FOUR TEAMS LEFT in the hunt chasing the two final places on offer over the next eight days.
Liverpool, Roma, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are all aiming to reach the 2018 Champions League final with the semi-final first legs taking place tonight in Anfield and tomorrow night at the Allianz Arena before next week’s return legs at the Stadio Olimpico and Santiago Bernabéu.
Real Madrid are chasing a third successive final appearance and are bidding this season for a fourth title in five seasons. Bayern Munich’s most recent final outing came in 2013 when they defeated Borussia Dortmund in Wembley.
In Liverpool’s case, you have to go back to 2007 in Athens when they lost to AC Milan for their last final appearance while for Roma it’s been 34 years since they featured in the European Cup decider with a defeat to Liverpool in Rome.
But we want to know who do you think will be the contestants for this year’s final?
Let us know what you reckon the pairing will be in Kiev on 26 May.
Poll Results:
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Good luck to Leinster today from a Munster man
@David Toke: Go luck to Leinster today from a man.
@Porter Paddy: good luck to leinster ill be getting my dinner soon
@David Toke: leinster vs racing 92 LINK===> http://bit.ly/2jSQwam
@David Toke: good luck to Donnacha today from a Tipperary man
@David Toke: Fack off.
@Marko Polo: Marko fack u :-)
@Martin Quinn: go luck where Martin lol
C’mon Leinster! Nerves kicking in now. Great news for us (not Carter) that he’s been ruled out. Could have made a big difference off the bench.
Can’t wait to see the two Ryans lock horns.
Dreadful to watch so far
Have a feeling donnacha will sort out the ladyboys today..
@munsterman: how anyone who supports a team with Zebo and Murray can call anyone else ladyboys is beyond me.
@munsterman: na he sorted the ladyboys out a few weeks ago
@munsterman: Ha ha ha, suck it up, lad…
jp doyle has been so annoying. let the game flow. always in barnes ear. let him referee
Am I the only one thinking Barnes and his team having a good game?
@Eddie Hekenui: yes!
@Eddie Hekenui: I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that you are attempting humour
Shocking reffing
@Eddie Hekenui: yes you are, he might as well be wearing a racing 92 jersey,
@Eddie Hekenui: I thought they have been spot on. Fair too.
Not up for Racing at all and screaming for Leinster all the way. I was expecting a Barnes shitshow but they’ve been decent for me. Very consistent and doing lots of talking which helps the players. Nakawara could’ve got a yellow but I hate seeing big games decided by tame yellow cards and Leinster weren’t going to score. Can’t think of any other calls they’ve gotten wrong
@Eddie Hekenui: Yeah he definitely let lots go at ruck time but he was consistent in his interpretations. As per the chatting I think we just heard it more than you normally wood because it was being broadcast. For me it’s a good thing if they’re involved. The ref can only see so much and there were a few times they weighed in on what was happening in the scrums when Barnes couldn’t see.
@Eddie Hekenui: bad.
@Eddie Hekenui: bad. if there are another two people who think they are the main referee how will the game flow
@Eddie Hekenui: The best referee’s make use of their team combined with their own judgement especially when they have a better angle. Look at the disallowed try for Gloucester last night. The tj was much better placed to make a call but the referee immediately blew it up. I’d have issue if the tj’s were butting in with bad calls but they weren’t.
ugh… Barnes. wrong choice for a final.
My nerves are at me.
Poor match so far
Leinster by 15-20 too good for racing imo
@Conor: Leinster starting very slowly making alot of mistakes I hope your right but racing don’t look like they have been rattled not once yet.
Leinster will be happy to have got through the first 20 without Racing doing any serious damage. Key for Racing was to get a hot start with some points on the board. They’re not as effective as the game goes on while the Leinster machine will keep chugging away till the final whistle
Come on Leinster Every one of the Leinster players will be legends if they bring that trophy back here
Machenaud, Lambie, Carter and possibly Vakatawa. How much luck do Leinster need
Barnes is effing useless
Don’t care if it wasn’t champagne rugby, the best kind of final, intense pressure, 2 teams not giving an inch, congratulations to Leinster and sincerest commiserations to Racing for a tremendous display
Woeful game, but congrats Leinster!
Hasn’t even started and it already feels like squeaky bum time
I think Leinster could be ahead if they had gone with Lowe on the wing, Isa is having a mare
@Ben Sheridan: Sounds so easy….
@Ben Sheridan: Then he steps up and equalises
@Ben Sheridan: it’s seriously tense, that’s why I think Lowes attitude would thrive in this
Thank you Teddy Thomas. You owed us Irish one after the Six Nations and Munster matches
referring has been atrocious but Leinster really have not done themselves any favours.
Jesus Christ that was tense felt like a repeat of Ireland France.
CMon Leinster!!!
Any links to watch the match?
@Brian Moore: try Cricfree that usually works.
@Brian Moore: Legally on the France2 website. No bulles*t hype either https://www.france.tv/france-2/direct.html
@Brian Moore: https://youtu.be/TDb9KlJkhUU
That’s a YouTube link, great quality. This channel always streams the big rugby and football games so I’d recommend subscribing too.
It’s going to be very hard to break Racing down. It’s 50/50 at this stage. One mistake and Thomas is away. Need some magic from Sexton. They seem to match us everywhere else.
It’s a terrible disgrace the game wasn’t on any irish TV channel.
@Marian Lee Lynch: why would it be? Sky and BT have the rights to it and it was never guaranteed that an Irish team would be in the final.
@Marian Lee Lynch: hardly a disgrace when tv rights are done years ago for big bucks. if no irish team were in it would it be a disgrace?
Poor game but well done Leinster.
Need a bib…salivating at the prospect of this
No links..
Following the Journal for every move….
Priceless for once.
Time to chill and enjoy the beers.
Loving Lowes reaction. Hope he is selected next week
What does it matter..workmanlike victory..no fireworks…best team in Europe..no question..
vchjugju
@FOX(sports)Free Live: is that the new Fijian playing for Racing
Worst game i ever watched. Will take me a while to realise we wpn it. But holy crap 4 stars on the shirt next season. …
Who’s complaining now about Barnes? Or Isa?
RUGBY LINK===> http://bit.ly/2jSQwam
RUGBY LINK===> https://t.co/fxldK6VwA2
RUGBY LINK===> https://t.co/fxldK6VwA2