Champions League Semi Final Second Legs
Liverpool v Barcelona
Last weeks first leg was very harsh on Liverpool, I thought they played really well. All they missed was that killer edge, that final pass/goal. They also had another small problem… Keeping Lionel Messi quiet. The free kick he scored with 8 mins left was out of this world. Beating a world class keeper in Allison from that far out. Wow! You can only stand and clap the sheer brilliance, which is pretty much what Jurgen Klopp did.
With the news that Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino are both out of the second leg this really is a mission impossible task. Beating Barcelona by 4 goals without conceding and without your best players is too much. On top of that Barcelona rested their first 11 at the weekend while Liverpool had to play a full-strength team away at Newcastle.
The good news for Liverpool is that they got their win at Newcastle and have taken the title race to the last day of the season. So, there is still belief that they can win a first premier league title. If you ask any scouser which trophy they would prefer it would be the Premier League.
Unfortunately for Liverpool they are going out here and I think they will lose the game as well.
Ajax v Tottenham Hotspur
This Semi final is far from done. You just get the feeling Ajax had a wonderful chance to end this tie in the first leg. Tottenham were all over the place in that first half, it could easily have been 0-3 before the break. Not to mention Neres chance near the end that came back off the post.
Tottenham welcome back their famous SON. He pretty much single handedly saw off Manchester City by himself scoring 3 of the 4 goals scored over the two legs. You can’t help but think he has something more to add here. Will Kane be on the bench? It looks unlikely now. Can Dele and Eriksen live up to their expectations? Will Sissoko who didn’t start the first leg be as influential as he was when he came on last week? If the answer to these questions are yes then Spurs have a big big chance here.
Ajax in-between these two ties won a cup! The Dutch cup. They didn’t just win it! They won it by 4 goals. This is an excellent young team with everything going for them. If they are on it from the start and turn up playing the football, we know they can play then you would expect them to face Barcelona in the final come June 1st.
However, what if Spurs score the first goal? Will these young kids get nervous? Its all very exciting and I for one cannot wait.
