The Champions League semi-finals are here! Which teams will advance to the top 8 teams in Europe?

The best club football competition is finally back, with the Champions League lighting up your screens again on Tuesday. Which teams will make it through from the eighth round?

PSG – Real Madrid
50% – 50% chance of progression

We start with the most watched duel. The two big favourites for the title will meet in the eighth round and it’s extremely difficult to pick a favourite. PSG may have superstars Neymar, Messi and Mbappé in their midfield, but as a team the Parisians don’t really click and that’s a big problem in the Champions League knockout stages.

On the other side is a perfectly organized Real Madrid, which has virtually no weakness. The experienced axis is complemented by hungry youngsters and most importantly, Los Blancos act as one team, pulling together. Meanwhile, they also have individuality in the form of Benzema, Vinícius, Kroos and Modric.

Sporting Lisbon – Manchester City
Chances of promotion 15 % – 85 %

Anything other than a clear Manchester City progression would be a big shock. Pep Guardiola’s charges are last year’s finalists and have no small targets this season.

Sporting may be playing some interesting football, having knocked out Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, but it probably won’t be enough for a packed Citizens side.

Inter Milan – Liverpool
Chances of promotion 30% – 70%

After ten years, Inter will once again feature in the knockout stage of the Champions League. Liverpool are looking to right the ship after the last two failed seasons, both times they failed to beat clubs from Madrid.

The Reds made it through the group stage without losing a point, with Inter finishing second. But it will miss key midfielder Nicolo Barella, who was stupidly sent off at Real Madrid. Liverpool shouldn’t have much trouble advancing.

Salzburg – Bayern
Chances of promotion 20 % – 80 %

This semi-final has a clear favourite. Six-time Champions League winner Bayern Munich fell short to PSG in the quarter-finals last year and will be looking to right the ship this year. Salzburg finished second in a tight group with Lille, Sevilla and Wolfsburg.

Bayern will rely on nine-goal scorer Lewandowski, while Adeyemi scored three goals for the Austrian champions. Unless something miraculous happens, Bayern will be in the running for promotion.

Benfica – Ajax
Chances of progression 40 % – 60 %

At first glance, it looks great, Benfica knocked out Barcelona in the group and advanced to the knockout stage. However, the fans are not happy with the team, they are already 10 points behind the league leaders Porto and complain mainly about the way they play.

Ajax, on the other hand, are on a roll. It is safely leading the league, and has passed the regular group with Dortmund, Sporting and Besiktas without losing a point. Moreover, it can boast the top scorer in the competition, Haller has already scored 10 goals in the current Champions League campaign. The Dutch side is the clear favourite.

Atlético Madrid – Manchester United
Chances of promotion 50 % – 50 %

Also fifty-fifty, however, while PSG and Real Madrid are the favourites for the whole competition, here it may be a battle of which team will worry less. Atlético are experiencing a championship hangover, they are only fifth in the league and almost dropped out in the regular group, saving promotion at the last minute.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who practically single-handedly took the Red Devils to the Champions League eighth-finals, saved Manchester United at the last minute on several occasions. Moreover, he has traditionally done well at Atlético, but United have been extremely struggling as a team, the play they have shown has been lagging far behind, as have the results. The whole double-header could be decided by a single mistake.

Source: UEFA