The semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League get underway with first-leg
matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Camp Nou on Tuesday and
Wednesday night on DStv. We look at the head-to-head battles which could
go a long way in deciding the outcome of next midweek’s UEFA Champions
League first-leg, semifinal matches.
First up, on Tuesday 30 April, Tottenham will welcome AFC Ajax for a meeting of the two surprise packages in the tournament. Spurs have upset the odds by making a brilliant recovery in the group stage (where they were polled with Barcelona and Internazionale), before impressive knockout victories over Borussia Dortmund and fellow English side (and one of the favourites for the competition) Manchester City.
Ajax, meanwhile, have come through a group which included Bayern Munich before outplaying two major heavyweights in the European game, Real Madrid and Juventus, in the last 16 and quarterfinals respectively.
Yet it is the style and verve of the Dutch side’s play which has caught the eye, as much as their exceptional results, and one feels that coach Erik ten Hag will surely be a wanted man when the season wraps up, as will several of his incredibly talented young players.
First up, on Tuesday 30 April, Tottenham will welcome AFC Ajax for a meeting of the two surprise packages in the tournament. Spurs have upset the odds by making a brilliant recovery in the group stage (where they were polled with Barcelona and Internazionale), before impressive knockout victories over Borussia Dortmund and fellow English side (and one of the favourites for the competition) Manchester City.
Ajax, meanwhile, have come through a group which included Bayern Munich before outplaying two major heavyweights in the European game, Real Madrid and Juventus, in the last 16 and quarterfinals respectively.
Yet it is the style and verve of the Dutch side’s play which has caught the eye, as much as their exceptional results, and one feels that coach Erik ten Hag will surely be a wanted man when the season wraps up, as will several of his incredibly talented young players.
Ajax have also been given an advantage coming into the game with the Eredivisie league organisers postponing all matches over the last weekend of April to give the Amsterdam side extra rest and preparation time. Spurs will have had no such luxury, playing two Premier League games in the week leading into the first leg.
The action moves to Spain on Wednesday 1 May, when Barcelona and Liverpool meet for the first leg of their semifinal. This clash is considered something of a ‘final before the final’, with the victors set to be clear favourites for the big match in Madrid on June 1.
Both the Balugrana and the Reds have enjoyed comfortable passage through the knockout phase thus far: Barca eased past Olympique Lyon and Manchester United 5-1 and 4-0 on aggregate respectively, while Liverpool impressively downed Bayern Munich 3-1 overall before crushing Porto 6-1 over two legs.
Jurgen Klopp’s side will be confident, especially given the fact that they have never lost a two-legged tie to Barcelona, though the Spanish giants have a certain Lionel Messi (the tournament’s top goal scorer, with 10 strikes to his name) in their line-up and he could be the difference between these two excellent teams.
Key match stats
Tottenham Hotspur v Ajax – Head-to-head, European competitions
Matches played 2
Spurs wins 2
Ajax wins 0
Draws 0
Barcelona v Liverpool – Head-to-head, European competitions
Matches played 8
Barcelona wins 2
Liverpool wins 3
Draws 3
UEFA Champions League fixtures, 30 April-1 May
Tuesday 30 April
7pm Tottenham Hotspur v Ajax – LIVE on SS5 & Max1
Wednesday 1 May
7pm Barcelona v Liverpool – LIVE on SS5 & Max1
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