Champions League Semis: Real Madrid vs Barcelona Preview (2nd Leg)

Real Madrid vs Barcelona (2^nd Leg)

May 4 @ 2:30AM (Balls Channel)

The el clasico series this season will come to an end with the 2^nd leg of the Champions League Seminfinals.  So far, there is one draw and both teams have one win (click here for recap, stats, etc of el clasico I & II and here for recap, stats, etc of el clasico III):

el clasico I – La Liga (Apr 16): Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid

el clasico II – Copa del Rey (Apr 20): Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid

el clasico III – Champions League Semis leg 1 (Apr 27): Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona

Barca comes into this match with a 2-away goal advantage.  It’s not a big mountain to overcome but according to Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho in his post-match comment in the 1^st leg game, it’s an “impossible” task.  His skipper disagrees with him, though.  According to Iker Casillas:

"The names of the two teams that will play the final haven't been inscribed yet.  You never know what may happen. We will play in Barcelona knowing a final is set to take place in a month and that any of the four teams still in the championship may be in it."

And I agree with Casillas, never say never.  And in football, you never know.  But for Real to win this match, they need to score goals, they need to change tactics as the defensive football they played in the 1^st leg did not work and honestly it was unpleasant to watch.  I mean, they have a lot of great offensive players like Kaka, Gonzalo Higuain, CRonaldo, Karim Benzema, etc. so playing offensively won't be a problem for them.  However, I wonder how the team will function with Mourinho banned from the game after he was sent off during the 1^st leg.

For Barca, on the other hand, have happy news for the injury-plagued team.  Andres Iniesta and Eric Abidal trained normally and are in the squad for the game.  Eric Abidal has been out since March 17 from a surgery to remove a tumour in his liver and now the doctors have given him the clearance and he’s included in the squad for this match.  I don’t know if he’ll be in the 1^st eleven or could just be an unused substitute.  Guardiola has said that, “Abi' can't play 90 minutes, he has lost weight. But he is in perfect health and he'll be able to help us.” So maybe a few minutes of game time?  But either way, I am glad he’s fully recovered.  Andres Iniesta, who was sidelined in the 1^st leg because of a calf injury, has also joined the training and is included in the squad, no official word yet if he’s starting.  Carles Puyol, however, worked separately from the rest of the team as he continues his recovery.  He played during the 1^st leg (he had a spectacular game, btw) but did not play in Barca’s domestic match during the weekend, probably being rested in time for the 2^nd leg.

Barca can capitalize on Real Madrid missing two of its key defense players, Sergio Ramos and Pepe, due to suspension.  They may have a 2-goal advantage, but I hope Barca won’t play too defensively (although I shouldn't worry as that isn't how they play).  Guardiola has said they will attack, but attack with common sense, so maybe we'll to see some amazing goals from them.

I do hope this time it will be a showcase of great football from the best teams of this sport and not a war of the words as what happened in the 1^st leg (click here to read on the 1^st leg controveries/issues).  There was just too much controversy that it detracted from the amazing goals that Messi scored.  

the no-nonsense Pierluigi Collina
photo courtesy of Reuters

After three stormy el clasico matches within two weeks, tensions will be high, so I guess UEFA is not taking chances in this match as they are sending Pierluigi Collina to monitor this game.  I love this guy.  When I started watching football, he was one of the most respected referees.  A highly recognizable figure in football, he even had a sponsorship deal with Opel, how many referees could say the same?  He’s retired now but he’s considered as the best referee of all time.

So I hope both teams will play clean and fair and I’m looking forward to an exciting match.  I’ll be crossing my fingers for a Barca-Schalke finals J

Champions League Semis: Real Madrid vs Barcelona Preview (1st Leg)

Real Madrid vs Barcelona (1^st Leg)

April 28 @ 2:30AM (Balls Channel)

Champions League Semis: Schalke vs Manchester United (1st Leg)

Schalke vs Manchester United (1^st Leg)

April 27 @ 2:30AM 

Champions League QF: Inter Milan vs Schalke Preview (2nd Leg)

Inter Milan vs Schalke (2^nd Leg)

April 14 @ 4:30AM

Inter Milan, will have to work really hard to overturn a 3-point deficit.  With Schalke coming in with 5 away goals from a stunning 1^st Leg win, Inter would really need to score a lot of goals.  But I think It think, other than scoring goals, they should also have to fix their defense problems which was the cause of them conceding 5 goals to Schalke in the last match.  Aren’t Italians known for their very organized defense?  Or was it Germany?

Initially, I was rooting for Inter on this side of the table, but somehow the defending champions, doesn’t seem to be the strong team they were last season.  Now I’m rooting for Schalke, with Raul leading the way to defeat Man U.  And hopefully, face off with Barca in the finals J

Aggregate Score:

Champions League QF: Real Madrid vs Tottenham Preview (2nd Leg)

Real Madrid vs Tottenham (2^nd Leg)

April 14 @ 2:30AM

With a 4-point goal advanatge, it would seem that Real Madrid will most likely be advancing to the semi-finals, a first in eight years. 

