Ranking The Players Who Could Decide The Champions League Semi-finals

ByAlex Bysouth

BBC Sport Senior Journalist

It's nan business extremity of nan Champions League, wherever heroes are made and Ballon d'Or winners forged. But which players will beryllium astir pivotal to their team's success?

This week, pinch Paris St-Germain facing Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid hosting Arsenal successful nan semi-finals, we're looking astatine those cardinal cogs among nan clubs battling for Europe‘s grandest prize.

This is not a database simply of nan biggest stars - though galore of them characteristic - but those players whose beingness could beryllium captious to their squad reaching nan last successful Budapest.

You tin person your opportunity astatine nan bottommost of nan page too.

10. Matteo Ruggeri (Atletico Madrid)

Matteo Ruggeri has started 11 of Atletico Madrid's 14 games successful this season's Champions League and, pinch Diego Simeone's broadside up against an Arsenal outfit who hit them 4-0 earlier successful nan competition, it figures that nan left-back will beryllium an important beingness successful nan semi-finals.

The La Liga outfit person utilized a debased artifact much times than anyone other - 458 times successful 14 games - and 23-year-old Italian Ruggeri has played a cardinal domiciled successful helping Atletico sphere leads.

He has made much interceptions than immoderate of his team-mates and is 3rd wide successful nan title this play pinch 20, while nary Atletico subordinate has won much tackles than nan battle-hardened Ruggeri, who vanished nan return limb against Barcelona pinch humor seeping from his forehead.

9. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Ruggeri was tasked pinch trying to support Lamine Yamal quiet during nan quarter-finals, and his occupation this clip mightiness beryllium trying to stifle Arsenal's Bukayo Saka.

The England winger missed much than a period pinch an Achilles problem, including some legs of nan quarter-final triumph complete Sporting, but, fixed nan Gunners struggled to break down nan Lisbon outfit successful his absence - and taking into relationship Atletico’s penchant for a debased artifact - Saka whitethorn beryllium cardinal to unlocking their defence.

Opta has Arsenal down arsenic marginal favourites to triumph nan Champions League this season, up of Bayern Munich, and Mikel Arteta's broadside person been a different beast pinch Saka successful nan line-up, averaging 2.6 goals and 2.3 expected goals (xG) per crippled successful nan 8 matches nan 24-year-old has played compared to only 1.5 goals and 1.8 xG connected mean successful nan 4 he missed.

8. Achraf Hakimi (Paris St-Germain)

Legendary Brazilian right-back Cafu precocious claimed Achraf Hakimi is nan champion successful nan world successful that position, and it's difficult to reason fixed his contributions to Paris St-Germain successful nan Champions League this campaign.

The Parisiens boast a potent threat connected some flanks pinch Nuno Mendes offering akin output from left-back, but we'll spell pinch Hakimi arsenic being much important to their effort astatine retaining nan European crown fixed Lucas Hernandez has shared nan left-back load pinch Mendes this term.

Bayer Leverkusen's Alejandro Grimaldo is nan only defender to separator Moroccan Hakimi for extremity contributions successful this season's competition, making 5 assists and scoring once.

But Hakimi (7.5 connected mean per game) and Mendes (7.6) are a agelong measurement clear erstwhile it comes to defenders who person been progressive successful nan astir attacking moves per game.

7. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

This could arsenic person been Aleksandar Pavlovic, who has completed much passes than immoderate of his Bayern Munich team-mates successful nan Champions League this play and was superb successful nan triumph complete Real Madrid, but I've gone pinch Joshua Kimmich for his value to a broadside who rightfully thin to get astir plaudits for their attack.

The 31-year-old midfielder has been cardinal to unleashing that ruthless frontline, pinch his 19 protect line-breaking passes nan astir successful Europe's showpiece competition. He is nan only Bayern subordinate successful double figures.

Only irrepressible PSG midfielder Vitinha (345) has made much successful passes into nan last 3rd than Kimmich (301) and Pavlovic (285), but Kimmich has sewage nan shot into nan punishment container much than immoderate different subordinate this season.

6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris St-Germain)

Ousmane Dembele racked up 8 goals and six assists successful Europe during his Ballon d'Or-winning run past season, nan grounds for a PSG subordinate successful a play arsenic they clinched nan Champions League for nan first time.

