….But not the final four most of us had predicted!
Yes Real Madrid rallied to beat an " in awe" Wolfsburg who failed to get the crucial away goal rule…….
And yes, despite stuttering at home Bayern showed their class in Lisbon to neutralise the gallant Benfica
But Manchester City buoyed by the return of De Bruyne stunned PSG to reach their first ever European Cup/UCL semi final
………and after having scored & still lost in multiple encounters with Barcelona this season, including in the ill tempered first leg at Nou Camp, Atletico Madrid stunned Barcelona with a a mere 30% possession & eliminated the faltering defending Champions.
In my view, Atletico Madrid must now be considered the favourites! They have proven over & over again in recent years that Simone has made them one of the best & hardest to beat teams in Europe.
They may be combative, rough & at times ill disciplined, and yes it is at times justified to criticise them as hard to watch & accuse them of parking the bus & defend nonstop.
But it is the quality of Atletico's players and the huge unifying influence of Diego Simeone which makes them irresistible & now the favourites.
In Oblak, Atletico probably have the most underrated & yet most consistant goalkeeper in Europe.
Their defence is marshalled by the incomparable Godin ably supported by the likes of Juan Fran & Filipe Luis
…….their holding midfield is as good as any Europe led by Gabi, and then upfront with the once again in form Griezmann (& Torres) supported by the likes of Koke, they can always be guaranteed to score goals.
I am nevertheless a hardcore life long Bayern fan & can't see Guardiolla losing in the semi finals of the Champions League to a third Spanish Club in 3 years.
Real Madrid on the other hand have many problems, and if they simply rely on Ronaldo & their home support, this once again flowing Manchester City side can & will surprise them the same way they dispersed of the favourites PSG. Nevertheless,
Real will have a huge advantage in appearing in their record equalling 6th consecutive semi final of UCL playing a team which is appearing in their first ever semi final (albeit led by the UCL winning Yaya Toure). This by itself will make Real favourites to go through to the final.
My Tip: Bayern vs Real Madrid….with Bayern to be crowned European Champions as Guardiolla departs.
