MY VIEW IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE THIS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY Chelsea Vs Paris Saint-Germain Stanford Bridge 21:45Hrs Whether or not the second leg of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal series will be one to remember probably will come down to the question of which team can score first on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge. Should French Ligue 1 leaders PSG—which won the opening leg (3-1) last Wednesday at home at Parc des Princes in Paris—be the first ones to get on the board, then the Blues will suddenly be down 4-1 aggregate and pretty much dead in the water. But if Chelsea can somehow be the team that puts the ball in the net first, a 3-2 aggregate score with a valuable road goal could then be the result, and the Blues will suddenly find themselves in a position where another successive goal will change the entire tone of the series and ignite the impatiently waiting and nervous West London crowd. So what happens? Chasing two goals, Chelsea will surely push the pace here—theoretically good for the over—looking for that aforementioned crucial first goal, and, with the lofty expectations and apprehensive energy at The Bridge, the Blues should get it and set up a very exciting hour or so of soccer to follow. We must be entertained. Only really good teams don’t lose in West London to Chelsea, and, this PSG club is a really good team—even without leader Ibrahimovic (10 Champions League goals) and a totally healthy Cavani. MY VERDICT: Chelsea 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain to advance __________________________________________ Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid Signal Iduna Park 20:45 Dortmunds injuries finally caught up with the team as last years finalists fell 3-0 at the Bernabeu stadium on Wednesday, all but ensuring the Schwarzgelben wont make it out of the quarter-finals. Los Blancos are on cruise-control following last weeks dominant performance, and with one eye on a Spanish La Liga title race that looks set to go down to the wire, coach Carlo Ancelotti might opt to rest one or two key starters. But in light of last years semi-final defeat at the hands of this very same Dortmund team, it seems unlikely the biggest stars like Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema would sit. Robert Lewandowski will return for the hosts following his suspension, and with his team in need of four goals to advance, fans are almost forced to think back of what happened last season: Remember when Lewandowski scored 4 against Real Madrid last year . But this years Real team has been a lot more consistent and effective as opposed to the one that took to the pitch last year, and it would seem very unlikely theyd give away such an excellent advantage. My Verdict: Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Real Madrid, Real Madrid to advance ______________________________ Wednesday 09 April 2014 Atlético de Madrid v Barcelona Vicente Calderón 20:45 Four meetings, four draws. The season-series between both teams has been a truly epic one, and Wednesdays fixture will give both teams yet another chance to finally claim bragging rights. Barcelona still have to rely on Jose Manuel Pinto in goal who overcame some sloppy defending to record a 3-1 league win over Real Betis on Saturday. The club needs to recover fast from FIFAs decision to impose a transfer ban on the Catalan giants earlier this week, as reported by La Blaugrana cant focus on the ban with the La Liga title race and Champions League deciders right around the corner, as a trip to the Vicente Calderon would be daunting enough in the best of circumstances. But as reported by ASs Dani Hidalgo, the hosts have enough concerns of their own, as star striker Diego Costa is still a question mark for this match. The forward himself is confident hell be ready, but no one will be able to gauge his effectiveness until the first whistle blows. Will the fifth meeting between both clubs finally yield a different result? Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2-2 Barcelona, Barcelona advance on aggregate score ___________________________________ FC Bayern München v Manchester United Allianz Arena 20:45 The Red Devils hung on for an impressive 1-1 draw against the reigning champions, but now they face a difficult trip to the Allianz Arena with the last semi-final ticket on the line. Bayern will be without the suspended Bastian Schweinsteiger following his controversial red card during the first leg, but as reported by Futbol News, Wayne Rooney, who injured his toe during the challenge that led to the dismissal of Schweinsteiger, could also miss out on Wednesdays tie: The Bavarians have already locked up the Bundesliga title and have been able to rest some of their starters as theyve shifted their focus onto the Champions League, while United have several players with injury concerns (most notably Robin van Persie, as reported by UEFA) and are still fighting for the Premier Leagues last European tickets. But a big weekend win over Newcastle United suddenly has the Red Devils believing in their chances, and with every analyst out there already assuming the hosts will simply discard United, the team will be able to play Wednesdays match free of any pressure. Will that be enough to overcome the powerful Bavarians? I have been thinking Manchester United will progress and I think they will My Verdict: Bayern Munich 2-2 Manchester United, Manchester United advance on way goal rule _________________________________ MY LAST FOUR 1. PSG 2. REAL MADRID 3. BARCELONA 4. MANCHESTER UNITED
Posted on: Tue, 08 Apr 2014 12:43:04 +0000
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