ALEX CROOK PREVIEW: Champions League Semi-Finals

Star Sports ambassador ALEX CROOK looks ahead to the mid-week European semi-finals, and puts up a whopping 50/1 ALEX ACCA…

---

PSG v BAYERN
Tuesday, 8pm

⭐ STARSPORTS.BET MATCH MARKETS ⭐

If you are going to watch any game this week then it has to be this one in my opinion as two of the best teams in Europe square off for a place in the Champions League final.

PSG were not at their brilliant best in the League phase but the European champions have come into their own at the business end of the competition, sweeping both Chelsea and Liverpool aside.

Bayern meanwhile were nothing short of majestic in their quarter final win over Real Madrid, which turned into a tie for the ages and I am expecting something just as special here.

The German champions came out on top when these two met in the League phase, but given PSG’s improvement I am not sure how much of a baring that will have here.

There is an argument to be made that PSG are the stronger team defensively having kept clean sheets in both legs of their quarter final win over Liverpool.

But against Chelsea at home they did offer up chances and we know Bayern will play on the front foot from the off.

I think the wide players will be pivotal to who progresses to the final in Budapest and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Michael Olise in particular could hold the key to their team’s hope.

Olise has bagged 17 goals this season including a brilliant stoppage time strike to kill off Real in the last round. My build-a-bet is draw, Olise to score and over 3.5 cards which returns 17/1 with starsports.bet.

---

ATLETICO MADRID v ARSENAL
Wednesday, 8pm

⭐ STARSPORTS.BET MATCH MARKETS ⭐

Arsenal got their stuttering Premier League title bid back on track with a nervy 1-0 win at home to Newcastle on Saturday.

They travel to Madrid on Wednesday to face an Atleti side they have already thrashed 4-0 in the League phase.

The Gunners’ recent form does little to suggest a repeat of that drubbing is on the cards, having won only two of their last seven and scoring just five goals in that time.

It is a similar story for the hosts, whose victory over Spanish rivals Barcelona in the quarter finals were an outlier from their recent domestic results.

That triumph was also aided by the fact Barca had a player sent off at key times in both legs.

This is Atleti’s best run in the competition since 2017 while Arsenal are bidding to go one better than last year when they lost in the semis to eventual winners PSG.

Mikel Arteta’s men remain the only unbeaten side in this season’s Champions League, winning ten of their 12 previous games, but a draw would be a good result to take back to north London for next week’s second leg.

In contrast to the other semi-final, I am not expecting a goal fest so under 2.5 goals at 4/6 with starsports.bet is a pretty strong selection.

---

NOTTINGHAM FOREST v ASTON VILLA
Thursday, 8pm

⭐ STARSPORTS.BET MATCH MARKETS ⭐

The City Ground will be alive on Thursday night when two former European champions collide in the first leg of an eagerly-awaited Europa League semi-final.

With Braga or Freiburg lying in wait in next month’s final in Budapest, the winner of the competition really should come from this tie.

With Forest not yet safe from relegation that raises the intriguing prospect of the Tricky Trees playing Champions League football in the Championship next season.

However, Friday’s 5-0 demolition of Sunderland should provide the springboard for survival and was a nice confidence-boost ahead of this game.

Villa in contract were well below par in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Fulham and still need a few more points to be certain of a top five finish.

While I was firmly in Villa’s corner after they thrashed Bologna over two legs in the quarters and still expect them to go through over two legs, those weekend performances make me believe Forest can get a positive result here, roared on by a noisy home crowd.

Captain Morgan Gibbs-White has really stepped up in recent weeks, scoring five goals in his last three games, including a hat-trick in Forest’s last home game against Burnley.

I am backing Gibbs-White to score at any time at 11/4 with starsports.bet.

---

SHAKHTAR DONETSK v CRYSTAL PALACE
Thursday, 8pm

⭐ STARSPORTS.BET MATCH MARKETS ⭐

The other game on Thursday is the first leg of Palace’s Conference League semi-final with Shakhtar on neutral soil in Poland.

While this is new territory for Palace, Shakhtar are playing in their fourth European semi-final but the Ukrainian side have been stronger on their travels than in their designated home games in this competition.

The Eagles have lost only one of their last eight European games and that was the second leg of the quarter final versus Fiorentina having already done the hard work at home.

Ismaila Sarr has scored four goals in Palace’s last three Conference League games and is 5/1 with starsports.bet to score first.

---

RECOMMENDED SELECTIONS
1️⃣ BEST BET: Atletico Madrid v Arsenal under 2.5 goals 1.5pts at 4/6 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
2️⃣ NEXT BEST: Morgan Gibbs-White to score at any time 1pt at 11/4 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
🎲 LONG SHOT: Ismaila Sarr to score first 0.5pts at 5/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
📊 BUILD-A-BET: PSG v Bayern draw, Michael Olise to score and over 3.5 cards 0.5pts at 17/1 with starsports.bet
🚀 ALEX ACCA: Michael Olise (PSG v Bayern), Morgan Gibbs-White (Forest v Villa), Ismaila Sarr (Shakhtar v Palace) all to score at any time 0.5pts at 50/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

---

(APR 2026): PROFIT/LOSS: 16.83 points

---

STAR PROMOTIONS