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Munich, April 29
It’s shaping up to be quite the few weeks for German football. The country is preparing to stage the European Championship over June and July, with Germany’s national team taking a nicely timed upturn in form.
Before that, Germany might yet be celebrating having a European champion once again, with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund making up half of the line-up for the Champions League semifinals beginning this week.
The last time Bayern and Dortmund both reached the Champions League semifinals was in 2013 and they went on to meet in the title match at Wembley Stadium, with Bayern winning 2-1. As fate would have it, Wembley will be hosting the final this year, too.
Setting up a repeat of that 2013 final would mean upsetting the odds.
Bayern are up against another European heavyweights in Real Madrid, the record 14-time champions and king of the competition.
Dortmund face Paris Saint-Germain, whose star striker Kylian Mbappe is looking to lead the French team to their first-ever Champions League title in his last season there before a likely move to Madrid.
Madrid should arrive well rested after the La Liga moved their game at Real Sociedad to Friday, which Madrid won 1-0.
With Madrid set to win the La Liga title, coach Carlo Ancelotti kept Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Eduardo Camavinga, Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, Antonio Rudiger and goalkeeper Andriy Lunin on the bench at the start of the league game in San Sebastian. Forward Rodrygo did not travel with the team because of flu.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel is leaving at the end of the season, and the Champions League — which he won with Chelsea in 2021 — offers him the chance to go out on a high. — AP
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