Ranking the teams most likely to advance to Champions League semifinals
2. Real Madrid CF
Chelsea were dominated at the Stamford Bridge as Carlo Ancelotti led Real Madrid to their much-needed revenge. Perhaps, this was exactly what Real Madrid fans needed after the heartbreaking El Clasico embarrassment and the players successfully delivered it.
Almost everything went well with Ancelotti’s moves, from releasing Marco Asensio for self-explanatory reasons to hiring Fede Valverde at his place. The work rate demonstrated by the Uruguayan, as well as Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, who were engaged in dealing with Karim Benzema, was excellent.
Real Madrid were effective in capitalising on Chelsea’s positional quandary created by pressing and defensive difficulties, resulting in three goals against Edouard Mendy. Benzema’s first two goals were the consequence of brilliant penetrative moves from the entire squad, which clearly outplayed the Blue markers and paid off with numbers on the board.
It’s in the DNA, as they say. Real Madrid have always been dominant in this tournament, and after knocking out Paris Saint-Germain with a huge lead, the possibility of repeating the feat with a big advantage is not ruled out, but the odds are even stronger.
The second position on the list is well merited, as Tuchel’s Chelsea will put up a fight at the Bernabeu, and Real will have to be strong enough to restrict them and at the very least keep the score even until the aggregate closes.
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1. Liverpool FC
Liverpool FC are the leading candidate to advance to the Champions League semifinals. The squad is assumed to have already set a foot in the next round after a thrashing win against Benfica, who are rated bottom on our rankings.
The team was quite constant throughout the two halves, with the second half seeing a sly goal from the Portuguese side that, for the time being, does not appear to carry much weight overall.
Jurgen Klopp’s changes were well-planned, allowing the squad to reclaim control of the process and finish it comfortably. Every Merseyside player looked sharp and was involved in one way or another in the three simple goals scored.
The second leg will be played at Anfield, the theatre of horror on Champions League evenings, and even if the away goal rule has been abolished, nothing will shelter Benfica from the howling pressure of the English fans.
In the end, Liverpool must be deemed to have already qualified, since all of the odds are in their pursuit.