Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
The second Champions League semi-final it is arguably the hipsters’ choice, as Juventus and Monaco go head to head. Juventus will look to go one better than the last time they reached the semi-final stage back in 2015. They eventually would lose out to Luis Enrique’s Barcelona in the final, but have managed to exact revenge for that earlier this season.
That is because they won 3-0 in Turin during the quarterfinal first leg and then managed a very impressive shutout in the Nou Camp return. That meant it was a 3-0 aggregate win for Massimiliano Allegri’s men, and they go into this game as favorites. That in no way means that you can rule Monaco out of proceedings.
They are the team that has got the interest of fans across the continent after their stunning displays in this season’s competition. They made light work of Tottenham in the group stages both home and away, as they played a massive part in knocking Mauricio Pochettino’s men out of the competition.
And who can forget the pair of matches they had with Manchester City? The incredible 5-3 defeat at The Etihad had many saying that it was the best Champions League game to have ever taken place, a billing they arguably lost a couple of weeks later, when Barcelona won 6-1 against PSG in their Round of 16 tie.
But Monaco would overturn their first-leg deficit thanks to a 3-1 win over Manchester City. That meant City were the first ever team to score six goals and be knocked out of a two-legged tie. Monaco may be a bit leaky at the back, but they have an awesome swathe of attacking talent. Thomas Lemar, Bernando Silva and Kylian Mbappe are going to be on many of Europe’s biggest clubs’ shopping lists this summer.
That’s not forgetting the resurgent Falcao, who is once again looking back to his best after a somewhat lackluster display in the Premier League for both Manchester United and Chelsea. Monaco eliminated Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals and they are going to be a serious test for Juventus also.
Juventus are running roughshod domestically and they only require four more points to secure a sixth straight Serie A title. They could actually win the title this weekend should results go their way. A win for them and defeat for closest rivals Roma will keep the Scudetto in Turin.
It’s going to take one almighty collapse for Juventus not to win the title but the race for the Ligue 1 crown is a bit more tighter, Monaco are currently top and have managed to open up a small advantage over perennial winners Paris Saint-Germain.
They currently find themselves three points clear at the top but also have the added bonus of a game in hand. The title race may very well have swung their way for good after 9 men PSG fell to a Mario Balotelli inspired Nice at the weekend.
Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim will be putting all thoughts of domestic success on the backburner this evening as he looks set to once again unleash his exciting squad on the biggest stage. This one is going to be a tough one to call as Monaco have the naivety of youth while Juventus have the defensive doggedness.
It should make for a fantastic battle not just tonight but also in Turin, Juventus will look to nab an away goal to take back to the return leg but they are going to have a job in store if they are to keep this fearless Monaco squad. This is going to be a titanic clash for the neutral. My advice is to sit back and enjoy
