Bayern's Harry Kane. picture alliance

Champions League semifinal matchups are set with plenty at stake

By William Schwartz | Last updated 4/17/24

The semifinals of the Champions League are officially set. As we learned Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund will face Paris Saint-Germain, and after a dramatic penalty shootout, Real Madrid have once again advanced and will take on fellow giants Bayern Munich.

Nobody coasted through this year's quarterfinals. PSG and Dortmund both had to stage impressive comebacks against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, respectively, while Bayern and Arsenal came into the second leg level and were separated by just one goal after a tense 90 minutes.

As usual, Manchester City and Real Madrid provided some top-notch entertainment. The two teams drew in the first leg, a 3-3 classic, and then again after 120 minutes of 1-1 football in the second leg but ultimately, the 14-time champions Madrid won the penalty shootout lottery.

On one side of the semifinals, we're guaranteed to see a real underdog make it through to the end. PSG have never won the competition and were viewed by many to be entering a transitionary period this year, while Dortmund haven't won since the late 1990s, their only triumph in this tournament.

Meanwhile, Madrid and Bayern are the most and joint-third-most successful clubs in Champions League history. That matchup should be full of pace and scoring, as Bayern's Harry Kane continues to chase his first major club trophy, and Carlo Ancelotti looks to widen his lead as the winningest manager in the history of the UCL.

A major takeaway from this round is the failure of English clubs, as Premier League title contenders Manchester City and Arsenal both crashed out. They were the only Premier League sides left in the competition as Manchester United and Newcastle United both came dead last in their groups and now the league considered by many to be the world's best will not be represented in European football's final four.

Still, even without some of the biggest names in the entire sport, the knockout stages will go on with the two semifinal legs of each tie set to be played on April 30 and May 7, a pair of Tuesdays separated by a week. Madrid is rightfully viewed by many as the favorites, but its star power isn't what it has been in years past.

Can Kylian Mbappé add to his growing legacy with his first European trophy? Will Kane finally touch silverware for the first time, or will we see a true UCL underdog story completed for the first time in recent memory?

Stay tuned for more madness as another winner is crowned in the hunt for the biggest trophy in all of club football.

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