Champions League: Bayern Munich – Real Madrid – Dortmund – PSG – A Madrid favorite, a Parisian spring?

What can derail Real Madrid? In a season where the three other semi-finalists of the Champions League have experienced real difficulties, where their ambitions have fluctuated widely, the Spanish giant once again appears as the great reference in a competition that it masters from the very end fingers. The semi-finals, however, bring together PSG, Dortmund and especially Bayern Munich, clubs which know these heights. But a final coronation for each of these three contenders would appear to be a real curiosity.

For Dortmund, because Borussia is experiencing a failed exercise in the championship and owes its presence at this stage of the competition to a lucky boost in the draw and above-average mental strength. For PSG, because Paris has never seemed so poorly planned at the start of the season to go far in C1 and its Champions League autumn looked like a cold and icy winter (8 points taken in the group stage only). For Bayern Munich, finally, because it let the title slip away for a long time in Germany (for the first time in 11 years) and several crises have shaken it in recent months.

Opposite, Real Madrid, an impeccable machine, has recovered perfectly from the departure of Karim Benzema and is flying through its season with disconcerting ease. He even had the luxury of kicking the butt of the defending champion, City, in the previous round to remind him, if he needed it, of his know-how in the competition. We come back to it: what can derail Real Madrid? Opta’s predictions are rather clear since they give more than one chance in three to the future Spanish champion of winning the competition (38% against 28% for PSG, 19% for Bayern and 15% for Dortmund) . What are the dangers that await him? Harry Kane? The brilliant English striker is three matches away from winning the first trophy of his career, at the age of 30, in his London garden at Wembley.

He left Tottenham, eternal second, to experience the thrill of a title. But if he has done the job very well since his exile, those around him are not up to the task. The poster remains a shock considering the history of the two clubs but it has rarely seemed so unbalanced. And as if the mountain wasn’t high enough, FC Hollywood offered itself yet another controversy. Four days before the most influential match of the season, its honorary president, Uli Hoeness, sharply criticized Thomas Tuchel, accusing him of not wanting to develop young players. An attack poorly received by the person concerned, “injured in his honor as coach“. Atmosphere…

In Paris, for once, the horizon is calm and peaceful as we approach the hottest hours of the season. Thanks mainly to one man, Luis Enrique, who built a team that resembles him and took charge of eliminating the controversies earlier in the season. No injuries, a united team and Mbappé as gluttonous as ever: Paris started the C1 with few ambitions and here it is, today, number 1 outsider behind the great Real. The rebirth is as spectacular as it is unexpected. The rather accommodating course (Real Sociedad, Barcelona, ​​Dortmund) is reminiscent of that of 2019/2020 (Dortmund, Atalanta Bergamo, Leipzig) which led PSG to its only C1 final.

There remains Borussia, who had nothing to suggest they were in such a good position apart from, perhaps, an exciting winter transfer window and a draw (PSV Eindhoven, Atlético de Madrid), which was also happy. But Paris has grown faster than the Marsupials since their confrontation last fall in group play. The fresh French champion approaches the final corner with dreams of a quadruplet. No one would have bet on such an outcome last summer when a team had to be rebuilt, or even in the fall when the team was slipping. But PSG has discovered a soul. SO…