There is no catchy name for this stage of the UEFA Champions League competition.
It’s just “the semifinals.”
Just the semifinals of the world’s most popular annual sports event.
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In the first leg of their two-game, total-goals series, Netherlands power AFC Ajax faces rising Tottenham Hotspur of England on April 30 in London, followed May 1 by FC Barcelona playing host in Spain to England’s Liverpool FC. They play the return games the following week. The winners will meet June 1 at Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid in the championship game.
Barcelona’s Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi are among 20 players to have won the UCL title four times and are seeking to join the list of seven five-time winners, which includes Messi’s rival for world soccer preeminence, Cristiano Ronaldo, now of Juventus. (Only Francisco Gento of Real Madrid’s powerhouse teams in the early 1960s has done it six times.)
A tournament that began with 79 total teams entered from 54 countries late last June was cut down to 32 teams for the group stage that opened Sept. 18 and then the 16 clubs in the knockout rounds that began Feb. 12. Now we have four teams remaining.
These are some more of the essential facts to know in advance of these huge soccer afternoons.
Champions League 2019 semifinals by the numbers
Record in 2018-19 competition
| Club | W-L-D |
| Ajax | 5-1-4 |
| Barcelona | 7-0-3 |
| Liverpool | 6-3-1 |
| Tottenham | 6-2-2 |
European Cups won
- Barcelona: 5
- Liverpool: 5
- Ajax: 4
- Tottenham: 0
Most recent title
Barcelona: 2015, in a 3-1 victory over Juventus played at Olympiastadion in Berlin. Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Neymar scored for Barca.
Liverpool: 2005, in a 3-3 (3-2 on penalties) victory over AC Milan played at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso scored for LFC.
Ajax: 1995, in a 1-0 victory over AC Milan played at Ernst-Happel Stadion in Vienna. Patrick Kluivert scored for Ajax.
Tottenham: Has never reached the Champions League final
Most recent semifinal appearance
Barcelona: 2015, when Barca went on to win the title. Although Barca since has won two La Liga championships and three Copa del Rey titles, it was eliminated from the quarterfinals each of the previous three years.
Liverpool: 2018, when LFC defeated AS Roma and then lost to Real Madrid in the final.
Ajax: 1997, when the club lost to Juventus by a 6-2 aggregate score.
Tottenham: 1962, when Spurs lost to Benfica by a 4-3 aggregate score.
Last time two England teams reached semis:
2009: Arsenal and Chelsea lost in the semis and Manchester United advanced to the final before losing to Barcelona.
Last time a Netherlands team reached semis:
2005: PSV Eindhoven lost to AC Milan 3-3 on away goals. US men’s national team legend DeMarcus Beasley started for Eindhoven in the first leg. The Eredivisie has had only one team advance from the group stage in the past decade.
Last time two England teams reached finals:
2008: Manchester United defeated Chelsea, 1-1 (6-5 on penalties) at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Cristiano Ronaldo scored for Man U, with Ryan Giggs converting the clinching penalty kick.
Coach records in UCL play
| Coach | Club | Record |
| Jurgen Klopp | Liverpool | 31-18-11 (2x runner-up) |
| Mauricio Pochettino | Tottenham | 12-7-5 (semifinalist) |
| Ernesto Valverde | Barcelona | 19-8-8 (semifinalist) |
| Erik ten Hag | Ajax | 5-1-4 (semifinalist) |
Club records at semifinal stage
Liverpool: 8-2
Ajax: 6-2
Barcelona: 7-8
Tottenham: 0-1
Top goal scorers for UCL season among semifinalists
| Player | Club | Goals |
| 1. Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 10 |
| 2. Dusan Tadic | Ajax | 6 |
| 3. Harry Kane | Tottenham | 5 |
| 4. Heung-Ming Son | Tottenham | 4 |
| 5. Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 4 |
| 6. Sadio Mane | Liverpool | 4 |
| 7. Roberto Firmino | Liverpool | 4 |
Top career UCL scorers among semifinalists
| Player | Club | Goals |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 110 |
| Luis Suarez | Barcelona | 20 |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 17 |
| Roberto Firmino | Liverpool | 15 |
| Sadio Mane | Liverpool | 14 |
| Harry Kane | Tottenham | 14 |
| Arturo Vidal | Barcelona | 14 |
Goals conceded average
| Player | Club | Goals |
| Marc-Andre ter Stegen | Barcelona | 0.6 |
| Alisson Becker | Liverpool | 0.9 |
| Andre Onana | Ajax | 1.0 |
| Hugo Lloris | Tottenham | 1.25 |
