds a test run in Sunday's Merseyside Derby, keeping Liverpool off the scoreboard (and with zero shots on target) until the 62nd minute by defending with all 11 men deep in their own half, but ultimately falling 2-0. And the style of play used by Villarreal boss Unai Emery in the quarterfinal maximized the talent of the players he had available. In midfielder Dani Parejo, Villarreal has a player who does not have the athletic qualities to succeed in a transitional game against a team of Bayern's quality, though he does have the passing ability to create dangerous attacks from a very small number of opportunities -- among central midfielders, he's in the 97th percentile for Expected Assists in Europe's top 5 leagues. A similar pair of matches played out between Villarreal and Bayern Munich, but with a bit more precision on the counter for the underdogs, which produced an even better result. Atlético Madrid, the one side that's consistently bucked all these tactical trends under manager Diego Simeone, opted to camp all 11 of its players within 30 yards of its own goal in the first leg of its tie against Manchester City. Phil Foden got City on the board once, but Atléti persisted with its tactics in the first half of the second leg, albeit with a bit more ambition on the counterattack. Liverpool match which team was managed by an innovator in how to play without the ball and which was managed by an innovator in how to play with it. But this has come at the expense of tactical variety, and there are very few true clashes of styles at the top level of the game. The quality that mid-budget teams in top leagues can display using this style is extremely impressive -- Serie A's Atalanta and Real Betis in LaLiga come most readily to mind -- and there are more teams than ever before that play in a way that is popularly referred to as "good football." If their quarterfinal performance against Bayern Munich is anything to go by, Villarreal is likely to set up in an extremely defensive system with all of their players close to their own penalty area and their opponents Liverpool will enjoy the vast majority of possession while trying to break down the "Yellow Submarine." Not all defensive football is anti-football, and Villarreal is adding a refreshing bit of diversity to a competition that doesn't feature as many different tactical styles as it once did.

While the other select few teams at their level prefer a patterned, tactical game, Madrid live for chaos. And it's their uncanny ability to drag opponents down ...

Presses are supposed to be compact and orderly, with players stepping forward together: when one leaves a line to close down, another fills the hole from behind, so that defenders only ever have to chase the ball forward (for them), toward the opponent’s goal. That’s how they got on the scoresheet half an hour in: a Thibaut Courtois long ball led to Vinicius chasing a back pass to Ederson, which led to another long pass from the City keeper, a second ball, some unpredictable 50-50s, and finally, a loose ball falling to Ferland Mendy, who picked out Karim Benzema for an incredible side-volley that felt totally accidental and also pretty much exactly how Ancelotti would have liked to draw it up. Knowing he couldn’t beat Vinicius in a footrace, Fernandinho looked to cut out the service to him instead. Madrid had been battered, outplayed, and demolished on the defensive end, but everyone expected that. Madrid forced the style with long balls to their dribbling wingers and hyper-aggressive pressing behind City’s back line every time they went backwards to Ederson to try to reset and calm things down. They don’t want to break forward when they don’t have numbers. Oleksandr Zinchenko had been doing his best Joao Cancelo impression, coming into the left half-space to orchestrate City’s possession from the full-back position and leaving Rodrygo alone behind him. The same pressing instincts and haphazard man-marking that led to City’s second goal also earned Madrid their first. On the other hand, here are some questions that might be harder to agree on: What the hell does any of that mean? But that would have meant playing an organised game, and Ancelotti didn’t think his side could win that war of attrition. While the other select few teams at their level prefer a patterned, tactical game, Madrid live for chaos. Here are some sentiments that are probably pretty easy to agree on: Real Madrid thrive on brilliant individual play.

It was a match which will be remembered as a Champions League classic. There were seven goals, one an outrageous penalty, plenty of chances and outstanding ...

Unfortunately we conceded goals and we could not score more. "As a manager of Madrid, I have to take into consideration that we ... conceded two goals very early. Kevin De Bruyne's superb diving header gave City the lead after just 94 seconds. "It was a fantastic game for both sides. It was a fitting way to end a special night. "As a football fan, it was a fantastic game of football," Real manager Carlo Ancelotti told reporters.

