On Wednesday, the last two participants of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals will be clarified - the last two second-leg quarter-final matches will take place in Madrid and Munich.
At the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium in Madrid, "Real" will host Turin's "Juventus". The "White team" already took a firm step towards the next stage in the first meeting, but the Italians arrive in Spain to seek victory and perhaps create a miracle.
In the other match in Munich, "Bayern" will clash with "Sevilla". The intrigue is still there - in Seville, the Bavarians won by a one-goal advantage, but a place in the semi-finals is not yet guaranteed.
Madrid "Real" - Turin "Juventus"
Spain cannot stop "Real", who had one of the worst seasons in the club's history playing in Europe - the royal club triumphed in the Champions League in the last two years, so they are still considered the main candidates this season to lift the trophy of this tournament for the third time.
The semi-final is almost within reach - in Turin, "Real" crushed their opponents with a 3-0 score. Cristiano Ronaldo wreaked havoc in the match - the Portuguese scored two goals, one of them being an acrobatic strike. Defender Marcelo secured the victory.
The chances for the Juventus team to advance to the next stage are minimal - "Real" at their stadium in European competitions has been unbeaten for more than four years. Juventus faces a very serious challenge, because at least one opponent's goal would mean the end - then "Juve" would have to score even five goals.
Over the weekend, both teams had different performances in the domestic leagues - "Real" played a draw at home against Madrid's "Atletico" and dropped to fourth place, while Turin's "Juventus" celebrated victory against "Benevento" with Paulo Dybala's hat-trick.
Bayern - Sevilla
In Munich, another miracle is awaited - after knocking out a European giant like "Manchester United" in the quarter-finals, Sevilla will try to make history, although defeating Jupp Heynckes' team will be an especially difficult task.
In the first-ever meeting between the two teams, enough chances were created, but the guests from Munich were more ruthless - Pablo Sarabia put the hosts ahead, but the Bavarians did not falter and Thiago and Jesus Navas' own goal allowed them to celebrate a victory with a 2-1 result.
The clear favorites to reach the semi-finals are "Bayern". Sevilla is following the path of "Real" - they lose to anyone in Spain, but in the Champions League, they can defeat any opponent.
The last match did not add extra confidence to Vincenzo Montella's team ahead of the match with "Bayern" - Sevilla lost 0-4 to Vigo's "Celta" in the La Liga. Sevilla has failed to win for three consecutive games in Spain.
On the other hand, Bayern did not only have no trouble on the weekend, but also secured the champions title - a victory with a 4-1 result against "Augsburg" guaranteed Bavarians to win their sixth consecutive "Bundesliga" championship trophies.
Bayern, like in the match against Sevilla, conceded the first goal against "Augsburg", but they did not falter - accurate strikes from Corentin Tolisso, James Rodriguez, Arjen Robben, and Sandro Wagner led to a golden victory.
J. Heynckes' team does not have the strongest lineup available - Manuel Neuer continues to recover from injury, joined by David Alaba, Kingsley Coman, and Arturo Vidal. Bavarians should be careful with yellow cards, as key players like Robert Lewandowski, Boateng, or Ribery could miss the semi-final.
Sevilla also has casualties - it is clear that Simon Kjaer and Joaquin Correa will not be able to help them. The good news is that after suspension, Ever Banega returns to the field - the Argentine is one of the key players in the middle of the Sevilla team.
Predicted starting line-ups:
"Real Madrid": (4-3-1-2) Navas; Carvajal, Casemiro, Varane, Marcelo; Kovačič, Modrić, Kroos; Isco, Ronaldo, Benzema.
"Juventus": (4-3-3) Buffon; Lichsteiner, Benatia, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanič, Matuidi; Cuadrado, Higuain, Douglas Costa.
Predicted starting line-ups:
"Bayern": (4-3-3) Ulreich; Kimmich, Hummels, Boateng, Bernat; Martínez, Thiago, James; Ribéry, Müller, Lewandowski
"Sevilla": (4-3-3) Soria; Navas, Mercado, Lenglet, Escudero; N'Zonzi, Banega, Vázquez; Sarabia, Sandro, Muriel.
