UEFA Champions League: Best XI After the Semi-Final 1st Legs

It is frequently cited that knockout-stage football is a lottery. Moreover, once the UEFA Champions League reaches the final four, one cannot be certain which two clubs will earn places in the final. This season, however, both Real Madrid and Juventus have proved themselves to be particularly difficult to beat, and the two footballing superpowers seem on a collision course.Real Madrid look primed to eliminate Atletico Madrid from Europe's most prestigious club tournament for the fourth time in four seasons. In the other semi-final, AS Monaco's opulent displays against Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund came to a halt when pitted against a tactically astute Juventus side.With a minimum of 90 minutes left to play, to call both legs over seems premature, but to expect either Atletico or Monaco to overturn their respective 3-0 and 2-0 deficits would be foolhardyconsidering the level of opposition they face.That being said, the games are played for a reasonanything can happen.Before fully turning our attention to the semi-final second legs (and the potential heavyweight clash at Cardiff's Principality Stadium), one piece of business remains from the semi-final first legs.All season, Bleacher Report has dissected player positions, attempting to find the bestUCLplayers in their respective roles. As the competition shrinks and tension rises, the time has come to put everyone in the same boatjudging players simply on their performances during each leg.No complicated formulas.No complicated grades. Just simply: Who were the best XI during those 180 minutes of football'After the semi-final first legs, we have our first team (using the 4-3-3 formation).Begin Slideshow
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