The contrast at the heart of the Champions League semi-finals – and what it says about football’s future

SportFootballThe contrast at the heart of the Champions League semi-finals – and what it says about football’s futureSerial winners Bayern Munich and PSG carry confidence into their tie while Arsenal and Atletico Madrid have psychological hurdles to overcome, setting up two very different paths to the finalMiguel Delaney Chief Football Writer Tuesday 28 April 2026 06:41 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2965923","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/champions-league-semi-finals-arsenal-atletico-psg-bayern-munich-b2965923.html","title":"The contrast at the heart of the Champions League semi-finals"}}open image in gallery{"id":"trigger-autogallery-3991","index":0}Harry Kane and Bayern Munich faced Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League league phase this season (Getty)Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and go beyond the game with exclusive insightsJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterTRY 1 MONTH FOR FREEI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Football_CDP","regTitle":"Miguel Delaney: Inside Football","subscriptionGroup":"readingTheGame","subscriptionGroupId":"d6776bff-0bec-4d53-a0ce-bd38db6811e5","type":"football","pathPrefix":["/sport/football","/topic/fantasy-football"],"associatedAuthors":["Miguel Delaney","Richard Jolly"],"title":"Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and go beyond the game with exclusive insights","mobileTitle":"Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/mi...