In the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, away real Madrid and Villarreal lost to Manchester City and Liverpool respectively, which made the Premier League team hope to meet the Champions League final for the third time. However, the two La Liga teams also have the potential to turn over at home.
Judging from the score, Real Madrid, who lost 3-4 away, is more likely to advance. However, in the first leg against Manchester City, Real Madrid exposed problems in defense. If City players are more capable of seizing opportunities, they will concede more than 6 goals.
Real Madrid scored three goals in the first leg, but the problem was that Guardiola lacked the right players at full-back, especially right-back. In the second leg of the clash, Canceló will return from the ban and will fill this loophole. The data shows that City's chances of qualifying are 80%.
With a 2-0 win at home, Liverpool are just a stone's throw away from qualifying, with a 96% chance. However, the data shows that during his time at the helm of Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, Klopp failed to advance to the final after winning the first leg of the European semi-finals in the first leg.
At the same time, Liverpool's last two time out of the Champions League are against Madrid teams, namely atletico in 2019-20 and Real Madrid in 2021-22. Of course, Villarreal's previous two Champions League knockout rounds have also been eliminated by the Premier League.
Legendary goalscorer Owen noted, "If you score early in the second leg, Villarreal will still have a chance. Legendary midfielder Hargreaves supported the yellow submarine, "Villarreal will have to do better in possession next week and usually they will do better than this one. They will still play in the 442 formation, but the position will be higher. ”
Equally important for Villarreal is Moreno's comeback. Moreno is physically strong and good at fighting with his opponents, and with his involvement, Danjuma can give full play to his advantages in speed and flexibility.
Without Moreno in the first leg, Villarreal had just one shot on goal and not even in the second half. With one shot on goal and 0 shots on target, Villarreal set the record for the lowest shot on goal and on target in the Champions League semi-finals since the 2003-04 season. If Moreno returns and his tactics are more aggressive, then Huang Qian may continue to create miracles.
Of course, since being eliminated by Bayer Leverkusen in 2001-02, Liverpool have successfully advanced after winning the first leg of the 13 Champions League knockout rounds. Meanwhile, after Anfield lost by more than two goals, only Inter managed to qualify in 1965. Will Villarreal be able to replicate such a miracle?