When Chelsea won the 2021 UEFA Champions League trophy, the second in their history, they did it against a team that was hoping to win its first-ever European title.
The Blues beat Manchester City 1-0 at the Estadio De Dragao in Portugal to lift their second UEFA Champions League title in history.
On Tuesday, the 26th of April, Manchester City will face UEFA Champions League record winners Real Madrid at Etihad Stadium in the first leg of their semifinal tie. This time around, they will have the opportunity to make it their second successive final in the UEFA Champions League.
It could potentially be the second all-English final in the UEFA Champions League if they get past the Los Blancos on aggregate and Liverpool does the same against Villarreal.
Real Madrid defeated Chelsea in the last round of the competition, but they will face a Pep Guardiola’s side that is still going for the double. Manchester City is still leading the Premier League table with a single point ahead of Liverpool in second place.
Meanwhile, the Reds are going in for a quadruple after winning the Carabao Cup and also beating Manchester City to progress to the final of the FA Cup, where they will now face Chelsea.
The Reds are also in the race for the Premier League title, sitting two points behind Pep Guardiola’s side. Their UEFA Champions League race for a sixth title will also continue with the semifinal tie against La Liga side Villarreal.
The first leg will happen on Wednesday the 27th of April at Anfield stadium. Jurgen Klopp’s side knows better than to underrate Villareal, led by former Arsenal coach Unai Emery.
Emery led Villarreal to one of the most shocking results of the season after beating Bayern 1-0 in Spain and holding them to a 1-1 draw in Germany to knock them out 2-1 on aggregate.
It is Villarreal’s second semifinal appearance in the UEFA Champions League. The 2022 UEFA Champions League final will be played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.
Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu
