Chelsea - Atletico Madrid (PREVIEW)

A very dull match between tho disciplined teams in the first leg, with Chelsea using the so called "park the bus" tactic. However, it was a fine performance, they cancelled out the on-fire striker Diego Costa for most of the match and making several crucial blocks and tackles around their box. Chelsea will be missing their number one goalkeeper Petr Cech, as he is out for the season after dislocating his shoulder in the early stages of the first match. 41 year old veteran keeper Mark Schwarzer will step in, but this will be no handicap for Chelsea, as Schwarzer proved he is a top keeper after keeping clean sheets in the rest of the first match against Atletico and a free-scoring Liverpool side. Captain John Terry is also doubtful because of an ankle injury, so we may see Ashley Cole retain the left-back position and Branislav Ivanovic shifting to centre-back. Atletico, who are on the verge of winning La Liga will have to play without their captain Gabi, so Tiago Mendes might get a start.

Expected Lineups:

Schwarzer; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Cole; Ramires, D.Luiz; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Eto'o/Schurlle

Courtois; Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, F.Luis; Tiago, M.Suarez; Koke, Raul Garcia, Turan/Diego; Diego Costa

Our Prediction:
It is hard to bet against Mourinho - Chelsea proved in the recent matches (PSG, Atletico, Liverpool) that they have great fighting spirit and are always capable to get the result they need. They will be disciplined at the back and wait for their chance. Result: Chelsea win 1:0.

Chelsea's defence vs. Diego Costa (photo: todayonline.com)

Bayern München - Real Madrid (PREVIEW)

Real Madrid won 1:0 at home, although Bayern were in possession most of the time. Real were very disciplined at the back and extremely dangerous on the counter-attacks. It could even have been 2:0 had Ronaldo scored from a big chance. Bayern will have to change things around a bit, as their style of play did not cause much trouble to Madrid's defense. We might see Javi Martinez in the starting lineup, as he is one of the best when it comes to stopping counter attacks. Bayern will also have to be more direct if they want to beat Real Madrid and play in the final for the 4th time in the last 5 years.

Expected Lineups:

Neuer; Lahm, Boateng, Dante, Alaba; Martinez, Schweinsteiger; Robben, Gotze/Muller, Ribery; Mandzukic

Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Coentrao; Alonso, Modric, Di Maria; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo

Our Prediction:
Bayern will keep possession most of the time, trying to break down Madrid's defence, while Real will wait for their chance on the break, with the pace of Bale and Ronaldo being the main threat. Result: 3:1 for Bayern.

Karim Benzema scoring the winning goal against Bayern. (photo: zurnal24.si)

Top 10 of our League

Here is the leaderboard of our Top 10 managers. Gale is the leader, 20 points in front of Jared Kubokawa and sean tbn. Good work guys! 

Real Madrid - Bayern München (PREVIEW)

It is difficult to imagine a more exciting semi final clash than the match between the spanish giants that won the trophy 9 times and the current holders Bayern München, who won it 5 times. Bayern are very close to becoming the first team to retain the champions league trophy, Real Madrid, however, will be hoping they bring the desired "La Decima" home, after not winning the champions league since the 2001-02 season. 
The main issue for Real Madrid is the fitness of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has a muscle injury and it is still unsure whether he will be able to feature in the first leg of the semis. Even without Ronaldo, Real have shown they are still able to beat any team, as they demonstrated in the Copa del Rey Final last Wednesday when they beat Barcelona 2:1 after a fantastic solo goal by Gareth Bale. 
Bayern München will welcome Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez back from suspension, Schweinsteiger especially will be a big boost for the team as he is in great form. Thiago and Shaqiri are both doubtful, but this is not a big problem for a squad as deep as Bayern's. Rafinha will be dropped to the bench to accommodate Lahm as right-back - his task will be to mark C.Ronaldo and it will be very interesting to see who will come out on top. 
Both teams are very strong going forward, so it is difficult to imagine a low scoring match between these two teams. It will be a classic and the winner of this semi final will be favorite to lift the trophy.