There’s isn’t much to say about this match, as like the Barca vs Tottenham game, this also seems like a formality, unless of course Tottenham pulls off a miracle.  Real must be very comfortable with their lead that coach Jose Mourinho can afford to have two of his key players Sergio Ramos and Angel Di Maria miss the match to avoid picking up a 2^nd yellow card (and subsequently miss the next match).

They are seriously on the path of trying to reclaim the Champions League title they have won 9 times.  But they will have to go thru Barca first.

Aggregate Score:

Champions League QF: Barcelona vs Shakhtar (2nd Leg)

Barcelona vs Shakhtar

April 13 @ 4:30AM (Balls Channel)

According to the commentator during their 1^st leg match, this game “looks like a formality”.  Even if Shakhtar wins, they need to score lots and lots of goals to overcone Barca’s solid 4-point advantage over them to advance to the next round.  Shakhtar captain Darijo Srna, defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Coach Mircea Lucescu are already saying that Barca will be advancing to the semis and even winning the finals.  Seems like they will just try to salvage what they can from the previous 5-1 defeat.

"We play for the honour of our club, the city and the fans." – Darijo Srna, demanding Shakhtar playesr a show of character on the 2^nd leg match.

I will still be crossing my fingers coz in football, you’ll never know.

Here’s what the very modest Pep Guardiola has to say:

“A serious test awaits us. We should complete our task in the Champions League before preparing for the Santiago Bernabeu. I want to repeat, again, that the tie is not already won. Anything is possible in football, but we will work hard to prevent Shakhtar pulling off a miracle.”

Maybe Shakhtar can to exploit Barca’s shakey defense (they will still be without Puyol and Abidal).  Guardiola has been saying not to underestimate this offense-minded team.  But even if Shakhtar wins this match, it will tougher for them to win in the final aggregate score though.  They also need to prevent Barca from scoring away goals (good luck with that).

I am looking forward to watching the “best team in the world” play again, it’s very entertaining to watch their tiki-taka football J

Aggregate Score:

Champions League QF: Chelsea vs Manchester United (2nd Leg)

Chelsea vs Manchester United – 2^nd Leg

April 13 @ 1:30AM (Balls Channel)

The only match during the 1^st Leg that ended with a low goal difference, this gives Chelsea a chance to turn this around.  Man U might be coming in with an away goal but compared to Shakhtar, Schalke and Tottenham, Chelsea’s chances are better.

But it won’t be that easy for Chelsea as Man U is hard to beat in their home turf.  Will this be the time for Fernando Torres to find his form and break his goal drought to score goals that will bring Chelsea to the next round?  Or will it be Didier Drogba scoring the goals?  But Chelsea will also have to look out for Wayne Rooney.

Aggregate Score:

Chelsea: 0

Manchester United: 1

For the win:

Chelsea:

Champions League QF: Barcelona vs Shakhtar (1st Leg)

Barcelona vs Shakhtar – 1^st Leg

April 7 @ 4:30AM

Shakhtar, first-timers in the quarterfinals stage, will be facing Barca which people are saying is the “best team in the world right now” and that they are a shoo in to reach the semis and maybe even the finals.  I love what Shakhtar Donetsk general manager, Serhy Palkin, said.  He said team will show up and he urged them not to stay locked inside the dressing room with fear.  Furthermore:

"If we can't beat them then who can? The Catalans have more chances of winning the tournament compared to other teams, fortune has smiled on us.  But, anything can happen, and so we cannot abandon the pitch without even playing them first. We have to look at the two games with optimism."  – Sherhy Palkin

He is right, though.  As much as I love, love, love Barca and their chances in advancing to the semis are high, I will still be crossing my fingers because as I’ve said before, with football, anything can happen.  Especially with a team like Shakhtar who are also known for their attacking style of football.  Barca really needs to make sure their defense is tight and organized.  They will be missing skipper, Puyol, who is still out on injury (and of course Abidal is still recovering from his surgery) but at least Pique is coming back from suspension.

I hope to get to see another match like their 2^nd leg game against Arsenal.  That was some amazing football!

Click here to check out how Shakhtar’s main defense players reacted to the news that they were facing Barca in the quarterfinals.  If Shakhtar is intimidated by Barca, I wonder if Barca feels pressured with what people are saying about them.  I mean, do they feel pressured to live up to all these expectations of being called the best team in the world?

Because I’m such a Messi fan, here’s a random trivia which really has nothing to do in this post that I just want to share: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has scored 25 goals in his last 30 matches in the Champions League and 14 in his last 11 starts. The Argentine also has taken 20 shots on target, more than any player in the competition this campaign (source: www.goal.com).

Stadium: Camp Nou (Barca’s Home Turf)

More here:

Champions League QF: Chelsea vs Manchester United (1st Leg)

Chelsea vs Manchester United

April 7 @ 2:30AM

As I’ve said before, I’m not really a fan of the Premier League.  So with the EPL teams in this match, I don’t really care who wins either way.

But too bad though that they drew each other for the quarterfinals… I mean, they get to meet each other in the EPL anyway.  Would have been nice if they’d played against a non-English team…

Stadium: Stamford Bridge (Chelsea‘s home turf)

More here: