The club season must be over. The transfer rumours have started in earnest and once again the big story is whether Christiano Ronaldo is going to Real Madrid. Manchester United has stated forcefully that he is going nowhere, while Real Madrid says that they will do whatever it takes to get him. Who cares!!!!

Those who have read my blog before know well that I am a United supporter and watching the little diver play this season has been amazing. But, we have been through this before. After his antics in the World Cup he brazenly stated that he would not play again for the Red Devils. That was two years ago and I believe that was the Manchester United crest on his jersey in Moscow.

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon is really good at playing the media game. He has to be. As the ELECTED president of the club he has to do what it takes to keep himself in the seat. What better way to do so than by making huge promises that he doesn’t have to keep. When things don’t work out it can always be blamed on the other club. Genius.

Ronaldo is a prima dona. He likes being the centre of attention, it helps pump up his bank account. He is a spectacular player I’ll give him that, but if he goes it will not sink the Red Devils into the pits of dispair. If he stays he’ll get the chance to play for the World Club Championship and the European Super Cup as the World Player of the Year. Make no mistake though, if he goes…the club will still get the chance to be the best in the world. Ronaldo will just have to watch. 

So four of the semi-finalists are English and the odd man out is not getting a lot of respect as the pundits are calling it an all England final. Kind of sounds familiar. Last year AC Milan weren’t given much of a shot at making the finals let alone win it all. This year Barcelona face the exact same task and that makes the semis interesting.

 Barcelona

The Catalan club has the big guns to spoil the Anglo final in Moscow. Lionel Messi is back and should have enough playing time by April 23rd rolls around. Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho are all spectacular players and will be a sincere threat to the scoresheet. Although they had trouble scoring against Schalke. Their defense has some strength, but they have not faced a club that can score in big chunks in the tournament. They have the history and won’t back down from anyone. The side is unsettled though and their La Lega form has been shameful. This team is not on the same level as AC Milan last year, but beating them will be a task.

 Manchester United

The Red Devils are leading the Premiership and have not lost to the three other English sides this season. They are strong in all areas of the pitch especially in the attack. Cristiano Ronaldo leads the Premiership and the Champions League in scoring and has matured since his no show in Milan last year. The addition of Carlos Tevez gives them two bulldogs up front with him and Wayne Rooney tormenting defenders. United have the ability to score, but they only averaged 1.25 goals in last two rounds. The defense is strong even without Nemanja Vidic. If he’s back for April 23rd they will be tough to beat.

 Liverpool

The Reds have a lot of experience at this level of the Champions League. Last year they made the finals only to watch the cup go back to Milan. Steven Gerrard is the talisman for Liverpool in the CL, but this season he got a big boost when Rafa Benitez brought in Fernando Torres in the attack. Between Gerrard and Torres Liverpool have two of the top four scorers in the Champions League this season. However, if clubs shut down these two, there rarely seems to be anyone who steps up. They have a strong midfield that can make it tough going for opposing attacks. Rafa’s boys are hitting stride lately so they are going to make things hard on the opposition.

 Chelsea

The Blues are a hard team to figure out this season. They’ve lost some head scratchers this year, but they are slowly creeping up the domestic table to challenge. Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka are each super strikers, but their midfield is the star of the club. Between Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel, Joe Cole, Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard they can play with any team. The big question is going to be between the posts. With Petr Cech out with a facial injury and Carlo Cudicini’s hamstring injury putting Henrique Hilario in goal, there is some question about the last line of defense. They have been at this stage before so we’ll see if they can make it to the final stage for the first time.

Predictions… As badly as I do predicting I’m going with

Manchester United v Liverpool

It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for Premier League clubs at home and in Europe. I’ve been a bit lax, but I’ll try to get back up to speed.

 Manchester United 2 - 1 Arsenal

This was the matchup of the weekend in the EPL and it didn’t disappoint. Red Devil supporters had to be nervous in the first half as the Gunners not only had the lion’s share of the scoring, but the hosts seemed to be unsure what colour jersey they were wearing. I haven’t seen as many sloppy passes as they gave away in a long time. The man of the first half for the defending champions was by far Edwin Van Der Sar. The Dutchman showed good positioning and made each save look easy.