It is easy to see a clash between Manchester City and Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinal as the ultimate contrast of footballing cultures: If ...

It was a reminder that, regardless of the advanced technology with which you try to beat them, Real Madrid will always be there by the roadside, ready to block your path to European glory: this week, next week, and for years beyond. If an opposing midfield is not playing well, then Modric will scamper gladly about at the edge of the opposition’s area, playing a series of sharp and smart diagonal passes to his wingers, looking dominant and carefree. Judging by the body language of Manchester City’s players at the final whistle, several of whom trudged from the field as if they had been dealt a defeat, Benzema was successful. The second goal is the one that, despite City’s outstanding attacking football, will claim the bulk of the attention: a Panenka, the epitome of footballing guts, a penalty floated directly into the middle of the goal while City goalkeeper Ederson flailed helplessly beneath it. It is easy to see a clash between Manchester City and Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinal as the ultimate contrast of footballing cultures: If City are the brash young upstart of European football, then Madrid are its landed gentry. Historians might see this as a reductive reading of the situation—as a club, City were actually founded several years before Madrid, but in terms of prestige, the Mancunians are still playing catch-up.

The UEFA Champions League is back this midweek with the first legs of the semifinals and Villarreal CF are aiming to extend their fairytale run against ...

The Spain international is one to keep a close eye on as this first leg unfolds. The 30-year-old is a hot favorite to tally again here given his penchant for providing goals in the biggest fixtures, as we have seen recently against Manchester City, Manchester United and Benfica. El Submarino Amarillo are not considered favorites for a reason, though, and that is because they are up against Jurgen Klopp's Premier League powerhouse and our panel very much expects this one to go the Reds' way. Match prediction: Liverpool 1, Villarreal 0. was man of the match against Bayern Munich despite Robert Lewandowski scoring. The UEFA Champions League is back this midweek with the first legs of the semifinals and Villarreal CF are aiming to extend their fairytale run against Liverpool on Wednesday. Unai Emery's unfancied Spanish outfit travel to Anfield for the opening leg and will be aiming to repeat strong showings on the road against Bayern Munich and Juventus which have earned them a deserved final four berth.

Manchester City edged Real Madrid in an entertaining 4-3 win for Pep Guardiola's men in the first-leg of their Champions League semi-final tie at the Etihad ...

He epitomises the modern day number six, winning back the ball and offloading it to the creative midfielders or even playing through some balls himself. A midfield three of Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne has been a regular occurrence for City this season and rightly so. Onto the first negative point and without a surprise, it is regarding the infuriating number of chances that weren’t taken or went to waste. The Belgian then went on to dictate much of City’s play, adding an assist for Jesus too. Many expected him to score, but certainly not in the fashion he did. The tie kicked off in style with two goals scored in just 11 minutes.

Liverpool welcomes Villarreal to Anfield Wednesday for the first leg of its UEFA Champions League semifinal matchup. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET.

The same can be said of the home side as Liverpool has allowed .67 goals per game in league play. It sits second in the EPL, having scored the most goals (85) and allowed the second-fewest (22). Typically, I then look at the "both teams to score" odds, and you can get both teams to not score at -135, a price I don't find much value in. Villarreal +750 (bet $100 to win $750) Villarreal odds and lines, and make our best Champions League bets, picks and predictions. Villarreal sits 7th on the La Liga table and is led by its defense which allows just .94 goals per game.

Liverpool host Villarreal in the second of this season's Champions League semi-final first legs. It will be some feat to live up to the drama of last night, ...

They are also the reigning Europa League champions, beating Manchester United 11-10 on penalties in last season’s final. Above all, we’re going to live it.” Emery continued: “We have to analyse, prepare, produce the best version of ourselves, let the wave carry us. The Villarreal manager has set a high bar for his players ahead of Wednesday's game. GO FURTHER GO FURTHER GO FURTHER GO FURTHER So, it was a nice little kickback to win the Europa League against them. GO FURTHER GO FURTHER Liverpool host Villarreal in the second of this season's Champions League semi-final first legs.