Inter vs. Milan (2-0 agg) As they enter the second leg, Milan finds themselves in a precarious situation. After suffering a 2-0 defeat in the first leg, they experienced another setback with a 2-0 loss to Spezia in the Serie A, which puts the 2022 Champions four points away from a Top 4 position. While Ismaël Bennacer is out for the season due to a knee injury sustained in the first leg, the absence of Portuguese winger Rafael Leão is even more concerning. Leão, who recently signed a contract extension, has missed the last two matches due to an abductor injury and his impact on the team’s performance is unmatched; Milan’s win percentage drops from 64% to 11% when he is unavailable. Milan faces a daunting task as they must contend with their poor injury record and away form. Despite the fact that this is not a traditional away game for Milan, as they share a stadium with Inter, it is essential to acknowledge that they have only won one of their previous 16 away games in Champions League knockout fixtures, with eight draws and seven defeats. Furthermore, in their three defeats to Inter this season, they were unable to score, despite having 31 shots on target. Chelsea star Romelu Lukaku could stay at Inter on 3 conditions Unlike Milan, Inter appears to have found their stride at precisely the right moment of the season. The Nerazzurri secured a 4-2 victory over Sassuolo in their most recent match, extending their winning streak to seven games across all competitions. Romelu Lukaku, who scored two goals to earn the Man of the Match award, has recorded eight goal contributions in his last four league games, with five goals and three assists. Defensively, Simone Inzaghi’s squad is equally impressive. André Onana, a summer acquisition who joined the team for free, has been outstanding as a goalkeeper, with seven clean sheets in the Champions League this season. This is the most clean sheets by an Inter goalie in one campaign in the club’s history. After a 2-0 victory in the first leg, Inter is in an excellent position to advance to their sixth European Cup/Champions League final and their first since winning it under José Mourinho in the 2009/10 season. Inter Form: W-W-W-W-W Milan Form: D-D-W-L-L Only one team in Champions League team in history has won the first-leg of a semi-final by 2 or more goals and failed to progress to the final – Barcelona in 2018/2019. Predictions:
Manchester City vs. Real Madrid (1-1 agg) The first leg encounter between Real Madrid and Manchester City has made it increasingly challenging to predict the outcome of the tie. Real Madrid managed to take the lead during a period when Manchester City was playing their best football, while City responded by equalizing when Real Madrid had taken control of the game. Surprisingly, City’s wingers opted to dribble less and instead drifted inside to create chances; a pattern which led to Kevin De Bruyne’s equalizer. Real Madrid, on the other hand, played their typical style of football, with significant emphasis on wing play down the left flank through the likes of Camavinga and Vinícius Jr., which proved successful. As we approach the exciting second leg, it is anyone’s guess as to which way this tie will swing. Manchester City’s home form in the Champions League has been absolutely exceptional, with the Etihad Stadium now serving as a fortress for the reigning English champions. Since their loss to Lyon in September 2018, Pep Guardiola’s team has played 25 home games without a defeat in the competition, winning 23 of them and drawing 2. In fact, their home record this year in all competitions has been perfect, having won all 14 of their matches, scoring a total of 49 goals while conceding just 7. In the first leg, Antonio Rüdiger was assigned the task of stopping Erling Haaland, which he accomplished to perfection, and the Norwegian will be hoping to avoid a repeat of that on Wednesday. Over the weekend, Haaland scored his 36th league goal of the season, but it was İlkay Gündoğan who stole the show for the second consecutive league match, scoring two goals to secure a victory for his side. With Arsenal’s loss to Brighton and the title race all but over, Manchester City can now concentrate on reaching the Champions League final. Erling Haaland: Manchester City striker breaks more Champions League records - BBC Sport Manchester City Form: W-W-W-D-W Real Madrid Form: W-L-W-D-W Real Madrid are winless in their 4 away games against Man City (D2, L2), including losses in their last 2 visits to Manchester. Predictions:
Sevilla vs. Juventus (1-1 agg) Sevilla almost got away with a first leg win in Turin but will still be content with the draw. Youssef En-Nesyri’s 14th goal of the season and fourth in the competition put them ahead, but Federico Gatti’s 97th-minute equalizer, with Paul Pogba providing the assist, secured a vital away goal for Juventus. However, Juventus could be without Pogba for the remainder of the season due to yet another injury sustained in their 2-0 win over Cremonese. Pogba, who has only made ten appearances this season due to a knee injury that even caused him to miss the Qatar World Cup, will be missed in what is expected to be a fiercely contested second leg at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. Juventus will need to overcome their poor away record to progress, having won just two of their last 17 away games against Spanish opposition in the knockout stages of a major European competition, losing 12 of them. The Europa League has witnessed the Spanish team’s impressive performance on their home ground, losing only one of their last 27 games while winning 24 and drawing two. Moreover, they have scored eight goals and conceded only once in all three semi-final legs played at home. As seen in their recent match against Manchester United, they possess remarkable resilience and capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes. The credit for this can be given to their new manager, Jose Luis Mendilibar, who instilled the winning mentality in the team. Despite facing early struggles with two previous managers and finding themselves in the relegation zone, the team has climbed up to 10th position in LaLiga and is just one victory away from yet another final. Juventus probable formation for Derby d'Italia: Di Maria in doubt | Juvefc.com In the first leg, 7 yellow cards were shown to both teams while Sevilla got more corners (5) than Juventus (2). We expect the second leg to be just as intense so; we expect some value in total bookings and corners given. Sevilla Form: W-L-W-D-W Juventus Form: D-W-W-D-W Sevilla has never been knocked out of the Europa League when playing the second leg of a tie at home and have progressed in all 9 previous instances. Predictions: