Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid - Champions League Preview
Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid will go head-to-head in the UEFA Champions League semifinals. This will be the third time the two clubs have met this season with Real Madrid still looking for their first win over the German giants.
La Liga vs. the Bundesliga for the hearts and minds of European football
Few would argue that Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have been the best sides in Europe this season. The four teams represent the shift in power from the Premier League and Serie A, who dominated European football over a 20-year period between the early '90s and the late 2000's.
Their club football philosophies come on the back of a complete overhaul of youth and coaching systems in each country, and now both Germany and Spain are seen as the template to follow in international football.
In recent years, Jurgen Klopp's team has become the beacon in Europe for all that is good about football. They play an exciting brand of football that relies heavily upon the creative skills of the front players. They are the epitome of modern German football more than any other team. The days of pragmatism over skill have long been banished into the record books.
Bayern have always been a gigantic club but could never compete with the likes of Barca or Real as a super-club. That era may also be gone with the impending arrival of ex-Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola next summer. The highly rated manager will take over from Jupp Heynkes when he retires at the end of the season.
Real and Barca are no strangers to anyone who loves football. Both teams have been associated with exciting football ever since the European Cup was first played in 1955. Barca's climb to European dominance took more than 50 years since the tournament's inception, but they are now heralded as one of the games great teams.
Bayern and Dortmund will be keen to show that the rising power in European football is German. While the royalty that is Barca and Real will be out to show that they will not give up their thrones easily.
Betting Pick : X2 Odds:1.44
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