The second half started off where the first ended and Emmanuel Adabayor made United pay with a spectacular deflection off of his HAND (how did Howard Webb miss that?). Adebayor has been in a bit of a drought and his goal came at a good time for Arsenal. But, karma can be quick and William Gallas’ hand got United back in the match when he handled in the box. Cristiano Ronaldo’s first try at the penalty kick was disallowed after an infringement. He placed the second shot on the same side as the first, Jens Lehmann guessed right, but couldn’t keep it out and the Red Devils were back in it.

Manchester United began asserting itself after the equalizer and showed why they are leading the league. Substitute Carlos Tevez gave the home fans something to cheer about when his 25 yarder screamed past the post. Sir Alex’s other substitute Anderson paid off with his artistry in the attacking midfield that Paul Scholes just didn’t give them in the first half. The play of the match had to be Owen Hargreaves’ free kick in the 72nd minute. Patrice Evra drew the foul 25 yards out and Ronaldo took up his customary position for the shot. Instead of stepping out of the way and letting the league’s leading scorer add to his total, Hargreaves took a quick step and slotted the ball into the right hand side of the goal. The shot caught everyone off guard and the English international was celebrating before the ball hit the net. Some tense moments down the stretch kept the excitement in the game and when the whistle blew the lead in the league was six points.

  Reading 0 - 2 Fulham 

The bottom of the Premiership got a little more interesting as Fulham took another step towards getting out of the relegation zone. Both sides showed their share of initiative with the Royals showing a bit more skill at moving through the defense. However, they never got a shot on goal and the Cottagers made them pay. Brian McBride put the visitors ahead with a brilliant stab at Simon Davies’ cross. Roy Hodgson has to be wondering where his side would be if McBride hadn’t spent most of the season injured. The American striker had multiple opportunities and could have had a hat-trick. Erik Nevland fired home from 15 yards to double the score in the end, but Reading never looked like taking any points.

  Bolton 1 - 0 West Ham 

Bolton are two points behind Birmingham City for EPL survival. West Ham are going to finish in the middle of the table no matter what. So you would think that the Wanderers would be the side fighting hardest. The Hammers, however, fought like they were in the title hunt and made a great game of it. Kevin Davies’ strike in the first minute of the second half was fortuitous, but he’ll take it and the three points that come with it. Gary Megson has come under some heat lately with some of the Bolton faithful calling for Sam Allardyce’s return. With matches against Middlesbrough and Chelsea in the last four weeks staying up may be a pipe dream. Would Big Sam manage a Championship side?

 Elsewhere in the league…

Liverpool tore through Blackburn for a solid 3-1 win.

Aston Villa reminded Derby County that life in the Championship might not be that bad with a 6-0 victory.

Tottenham are still woeful after winning the Carling Cup as they drew Middlesbrough 1-1 (and Boro scored both goals) 

 Derby County 2 - 2 Fulham

Rams confirm relegation at Pride Park. Paul Jewell knew awhile ago that his club would be playing next season in the Championship. Saturday’s result made it official as Derby hosted fellow cellar dwellers Fuham. Emanuel Villa scored his first goal for the club in the 10th minute with a deflection. Diomansy Kamara evened it up fourteen minutes later with a strong drive for the Cottagers. Both sides had their chances to net throughout, but the deadlock was only broken when Dean Leacock deflected Hameur Bouazza’s shot into his own net. County salvaged some pride when Villa headed in his second to take a point from the match. Too bad they are done after one season, but maybe Jewell can get the side put together and make a comeback to the Premiership.

  Bolton 2 - 3 Arsenal 

Gunners resurgent at the Reebok. At the half things looked pretty bleak for Arsenal. Matthew Taylor put the Wanderers up before the fifteen minute mark when he headed home Gretar Steinsson’s cross from short range. Manuel Almunia had no chance of stopping the shot and Bolton were on the board for the first time since March 6th. Arsenal played well in the first half, they just couldn’t be effective enough to dent the twine. Things went from bad to worse when Abou Diaby was shown a straight red for a shocking tackle on Steinsson in the 31st minute forcing Arsenal to fight on for the rest of the match down a man. Just before the half Taylor got his second goal when his shot deflected off of William Gallas and past Almunia.

