On Friday morning, the last Champions League draw of the season took place in Nyon, Switzerland to determine the semi-final matchups and gave us some very entertaining fixtures: Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid and Monaco vs Juventus. As football fans, we are all one step closer to finding out which teams will play for Europe’s most lucrative trophy on June 3rd in Cardiff. Will the Champions League Final be played between:
Real Madrid - Monaco
Real Madrid - Juventus
Atletico Madrid - Monaco
Atletico Madrid - Juventus
We’ll know in a few weeks time, but how do these teams match up? Let’s find out.
Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid
For the fourth straight season, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid meet in the Champions League knockout stages. They’ve met twice in the Champions League Final and in the quarter-finals of the 2014/2015 edition. In all three previous occasions, Real Madrid was victorious.
Real Madrid look to become the first team to win two straight Champions Leagues since the competition was rebranded in the early 90s, while Atletico Madrid hope to finally bring home the only trophy that has eluded them for so many years. In terms of analyzing the squads, there really isn’t much to explain.
Atletico may not have the same quality players as Real Madrid, but they’re always a well organized side that’s hard to score goals on. In attack, they have arguably one of the five best players in the world in Antoine Griezmann, Saul has stepped up in midfield to score some crucial goals this season, Koke looks to have regained his old form and have been a pivotal figure in driving the midfield and both Yannick Carrasco and Kevin Gameiro have given the team additional goal providers.
There is also not much to explain when it comes to analyzing Real Madrid. We just saw how well they can play and the problems they can cause for other teams against Bayern Munich, especially in the Allianz Arena. In fact, Madrid hammered Atletico 0-3 in the Calderon in the first league encounter back in November.
Despite that result and Madrid’s great record against their local rival in the Champions League, it’s Atletico that’s had Real Madrid’s number in all Spanish competitions. Before that league win, Real Madrid hadn’t beaten Atletico since the 2012/2013 season. In that time, Atletico beat Madrid four times in La Liga, eliminated them from the 2014/2015 Copa del Rey, and won the 2014 Spanish Super Cup.
That being said, it’s Real Madrid with the psychological advantage in the Champions League. Real Madrid want to become the first team to win two straight Champions League titles, but all the pressure in this tie is on Atletico Madrid for three reasons:
Real Madrid have more chances of returning to the semifinals next season than Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid don’t need to worry about bragging rights since they already beat Atletico on three different occasions.
Atletico Madrid hate Real Madrid more than Real Madrid hate Atletico Madrid. Henceforth, the pain of losing is much greater for Atletico Madrid players and fans.
On paper, Real Madrid are the favorites in this series as a result of their squad and record against Atletico in the Champions League. However, once the game starts, it’ll be a war on the field and both sides will do everything they can to be in the final in Cardiff.
Favorites: Real Madrid
Monaco vs. Juventus
A rematch of the 2014/2015 Champions League quarter-finals: youth vs. experience. Juventus are no doubt the favorites, especially after their brilliant performance against Barcelona in the quarter-final, but don’t count out Monaco just yet.
Monaco may be a young team, but they are playing as well as any of the remaining three teams in the competitions. Falcao has found his old goal-scoring form, Mbappe has been outstanding for an 18-year old, Fabinho has been an attacking and defensive threat, and they have a great young manager whose name will surely start sounding for some of the top teams in the world this summer.
They eliminated Manchester City in style, beat Dortmund in Germany, and managed to control their emotions in the second leg and finish the tie off at home. They play a great style of football and are extremely dangerous on the counterattack.
However, it’s Juventus they are going up against. A side that just shutout Barcelona in two legs and haven’t conceded a goal in their last eight Champions League fixtures. They’re an experienced side that are defensively strong and have the firepower up top to score goals, such as Dybala, Higuain, and Mandzukic.
It’ll be interesting to see how Monaco manage to play against a team that is the best defensive and tactical side remaining in the competition. In addition, we don’t know how Juventus will approach the game. Will they pressure Monaco from the beginning or sit back to soak up the pressure take their chances on the counterattack? We’ll know soon enough.
Can Monaco really break through Juventus and pull the upset or will Juventus be playing their second Champions League Final in three season? Either way, it’ll be an exciting two legged series to watch.
Favorite: Juventus
The18 Recommends For You
