The Champions League is back, devoid of Italian teams but not without entertainment. Indeed, that will be more than guaranteed in the semi-finals which see the eagerly awaited Spanish-German cross, the two most brilliant football movements of the moment who will play the final on Saturday 25 May at Wembley: either all German, or all Spanish, or another cross also in the epilogue, to sanction which school will be awarded by Platini with the cup with big ears in 2013.
We start right away on German soil: tonight with Bayern-Barcelona, a match made even more intriguing by the upcoming move from Pep Guardiola, former Catalan coach, to the Bavarian bench. Has Heynckes already called him to ask for advice? And he, Pep, who will he root for, his old love or his next challenge? Perhaps the first option is better, given that in case of victory Bayern would fly towards a treble which would make the Spanish guru's signing almost superfluous at this point.
We will remain in Germany again tomorrow, moving further north where Josè Mourinho's Real Madrid, whose growing performances in this Champions League make them perhaps the favorite team, will visit Jurgen Klopp's miraculous Borussia Dortmund, back from a incredible in this cup, where they have never lost a game but saw the witches in the quarterfinals against Malaga, when they were eliminated in the 90th minute only to then sensationally overturn with two goals in added time.
Predictions are never as difficult as this time: Barça arrives in Monaco with the doubt Messi, while the Germans are currently a steamroller, given how they killed Juventus and with the national championship already won. The same fate will probably befall the Catalans, who have a reassuring advantage in La Liga but who have perhaps suffered more than they should have suffered in this Champions League, both against Milan and against PSG. Is that a signal?
The other semi-final, on the other hand, doesn't give much pointers: both teams are in great shape, both are second in their league and both are playing an excellent Champions League. Will Mou's experience or the ingenuous and spectacular football of the yellow and blacks win?
