Two English sides will tackle the Champions League Semi-Finals for the first time since 2009, after Tottenham Hotspur narrowly edged Manchester City and Liverpool eased passed FC Porto.
The pair will now have a spot in the Final very much in their sights, with Spurs already boasting their best European campaign since the UEFA competition was renamed in 1992.
As for Liverpool, they will travel to Barcelona very much intent on righting the wrongs of 2018, when errors by Loris Karius gifted Real Madrid their 13th European triumph.
The Merseyside outfit have ventured to Catalunya only four times before, and are unbeaten on their travels to the Camp Nou. Lauding wins over Barca in 1976 and 2007, when goals by Bob Paisley and John Arne Riise ensured they left with the advantage.
Anfield’s own, however, have only beat the La Liga giants on home soil once. Gary McAllister’s 44th penalty 18 years ago, though, was the only goal of the two-legged tie, as Gerard Houllier’s men would go on to lift the 2001 UEFA Cup.
For Liverpool to add a third win at the Camp Nou to their name, Jurgen Klopp will be able to call upon the Reds’ lethal strike force of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. The trio have all fired home four goals in the UEFA competition this season, and etched their names on the scoresheet against Porto in the last round.
Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Alisson Becker will need to be at the top of their games on May 1, however, as Barcelona’s five-time Balon d’Or winner Lionel Messi is in sensational form this season. The Argentine has bagged ten goals in the Champions League, on top of 33 in 31 La Liga outings.
Tottenham, meanwhile, will play host to the youthful wonder that is Ajax, a side that has beat Juventus, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich with an average age of 24.6.
Mauricio Pochettino will be sure to have his hands full when organising his Spurs side, as de Godenzonen can boast David Neres, Hakim Ziyech and Dusan Tadic in their attack. The Dutch outfit’s trio have a combined 66 goals between them, along with 56 assists this season.
History will work in the North Londoners favour though as well as the Champions League betting odds, as Spurs have only met Ajax once in Europe, and beat the Johan Cruijff Arena natives 6-1 on aggregate in the 1981 UEFA European Cup Winners Cup and are strong favourites to do the same again.
