
The UEFA Champions League is down to its final four teams, who will kick off their semifinal ties this week as a spot in the May 31 final at Munich’s Allianz Arena feels within touching distance.
Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, fresh off winning their first trophies of the season, are still in the hunt to win the treble but face different obstacles on the way there. The French champions will begin their semifinal tie at Arsenal on Tuesday, facing the Gunners for their first Champions League semifinal in nearly 20 years. Barcelona, meanwhile, will host Inter on Wednesday in this week’s other first leg tie.
Both Arsenal and Inter will have plenty to play for, though – the Champions League is now the only title up for grabs for the Gunners this season, while Inter will balance the Champions League with a Serie A title race that might be slipping out of reach for them.
Check out our expert picks below.
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Here are our expert picks for this matchday:
Champions League quarterfinals
Matchup | James Benge | Roger Gonzalez | Francesco Porzio | Chuck Booth | Pardeep Cattry |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arsenal vs. PSG | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-2 |
Barcelona vs. Inter | 3-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 |
Arsenal vs. PSG
Player to watch: Declan Rice – Likely to move into a deeper midfield role given Thomas Partey’s suspension and Jorginho’s injury, will the hero of the quarterfinal be able to bring a more progressive type of performance to the Emirates Stadium? Arsenal are going to need someone who can impose themselves physically on PSG’s ultra technical midfield. In theory, Rice should be the perfect man for that. – James Benge
Man of the match: Gianluigi Donnarumma, PSG – The Italian goalkeeper has been impressive this season so far, in particular in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Aston Villa, where at least three crucial saves made the top four qualification possible for the team coached by Luis Enrique. The French giants need another performance of that level from their goalkeeper at the Emirates Stadium. – Francesco Porzio
Best bet: Both teams to score (-146) – This is more juice than I’d usually be comfortable with, but in a game that’s hard to break down between Arsenal and PSG, it’s best to rely on star attackers to get the job done. PSG will come in with additional fire after seeing their invincible league season go up in smoke, but with Arsenal’s strong defense, this is unlikely to be a high-scoring match. That doesn’t mean that both teams won’t score however, as PSG is just as likely to concede a goal as they are to score one. – Chuck Booth