Champions League bold predictions: Manchester City tame chaotic Real Madrid; Liverpool cruise to final

Liverpool will finish the job while Man City look to keep Real's Karim Benzema from exploiting any lack of control

The finish line is in sight. In the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League (catch all the action on CBS and Paramount+) a place in a major final is just 90 minutes away. Let's look ahead to Villarreal vs. Liverpool and Real Madrid vs. Manchester City before diving into the Europa League.

Villarreal's first leg tactics were the subject of some degree of consternation in the British media after last week's 2-0 defeat at Anfield. To which Unai Emery might reasonably ask, "what more did you want from me?" By no stretch of the imagination did they execute their conservative brand of knockout football to perfection, but it is at least true that they made Liverpool work for their win. As Jurgen Klopp said after the game, "It was the challenge -- I think how it is for all human beings -- you try and you fail, you try and you fail and you try and you fail and at one point you think, 'Come on, it's not my day anymore!'"