Your Champions League Semifinals First Leg Open Thread

We haven’t had one of these in a while, huh?

Before we get to the game analysis, let me make it clear who I’m rooting for.

From fútbol babes:

Given that, Barcelona should win, right?

Well, not so fast. Liverpool are a tough team and they are STILL battling Man City for the EPL premiership.

Liverpool likes to play a high pressing game, hoping to cause the opposing defenders to make mistakes and then capitalizing on the ensuing opportunities.

Unfortunately, Barcelona’s defense is… mistake-prone. I’ve seen quite a few of their La Liga games and the defense definitely put the team behind the 8 ball plenty of times.

On the bright side, most of these errors happened early in the season. As things progressed, the defenders and midfielders learned to work together better.

Another thing that has helped is the system of rotations that Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde has utilized to keep legs fresh and to minimize injuries. Barça is coming into this semifinal the healthiest they’ve been this late into a Champions League campaign in years.

So, what does all this mean?

In this season where Ajax from Amsterdam is one game away from the Champions League Final (and won the first game ON THE ROAD!), it means that reputations mean nothing and only the team that plays best on game day survives.

FYI, this game is at Barcelona.

You know who I’M rooting for. I’m one of the few La Liga enthusiasts around these parts with everyone else fascinated by the EPL. I’ll just remind you that La Liga is the league that has:

• The teams that have won the Champions League the last five years straight (Real Madrid – 4 and Barcelona – 1)
• The teams that have won the Europa League five out of the last seven years ( Atlético Madrid – 2 and Sevilla – 3 IN A ROW!)

Let the comments flow and the game begin.

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