Yet astatine nan semi-final shape this clip astir Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is only 1 awkward of that, pinch his 8 goals and 5 assists putting nan Parisiens connected people to take sides their crown.

The Georgia winger is arsenic effective arsenic he is mesmerising, taunting guidance pinch a languid but unstoppable dribbling style, socks astatine half mast connected his calves, defenders clawing astatine nan scorched turf near down him. He's deadly - and Bayern cognize it.

5. Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)

From 1 electrifying winger to another. Michael Olise has been a revelation this play and nan only logic he isn't higher connected this database is that Vincent Kompany's broadside person a plethora of guardant options fresh to spot successful connected nan uncommon juncture nan France world is not firing.

Luis Diaz, Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl person each made a important contributions down Harry Kane too.

But that doesn't return distant from conscionable really bully Olise has been. The 24-year-old erstwhile Crystal Palace and Reading man has completed nan third-most dribbles successful nan title and is 3rd for large chances created. Barcelona's Lamine Yamal tops some those metrics.

Most impressively, Olise has racked up 20 goals and 29 assists successful each competitions.

4. David Raya (Arsenal)

David Raya is nan typical present for that halfway Arsenal protect triumvirate which besides includes centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

In nan 22 Champions League games nan 3 person started together for Arsenal, they person kept 13 cleanable sheets and conceded 11 goals.

That intends they are only letting a extremity gaffe erstwhile each 2 games connected average, and they boast an awesome grounds of 59% of matches successful which they person not conceded astatine all.

But Raya has stood retired for his performances successful Europe. He mightiness beryllium renowned for his expertise pinch nan shot astatine his feet, but it was his sublime shot-stopping that kept Arsenal successful nan quarter-final during nan first limb astatine Sporting.

The 30-year-old Spaniard has saved 90% of shots he has faced successful this season's competition, putting him good clear of his gloved counterparts.

3. Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid)

Atletico Madrid's travel to Arsenal successful nan convention shape feels a agelong clip ago, but it will instrumentality successful their mind not conscionable for nan 4 goals they shipped, but for their struggles successful attack.

Atletico produced only 0.32 xG from unfastened play successful that conclusion and managed only 1 changeable connected target, so, if they are to return thing against Arsenal this clip around, getting Julian Alvarez successful nan crippled will beryllium key.

The Argentina guardant has scored 9 goals successful nan title this season, much than immoderate Atletico subordinate had managed successful a Champions League campaign.

He's besides a menace defending from nan front, pinch a mammoth 853 high-intensity pressures - much than anyone other this season. That's 70 per crippled connected average.

That activity ethic, ruthlessness successful beforehand of extremity and nan wizardry to crook a free-kick into nan apical corner, arsenic Barcelona recovered out, make nan 26-year-old captious to Atletico's chances of progressing.

2. Vitinha (Paris St-Germain)

Vitinha has already been mentioned respective times successful this file because he happens to beryllium nan yardstick for nan champion midfielders connected nan continent.

The diminutive Portugal international, erstwhile of Wolves, makes Luis Enrique's European champions tick. His passing stats put nan 26-year-old successful nan speech pinch Barcelona and Spain awesome Xavi.

Vitinha is streets up successful position passes completed successful nan Champions League this season, ne'er mind passes into nan last 3rd and guardant passes.

In fact, his 1,370 passes this word are nan astir successful immoderate version of nan title since Opta started search specified stats successful 2003-04.

Vitinha has completed 100 aliases much successful 8 different games this season, which has been topped by only 1 subordinate - Xavi successful a highest Pep Guardiola Barcelona squad of 2010-11.

1. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)

In apical spot it has to beryllium Harry Kane. Goals triumph games, and nan England skipper has scored 53 of them successful 45 games successful each competitions for Bayern this season.

The astir prolific guardant connected nan continent correct now has netted successful his past 4 Champions League knockout games. His 12 goals are nan astir by an English subordinate successful a play of Europe's apical competition.

A first European trophy is connected nan statement but besides perchance nan prize of being named nan world's champion player. It's a Ballon d'Or-worthy play from nan 32-year-old, but Kane will cognize that individual accolade often only comes pinch squad success.

Kane's beingness is important to Bayern and he is nan prima who could person nan biggest opportunity connected which furniture nan Champions League trophy ends up in.