Expected Lineups:


Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo(Coentrao); Alonso, Modric, Di Maria; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo(Isco)

Neuer; Lahm, Dante, Boateng, Alaba; Kroos; Robben, Schweinsteiger, Goetze, Ribery; Mandžukić(Muller)

Our Prediction:
We expect an exciting battle with many goals. Result: Draw 2:2.

Phillip Lahm, Cristiano Ronaldo & Arjen Robben in action. (photo: zimbio.com)

Atletico Madrid - Chelsea (PREVIEW)

Atletico Madrid is the only team in the Semi Finals that has never won the Champions League. However, in the last years, the winner was either Barcelona, or the team that knocked Barcelona out of the competition. And you know very well how Atletico beat Barcelona in the last round. Standing in their way in the semi-final stage will be Mourinho's Chelsea who are not the most elegant team, but they sure know how to get the thing done. They have had many slip-ups this season, however, they are the best when it counts the most. It will be a huge battle between two disciplined teams with a strong defence.
All eyes will be on Diego Costa, who is having a fantastic season and is Chelsea's top transfer target in the summer for a reported fee around 45 million euros. There was an injury scare for Costa when he collided with the goal post when scoring this weekend, but is supposed to be fine and ready to play. The other talking point is Thibaut Courtois, who is on loan from Chelsea and has a clause in his contract which obliges Atletico to pay 3,5 million euro for each match he plays against his owners. Nevertheless, UEFA already stated that such clauses are not valid in UEFA competitions, so it seems like he will be allowed to play.
Chelsea are sweating over Eden Hazard's fitness, as he has not featured since being subbed during their match versus PSG. There will also be some re-shuffling at the back as Branislav Ivanovic is suspended. This probably means that Cesar Azpilicueta will move to the right-back position and we will see Ashley Cole in action after a long time. The striker position is also up for grabs at Chelsea - we could see either veteran Samuel Eto'o, the hero against PSG Demba Ba, an emotional return of Fernando Torres to Vicente Calderon or even Andre Schurlle as striker.

UPDATE - 21.4.2014: Samuel Eto'o did not travel with Chelsea - he will miss the match due to injury, so Torres is expected to lead the line. Eden Hazard did not train with the squad, but might be risked by Jose Mourinho.

Expected Lineups:

Atletico Madrid:
Courtois; Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Felipe Luis; Tiago, Gabi; Koke, Raul Garcia, Arda Turan, Diego Costa

Chelsea:
Cech; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Cole; D.Luiz, Ramires; Willian, Oscar, Hazard/Schurlle; Torres

Our Prediction:
This will be a very tight match with both teams keeping it tight at the back and waiting for a mistake by the opposition. Result: 1:1 draw.

Fernando Torres vs. Diego Costa (photo: telegraph.co.uk)

Atletico Madrid - Barcelona (PREVIEW)

Atletico have earned a hard fought draw away at Barcelona and have the advantage of scoring an away goal after Diego's fantastic long-range effort. Barcelona had some chances, however Atletico has proved many times this season that they have the answer to keep Barcelona from scoring - they played four times this season already and all matches ended in draws. So it looks good for Atletico to knock-out their rivals and reach the semi-finals. Diego Costa and Arda Turan are out for Atletico, while Pique is missing for Barcelona.

Expected Lineups:

Courtois; Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, F.Luis; Gabi, Tiago; Koke, Raul Garcia, Diego; Villa

Pinto; Alves, Bartra, Mascherano, Alba; Busquets, Xavi, Fabregas; Iniesta, Neymar, Messi

Our Prediction:
Expect a tight affair, Barcelona keeping possession and Atletico playing on the counter-attack. Result: 1:1, Atletico win after a penalty shootout.