The second half was a different affair as Emmanuel Adebayor and Theo Walcott came in on the hour to give the Gunners a different look. It worked as Gallas found the net almost immediately from Robin Van Persie’s corner, giving life to the visiting fans. Six minutes later Gary Cahill brought down Alexander Hleb in the box. RVP calmly slotted home the penalty for an unlikely comeback. Jlloyd Samuels ended up being the last to touch Cesc Fabregas’ shot in stoppage time, sending it into his own net and sending all three points back to London.

By the way the only difference between Diaby’s tackle on Steinsson and Martin Taylor’s tackle on Eduardo is that Eduardo’s leg actually broke. Diaby went in studs up and hit Steinsson in the shin and could easily have broken his leg too. Characteristically Arsene Wenger saw no problem with the tackle this time around saying “I feel it was more a protective tackle than an aggressive one but he was too high – I don’t complain.”. Well that’s very kind of you Arsene, what about holding your own players to the same standards as you seem to hold any player that wears a different jersey? The tackle on Eduardo was terrible, but the Gunner faithful need to get off of their holier than thou attitude, it’s getting very old.

 Manchester  United 4 - 0 Aston Villa

Roo, Ron and Tev run riot at Old Trafford. Ashley Young’s shot in the early minutes of the match was the closest the Villans would come to winning the game. From that point on it seemed as though it wasn’t going to be if, but by how much. The Red Devils attacked Scott Carson’s goal from all angles, coming close a few times. In the 17th minute Cristiano Ronaldo found himself in the box with the ball falling to his feet courtesy of Rio Ferdinand. The Portuguese winger hit the ball with a remarkable back heeled shot, sending it through the defense and past a very surprised Carson. Ronaldo turned provider for the second goal in the 33rd minute with a one timer cross to the back post and finding a flying Carlos Tevez, who headed the ball in for his sixteenth goal of the season (all competitions).

The two squad’s traded early post shavers as Wayne Rooney and Shaun Maloney each missed left within a minute of each other. Rooney was in an attacking mood and he looked dangerous throughout the second half. Ten minutes into the half he was rewarded when Ronaldo mule-kicked a no-look pass twenty yards to an on rushing Rooney. The striker faked a shot getting Carson to go to ground then calmly rounded the keeper and slotted home.

Maloney nearly drew one back a couple of minutes later and would have made the score-sheet but for a remarkable save by Tomasz Kuszczak. Ronaldo slid the ball to Rooney in the 70th and he found the net once more to finish the scoring at 4-0. Even though they were up by four I was impressed by Tevez’s persistence as he continued to run down the ball and whoever had it until the final whistle. 

 Tottenham 1 - 4 Newcastle United

 Toon trounce Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Darren Bent has had quite a forgettable season so far. It’s hard to score when your ass never leaves the bench. He got the start against the Geordies and in the 26th minute he popped in a cross from Steed Malbranque putting the hosts on the board. Juande Ramos went with Bent, Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane on the attack and in the beginning it looked like it would work as each player had chances to score. Nicky Butt opened the second half with a goal in the first minute to tie the match courtesy of Geremi. Geremi gave his side the lead seven minutes later with a free kick from the edge of the box that Paul Robinson never had a chance to save.

Newcastle kept up the attack and were rewarded by Michal Owen’s curling shot in the 65th minute that was vintage Owen. Mark Viduka showed great presence of mind when he let Obafemi Martins’ pass run through to Owens for the goal. An unselfish move that resulted in a score. Martins showed his skill at the end of the match when he went forward on the counter attack, left Teemu Tainio on his rear and made Robinson look foolish for the fourth goal.  

The top four clubs went at it today in two battles for supremacy. All four are in the Champions League quarter-finals, so this is a good indicator of what is to come in the fight for the European title.

Game One:

 Manchester United 3 - 0 Liverpool

United came into the match three points ahead of Arsenal and coming off of a solid outing against Bolton on Wednesday. For their part Liverpool had newly regained fourth position in the league and have played some decent football of their own. The hosts opened up the game with Wayne Rooney making a statement of intent by beating Jamie Carragher and forcing Pepe Reina to make a save. Javier Mascherano got into referee Steve Bennett’s book in the 11th minute with a hard tackle on Paul Scholes, setting the tone for the Reds.

Wes Brown surprised the Old Trafford faithful in the 34th by deflecting Rooney’s cross into the net for his first goal in a dog’s age. The match remained close until just before the half. Fernando Torres took exception to some questionable tackles by Manchester United players and started an argument with Bennett. The referee showed Torres a yellow card for dissent prompting Mascherano to join the conversation. To be fair, by booking Torres already Bennett had no choice but to book the Argentinian. If there had been no previous booking in the incident Mascherano would probably have stayed in the game. His second card of the match meant that he had to hit the showers. Not that he was willing to go and brought him an escort off of the pitch.

Liverpool’s chances in the match left the pitch with their midfielder and in the 79th minute Cristiano Ronaldo headed Nani’s cross home to give the home side some breathing room. Ronaldo looked like he was destined to score throughout the match, coming close on more than a couple of shots. Nani closed the door for good on the Reds two minutes later with a beautiful move to create space and a powerful shot to dent the twine. The Red Devils gave Liverpool a lot of trouble with high balls into the area (Hmmm… that might come in handy to remember).

Game Two:

  Chelsea 2 - 1 Arsenal 

A month ago Arsenal had one hand on the Premiership trophy, but that’s why they play all of the games. Chelsea knew that with a win they would leapfrog the Gunners into second. Both sides went on the attack early getting the keepers into the flow quickly. Robin van Persie has been out with injury for most of the season. He got back into the swing of the game early and tested Carlo Cudicini a couple of times with nicely taken shots. Not to be out done Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba each put pressure on Manuel Almunia.

Each side had their own plan of attack with Arsenal opting for moving the ball forward with short passes and Chelsea utalizing the longer more direct approach. There was plenty of excitement at both ends of the pitch, but the Gunners drew first blood through Bacary Sagna’s header from Cesc Fabregas’ corner in the 59th minute. Cudicini was left out in the cold as Frank Lampard failed to close down on Sagna (or move for that matter). After going down at home Avram Grant made an overdue substitution by bringing on Nicolas Anelka and Juliano Belletti. The move payed off quickly as Didier Drogba scored the equalizer three minutes later. The ball rebounded off of Lampard and into the path of Drogba who made no mistake and powered the ball past the outstretched Almunia.

The Ivornian striker was on the receiving end of Anelka’s header and he flicked it past the Arsenal keeper for the win. Arsenal were unable to put any real pressure on Chelsea down the stretch. The Blues pulled to within five points of Manchester United and they will host the leaders  at Stamford Bridge April 26th in what may be a title game.

December 16th these clubs all met for the first time this season. This Sunday is round two:

  Manchester Utd  v  Liverpool 

When these two met at Anfield, Manchester United came away with a 1-0 win courtesy of Carlos Tevez’s goal late in the first half. The Red Devils are currently top of the league and can’t afford to drop any points at home. Liverpool are back in the top four with a very slim chance at reaching third. Both clubs are still in the hunt for the Champions League title and would love to make a statement. Liverpool are a fantastic tournament side, but this is a league match. United are looking to show the world that they are truely a world power. It will be close. Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool.

  Chelsea  v  Arsenal 

Chelsea lost to Arsenal at the Emirates 1-0 earlier. The Gunners have had to scrap out draws in their last four Premier League matches and it has cost them dearly. The Blues have played well enough, but they have been iffy in a couple of matches that they should have won. Some questions have come up as to whether Avram Grant has any clue how to manage in the big game. Sunday will be a huge test and could be a make or break match for him. Arsene Wenger’s side seem to have lost their focus lately. Without a talisman like Thierry Henry, Patrick Viera or Dennis Berkamp to lead them they seem to be losing direction. Bad timing for the Gunners. Chelsea will probably take a lead, but Arsenal will draw late. Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal.

  Tottenham 4 - 4 Chelsea  

Mayhem at White Hart Lane. A midweek replay of the Carling Cup final had the potential to be exciting, but who could have predicted this? Didier Drogba opened the scoring for the visitors in the 3rd minute when his free kick was blocked. The ball made it’s way to Claude Makelele who sent it on it’s way to John Terry. Terry crossed it to Drogba for an unstoppable header to put the Blues on the board. Nine minutes later Jonathan Woodgate had a header of his own from a Jermaine Jenas cross to draw the score. Chelsea answered with goals by Michael Essien and Joe Cole to go up 3-1 and put the Spurs against the ropes.

