If you love football, you would know that the UEFA Champions League this time has thrown off quite some unexpected results. There are quite a few things that didn’t go as planned, the most notable of one was Barcelona’s bowing out of the tournament in a way that few could have imagined.
That being said, it is nearly the semi-final time now, and we are sure no matter what team you support, you are sure to tune in to your TV when the matches begin. Many of you are even going to bet on your favourite matches online. We know that some of you would even be using the popular Nairabet bonus offer to get a good deal. However, no matter how you look at the semi-final encounter, it is going to be an exciting one.
What to Expect from the Semi-Final Encounter?
The semi-final match for one is just around the corner, and normally you would expect Roma to pull it off against Liverpool.
However, do remember that for Roma, the tournament has been anything but smooth. For instance, they barely managed to break past Barcelona while for Liverpool, things were a lot easier. They defeated Manchester City on a huge goal difference of 5-1 on aggregate and they are sure to be the more confident ones among the two.
There is another problem too for Roma, in spite of being the better side, at least on paper. For instance, they just aren’t that good in defense in this tournament. This, in spite of having some of the better players in their defense line up.
To be fair, Roma did come up with a great second leg come back against Barcelona to script one of the most memorable wins ever in football history, but questions remain about how strong (or brittle) their defense really is. For one, they didn’t let the Messi powered team to score any goal in the last match, a reason they could sneak past Barcelona in the second leg. However, it was all down to the strikers to make things felt; a three-goal deficit isn’t something you can always recover from.
In fact, it was this feeling of superiority that was probably the undoing of Barcelona in the last match; they probably didn’t feel that Roma had much of a chance. Now though, things are different They are going to face Liverpool, who know just what Roma has to offer, and are high on confidence.
How do things seem?
It should be remembered that just like Barcelona, Liverpool too was up a good 3-0 on aggregate as they sparred with Man City in Etihad, but they never let their defense down. They never made it feel like they knew they knew where they were and respected the opposition throughout. It is this that could spell the doom for Roma, who have to keep Liverpool at bay, who have a front that has scored as many as 23 goals in this Champions League.
It’s one thing for Roma to pull up a miracle one day. The question is, can they do it again, in the span of just a week? Only time will tell.