UEFA Champions League

MADRID - Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti believes that gaining a mental advantage over Manchester City will be as important as the result when the two teams meet at Santiago Bernabéu in their Champions League semifinal first leg on Tuesday.

Ancelotti said that beating Osasuna 2-1 to clinch the Copa del Rey title on Saturday had given his side a much needed confidence boost after a run of poor results as they prepare to host Pep Guardiola's team who are in superb form.

UEFA will involve fans in the "planning and execution" of finals, it said on Friday as it announced plans to implement recommendations made by an independent panel following the chaos at the 2022 Champions League showpiece.

The Champions League final was delayed by 36 minutes after thousands of Liverpool supporters were unable to get into the Stade de France for the match on May 28, which Real Madrid won 1-0.

A resurgence in form is unlikely to help Liverpool qualify for next season's Champions League as fourth-placed Manchester United are unlikely to slip up on the home stretch, manager Jürgen Klopp said on Friday.

Liverpool are on a five-match winning streak that lifted them up to fifth in the Premier League, four points behind United who have a game in hand, but Klopp does not expect their rivals to drop points.

Our 2023 UEFA Champions League semifinal predictions are coming in hot with certified locks for a rematch of last year's instant classic between Real Madrid-Manchester City and a historic Derby della Madonnina between rivals Inter and AC Milan.

Who will contest the final on June 10 at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul? Let's turn to our collection of Nostradamus-minded folks to find out.

UEFA Champions League semifinal predictions 2023

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City

When two teams are so evenly matched, the old cliché dictates that an individual piece of genius or a horrendous mistake will ultimately decide the outcome.

For Arsenal and Wolfsburg — with the score level at 4-4 on aggregate after nearly 190 minutes of action across the two legs — it was the unfortunate error that ultimately decided the tie.

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes probably had to deliver the most difficult team talk of her career after training on Wednesday. Looking ahead to tomorrow's Champions League semifinal second leg against Barcelona, she had to convince her team to forget about Caroline Graham Hansen's exceptional strike at Stamford Bridge, giving Barça a 1-0 advantage, then she had to prepare her team for the vociferous cauldron of noise they're about to face inside the Camp Nou.

Imagine if the UEFA Champions League final wasn’t played in Europe but instead in the United States of America. While the idea sounds far-fetched, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said on Tuesday that a plan to host UCL games in the U.S. has been discussed before.

Ceferin really peaked fans’ interest when he hinted that the final could be played in the states.

WOLFSBURG, Germany - Two-time European champions VfL Wolfsburg let a two-goal lead slip against Arsenal as the visitors fought back to earn a 2-2 draw in Sunday's Women's Champions League semifinal first leg.

Ewa Pajor and Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir gave the home side a 2-0 lead inside the first half hour but Arsenal reduced the deficit through Rafaelle Souza on the stroke of halftime before Stina Blackstenius leveled in the second period.

There was a horrible moment during Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg between Inter Milan and Benfica in the stands of the San Siro. During the game several Benfica fans hurled flares onto unsuspecting Inter supporters.

The iconic San Siro has an interesting layout where sometimes the away supporters sit above the home fans. 

With Benfica trailing on aggregate the traveling fans turned up the heat lighting flares. The scene turned ugly when the individuals holding the flares targeted the section below them filled with Inter fans.

Erling Haaland AKA the Norwegian goal-machine stunned fans during Manchester City’s 1-1 draw vs. Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. Haaland did what no one thought was possible and he missed a penalty kick.

City entered the second leg of the UCL quarterfinal with a comfortable 3-0 aggregate lead. Haaland had the opportunity to extend the lead to four goals in the 37th minute at the penalty spot after a handball was called on Dayot Upamecano.