Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:41 — ) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Blubrry | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | Youtube Music | RSS | More
Each week on languagecaster’s podcast we feature a main report and on this week’s show we feature the Champions League semi-finals. You can listen to the report and read the transcript below. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.
The second legs of the two semi-finals of the Champions League take place this week with both ties so delicately poised that football pundits are at a loss to predict a winner. Anyway, that has never stopped languagecaster before so here we go with a preview of the two games and of course our predictions!
When this season’s competition kicked off at the end of June, few would have predicted that the semi-finals would have four teams from four different countries taking part – none of them from England. Such was the domination of Premier League clubs that last season’s defeat of Manchester United in the final was simply seen as a blip. So, when the 76 teams from 52 different countries entered the competition way back in June of last year, it was yet again expected that Premier League sides would be challenging for the Europe’s top club tournament. But with Barcelona destroying Arsenal and Manchester United falling to Bayern Munich at the quarter-final stage, for the first time in five years there will be no team from the Premier League in the final, which this year will take place in Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu on May 22nd – the first ever time there will be a Saturday final. It will also be a tough night for Madrid fans for not only are their side unable to add to their record haul of nine titles but they may have to watch their dreaded rivals Barcelona retain the trophy on their home turf. And if it’s not the Catalan side, then they may well be haunted by one of two players that the Madrid team let go last summer for not being good enough: Wesley Schneider from Inter Milan and Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben. So, who is your money on to reach the 55th European Cup final
Barcelona vs Inter Milan
Embed from Getty Images
Can there be a more mouth-watering tie than this? The aesthetically-pleasing Barcelona against the physically imposing and tactically astute Inter Milan. Their manager Jose Mourinho has dramatically changed the mentality of the side that, though domestically strong, were never seen as real threats in European competition. Now this has changed and there is a sense that this could be Inter’s year to finally win back the trophy they last held 45 years ago. They hold a 3-1 lead after some controversial decisions went their way in the San Siro last week and are seen as slight favourites by the bookmakers. Barca need at least a 2-0 victory and despite Mourinho’s claims to the contrary they can never be written off particularly with Xavi and Messi in their team. they are also owed a big game by Ibrahimovic who was particularly disappointing in Milan. I think Inter will score but Barcelona will simply score more and eventually run out winners – maybe 4-1 after extra time.
Lyon vs Bayern Munich
Now Bayern are strong favourites to make it through to their eighth final after a 1-0 home victory over Lyon in their first leg match. Lyon were poor and for long periods of the game were outplayed by the Germans even when they had a man advantage – that was thanks to Franck Ribéry’s red card. When their captain Jeremy Toulalan was also dismissed soon after, the momentum swung back in Bayern’s favour and thanks to another wonder strike from Dutch star Arjen Robben they have the edge in this semi-final. But Bayern have a poor away record in Europe, they’re missing Ribéry and surely Lyon cannot play so badly again, this means that I am going for a shock Lyon win to become the first French side to make the final since Monaco 6 years ago.
Vocabulary
- delicately poised: Perfectly balanced; difficult to predict
- football pundits: Football experts – journalists
- are at a loss : Do not know how to explain something; clueless
- a blip: A small mistake, something unusual
- haul: Collection (of titles)
- dreaded rivals: Hated rivals; the team that your team dislikes the most; most feared opponents
- be haunted: scared
- who is your money on : Which team do you think will win? (Betting term)
- a more mouth-watering tie: A ‘delicious’ game; a match that everyone wants to see
- dismissed: To be sent off; to receive a red card
Learn English Through Football Podcast: A show for football fans to improve their English language skills
Barcelona vs Bayern final