Neymar vs. Atletico Madrid

Bayern München - Manchester United (PREVIEW)

Most people thought Bayern were too strong for Manchester United, but the Red Devils played a great match, especially in defence and kept Bayerns attacking threat to the minimum. The result still favours the defending champions as they have the away goal advantage after a 1:1 draw. Manchester United improved a lot during the last weeks, Bayern, on the other hand, suffered their first defeat this season in the Bundesliga during the weekend. Van Persie (injury) and Mata (cup tied) are out for United, while Bayern will have to do without Schweinsteiger (suspended), Thiago (injured), Javi Martinez (suspended) and Shaqiri (injured).

Expected Lineups:

Neuer; Rafinha, Dante, Boateng, Alaba; Lahm; Robben, Gotze, Kroos, Ribery; Mandzukic/Muller

De Gea; Jones, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Fletcher, Carrick; Valencia, Kagawa, Welbeck; Rooney

Our Prediction:
Man Utd have shown solid defence and threat on the counter-attack, but Bayern's possession game and individual brilliance from Robben and Ribery on the flanks will probably be enough to see them through to the semi finals. Result: Bayern win - 2:0.

Franck Ribery vs. Rio Ferdinand & Phil Jones

Borussia Dortmund - Real Madrid (PREVIEW)

There will be no huge surprise in this match, Real Madrid carry a 3:0 lead from last week and will not let it slip away. Lewandowski has served his yellow card ban and will be hoping he can put in a top performance like last season when he scored 4 goals past Diego Lopez.

Expected Lineups:
Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Hummels, Sokratis, Durm; Jojic, Sahin; Grosskreuz, Mkhitaryan, Reus; Lewandowski

Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Coentrao; Alonso, Modric, Illaramendi; Di Maria/Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale

Our Prediction:
BVB will be looking to improve their impression from last week and score a goal or two, but Real Madrid is going through to the semi-finals. Result: 2:2

Mats Hummels & C. Ronaldo (photo: mirror.co.uk)

Chelsea - PSG (PREVIEW)

PSG managed to take their chances, score 3 goals and conceded one, so they carry a nice lead to the return fixture in Stamford Bridge. However, this one is not over yet, Chelsea will want to score an early goal and try to turn the match around. PSG will be without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is out for a month, so Lucas Moura will step in, while Cavani will move to the number 9 position. Chelsea rested a couple of key players this weekend and will probably welcome Samuel Eto'o back into the starting eleven.

Expected Lineups:
Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Lampard, D.Luiz; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Eto'o/Torres

Sirigu; van der Wiel, Alex, T.Silva, Maxwell; Verratti, Motta, Matuidi; Lucas, Cavani, Lavezzi

Our Prediction:
Chelsea will try everything to turn the result, but it will be tough to break PSG. We predict a "Mourinho masterpiece" - Chelsea win 2:0.

Jose Mourinho (photo: ibtimes.com)

Top 10 of our League

Gale still the leader, JUVENTUS and Jared Kubokawa not far behind. Congratulations to the top managers and good luck to everybody in the next round!

PSG - Chelsea (PREVIEW)

This one is tough to predict. It will be very tight, PSG have improved a lot and are having a great season. It seems like they are ready to make a step further in the Champions League from last season's quarter final exit versus Barcelona. Chelsea, however, are also having a good season and are a team that knows how to get the result they need. PSG do not have any injury problems, Chelsea's only doubt is whether Samuel Eto'o will be fit for the match.

Expected Lineups:

PSG:
Sirigu; Jallet, T.Silva, Alex, Maxwell; Motta, Verratti, Matuidi; Lavezzi, Cavani, Ibrahimovic

Chelsea:
Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Lampard, Ramires; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Torres/Eto'o

Our Prediction:
The match will be really tight, both teams have a strong defence, so we probably will not see many goals. Result: Draw 1-1.

Samuel Eto'o & Zlatan Ibrahimovic (photo: france24.com)