This year’s final stages of the UEFA Champions League have sprung a few dramatic surprises. French side Lyon, after ousting Turin greats Juventus, followed suit by beating favourites Manchester City 3-1, with a fine finish by Maxwel Cornet and two goals by substitute Moussa Dembele.
Bayern Munich were also surprising in their lethal elimination of Barcelona – the Germans have been impressive this season, but no one expected them to file eight goals past the Catalans’ keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
In the other quarter-final, Atalanta held their own against giants Paris St-Germain for most of the game. To put things into perspective, Atalanta hail from a city whose population is just over 120,000, while Paris St-Germain are proud representatives of the French capital. The Italian team only gave up in the last minutes of the match, when substitute Kylian Mbappé’s class proved to be simply unstoppable.
RB Leipzig also sprung a surprise by beating the more fancied – and experienced – Atletico Madrid.
Now the two sides meet on Tuesday, August 18 for what could turn out to be yet another surprising game in this year’s Champions League.
The Germans’ 33-year-old coach Julian Nagelsmann and his team of relatively unknowns face the stellar Paris St Germain, whose line-up can vaunt the attacking power of Mbappe, Neymar and Mauro Icardi, as well as the technical wisdom of midfielder Angel Di Maria, who returns from suspension, and the defensive solidity of Thiago Silva.
On paper, the French capital’s team have an edge over RB Leipzig – but on the night, the game could go either way. On one side, Paris Saint-Germain have the players to make it through – but on the other, RB Leipzig are tough enough for the challenge. After all, to make it this far, they have taken down heavyweights such as Benfica in the groups, and Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid in the knockout rounds.
The one thing in common that the two teams have is that both are trying to reach the final for the first time in their history. If RB Leipzig make it to the final, they would be the eighth German team to achieve this. If Paris Saint-Germain beat the German team and clinch the final, they will be the first French side to do so since Monaco way back in 2003/4.
To add some fun to the game, sign up for a €10 no deposit bonus offered by Meridianbet. This promotion is exclusive to Malta and can only be used for sports betting. To avail of this bonus, new players need to create a new account with Meridianbet. After creating a new account, this is verified – and new players get the €10 bonus without any additional conditions.
Click here for more information and to sign up.
Disclaimer: Meridianbet is licensed by the MGA. Licence number MGA/B2C/134/2007. Play responsibly. For help visit www.rgf.org.mt. Players must be over 18.