SM
Watford vs. Leeds: 4 hrs 30 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Champions League Team of the Week - Antonio Rudiger, Luka Modric, Roberto Firmino

:Headline: Champions League Team of the Week - Antonio Rudiger, Luka Modric, Roberto Firmino:
Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week, including Antonio Rudiger, Luka Modric and Roberto Firmino.
Sports Mole

Real Madrid, Villarreal, Liverpool and Manchester City will compete in the semi-finals of this season's Champions League, having progressed through their last-eight ties this week.

Chelsea won 3-2 at Bernabeu in the second leg of their quarter-final against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, but the Spanish giants progressed to the final four courtesy of a 5-4 aggregate success.

Villarreal, meanwhile, shocked Bayern Munich in Germany, picking up a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their quarter-final to advance 2-1 on aggregate.

On Wednesday, an ill-tempered affair between Atletico Madrid and Man City finished in a goalless draw, which saw the Premier League champions progress 1-0 on aggregate.

Meanwhile, Liverpool also secured their spot in the semi-finals by drawing 3-3 with Benfica in the second leg of their last-eight affair, which secured a 6-4 aggregate success.

Man City will meet Real Madrid for a spot in the final, while the second semi-final will see Liverpool take on Villarreal, so it could potentially be an all-English or all-Spanish final.

Here, Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week from the second legs of the quarter-finals in Europe's leading cup competition.


DEFENCE

Man City did enough to progress to the semi-finals courtesy of a goalless draw at Wanda Metropolitano, with Ederson keeping a clean sheet for the Citizens. The Brazilian only needed to make three saves over the course of the 90 minutes, but he was calmness personified between the sticks and took the pressure off his side in the latter stages with a number of impressive claims, so he had to be included in this particular team.

A three-man defence includes two more players from the Premier League, with Liverpool's Konstantinos Tsimikas impressing in his side's 3-3 draw with Benfica. The 25-year-old provided two assists at Anfield, while he boasted a pass success rate of 86% during a strong attacking performance; he also contributed at the back despite Benfica scoring three times, winning one aerial duel and two tackles.

Antonio Rudiger also deserves to be included for his display against Real Madrid. Indeed, the Germany international scored a brilliant header at Bernabeu, while he managed to keep Karim Benzema quiet for long spells, only for the Frenchman to come up with a key goal in extra-time. Rudiger was still excellent on the night, though, proving that he is one of the best centre-backs in European football.

The final spot in the defensive line goes to Villarreal's Raul Albiol, who excelled against Bayern's star-studded attack on Tuesday night. The 36-year-old turned back the clock with a brilliant performance, using all of his experience to make it difficult for the likes of Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane to get going in Munich.


MIDFIELD

In midfield, there had to be a spot for Chelsea's Mason Mount, who was brilliant at Bernabeu on Tuesday, finding the back of the net in the 15th minute of the contest before turning provider for Rudiger to make it 2-0 to the Blues in the early stages of the second period. The England international was certainly one of Chelsea's most effective players over the course of the 120 minutes in the Spanish capital.

Luka Modric was outstanding in the same match, and the midfielder's pass for Rodrygo's goal will live long in the memory, going down as one of the best Champions League assists of all time. At 36, Modric is showing no signs of slowing down, boasting a pass success rate of 89% over the course of the match, while he also contributed defensively, making four tackles.

There is also a spot for Villarreal's Etienne Capoue, who was brilliant in the clash with Bayern at Allianz Arena. The 33-year-old was tenacious in the tackle, while he boasted a pass success rate of 87%, contributing impressively to a result that will go down in history for the Yellow Submarine.

Benfica's 20-year-old midfielder Goncalo Ramos is named in the side following his performance against Liverpool at Anfield. The Portugal Under-21s international netted his team's equaliser in the 32nd minute of the contest and continued to cause Liverpool problems before being replaced in the latter stages.


ATTACK

Timo Werner has had another difficult season at Chelsea, but the Germany international was at his best against Real Madrid on Tuesday, causing all sorts of problems with his pace and direct running. The 26-year-old scored Chelsea's third in the 75th minute of the match, while he also set up Mount for his team's opener during a hugely positive performance in the Spanish capital.

Roberto Firmino, meanwhile, had to be included due to his two-goal showing against Benfica. The Brazil international was given the nod through the middle on Wednesday evening and did not disappoint, scoring twice in the space of 10 second-half minutes to effectively end the game as a contest.

The final spot in the starting XI is awarded to Gerard Moreno, who put in a brilliant performance for Villarreal against Bayern, leading the line impressively for his team. Moreno provided the assist for Samuel Chukwueze to level the scores in the 88th minute, while he won four aerial duels and made four tackles during an excellent all-round performance, so he had to be a part of this particular side.


SPORTS MOLE'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

Sports Mole's Champions League team of the week (3-4-3): Ederson; Albiol, Rudiger, Tsimikas; Mount, Modric, Capoue, Ramos; Moreno, Firmino, Werner


body check tags ::

amp_article__483239 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2022-04-14 09:32:36:
html db last update - 2022-04-13 22:14:59 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Share this article now:
CH
Read Next:
Tuchel: 'Chelsea can have no regrets despite CL exit'
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Roberto Firmino Luka Modric Antonio Rudiger Samuel Chukwueze Goncalo Ramos Leroy Sane Mason Mount Rodrygo Karim Benzema Kostas Tsimikas Thomas Muller Etienne Capoue Timo Werner Gerard Moreno Raul Albiol Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Tuchel: 'Chelsea can have no regrets despite CL exit'
Liverpool, Bayern suffer huge blow as Alonso confirms Leverkusen stay

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Ten Hag confirms vital Man Utd player could return against Brentford

1

TH

How Real Madrid could line up against Athletic Bilbao

2

HR

Preview: Real Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao - prediction, team news, lineups

3

PR

Man City vs. Arsenal: Head-to-head record and past meetings

4

MC

Newcastle 'join Man City, Man United in race for in-demand centre-back'

5

N'

Fluminense president claims Chelsea defender will leave club this summer

6

FP

Preview: Estoril vs. Porto - prediction, team news, lineups

7

PE

Preview: Inter Miami vs. NY City - prediction, team news, lineups

8

PI

Preview: Barcelona vs. Las Palmas - prediction, team news, lineups

9

PB

Arsenal 'optimistic over triple injury boost for Man City clash'

10

A'


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .