The semifinal draw for the UEFA Champions League and Europa League should yield some great final matchups regardless of who advances. It can also include the possibility of something we have never seen, one country with all four final spots among the two competitions.
On the Champions League side, Manchester City will square off against Real Madrid whereas Atletico Madrid play Bayern Munich. This sets up a possible Madrid Derby final, which also took place in 2014 when Real won 4-1 in extra time. Surely, the favorites have to be Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but any of the four teams have a chance to go to the final. The Soccer Power Index seems to go with a Bayern/Real final as both are favorites to advance.
The UEFA Champions League semifinals are set: Man City-Real Madrid & Atlético-Bayern. pic.twitter.com/KtgfNRWuve
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 15, 2016
The Europa League draw was a bit more straightforward as Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk play Sevilla and Villarreal get drawn with Liverpool. Sevilla is trying to be the first team to three-peat in the Europa League. And after seeing Liverpool comeback against Borussia Dortmund, many are expecting a Sevilla/Liverpool final, even if the Soccer Power Index may not agree with that. The SPI predicts an all-Spanish final between Sevilla and Villarreal.
Soccer Power Index projections for the Europa League semis and final. Two-time defending champ Sevilla the favorite: pic.twitter.com/xnvNIEyHIb — Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) April 15, 2016
Now that the draw has concluded, teams have a little less than two weeks to prepare for the two semifinal legs. It certainly looks like it’ll be an unpredictable and entertaining four matchups to see who heads to Milan for the Champions League Final and Basel for the Europa League Final.