Tottenham pulled themselves back into the match when Dimitar Berbatov and Tom Huddlestone each found the net. Joe Cole beat Pascal Chimbonda and pounded the ball past Paul Robinson for a 4-3 score line. Things looked bleak for Tottenham until Robbie Keane beat Carlo Cudicini from distance to knot the score again. Berbatov had the chance to win outright late in the match, but Cudicini was up to the task and saved the point.

There was some craziness in this match between Huddlestone’s 10.0 dive to Ashley Cole joining the Brat Brigade. With the money these guys make you would think they could buy some balls.

  Man Utd 2 - 0 Bolton 

Captain Cristiano sets tone at Old Trafford. Manchester United knew coming into this match that a win would put them in first place in the league. Would they be up to the task? Would they ever! Ronaldo was given the honour of leading out the Red Devils as their captain and he didn’t disappoint when he fired home a volley that Ali Al Habsi was just not up to. Manchester United came out in the first half like they had something to prove, and they did. Ten minutes after his opener, Ronaldo sent in a free kick that didn’t look like much until you see it from behind. What a shot.

My wife despises the Portuguese international (something about a flop and a wink in Germany), but even she has to admit that what that boy does with the ball is amazing.

Bolton made a stronger appearance in the second half with good attempts by Kevin Davies and El-Hadji Diouf each putting the home side on edge. Diouf’s free kick beat Tomasz Kuszczak only to have referee Alan Wiley disallow it on the grounds that he hadn’t blown his whistle to re-start play. United took back control of the match about midway through the period and though they didn’t score again they showed that they were the defending champions by shutting down the Bolton offense.

Kuszczak’s return was good, however I had hoped to see Ben Foster get another crack in goal. He needs the reps against these teams not Arsenal or Roma. Nani’s selfishness helped keep the score from getting worse for the Wanderers as he repeatedly took terrible shots intead of passing the ball to an OPEN teammate.

  Fulham 1 - 0 Everton 

McBride heroics at Craven Cottage- Fulham have had a tough season, but they are still in the battle to stay in the Premiership. Thanks to their “Captain America” they stayed in that battle for just a little longer. From the start of the match the Cottagers showed that they were the more determined of the two as Jimmy Bullard and Brian McBride both had good opportunities to open the scoring in the first half. Everton seemed to have trouble getting motivated although the chance to retake fourth place in the league should be enough to get a side going. The loss of Andrew Johnson before the fifteen minute mark did little to help their cause.

Fulham didn’t play smooth, mistake free football so some chances went wanting. But, in the 67th minute McBride got his head to Simon Davies cross and put the hosts ahead. Everton fell victim to the top level club should pound the relegation contender and it bit them badly.

  Wigan 1 - 0 Bolton 

Bolton bombs at JJB. Wigan Athletic must have been thinking that this match was going to be the usual when referee Steve Tanner gave Jason Koumas an iffy straight red in the 4th minute and gave the cellar dwellers an entire game with ten men. Emile Heskey scored his first goal in twenty matches with a fine volley from close range. Mario Melchiot chipped the ball into the area and found Heskey in the box for what would prove to be the winner. The Wanderers had their share of chances, but Chris Kirkland got to every attempt and kept his side from dropping any points to the visitors.

The Latics have some tough matches coming up for the run in, including at Portsmouth, at Chelsea, at Aston Villa and home to Manchester United. Not good news as far as beating the drop is concerned. Bolton are now fighting to stay up for next season and their schedule with a trip to Manchester United this week as well as hosting Arsenal and finishing with a trip to Chelsea. Good luck to both of them.

  Man City 2 - 1 Tottenham 

Blues storm second half at the City of Manchester. If the match were only forty-five minutes the Spurs would have been the undeniable winners of the game. Sadly, there were another forty-five minutes to play and the Blues made the most of them. Robbie Keane started the scoring a nice goal just after the half hour mark that put some excitement in the Tottenham attack. They just couldn’t add to their total.

City came out in the second half looking like they still had some fight in them and they worked the Spurs defenders, probing for weakness. Their break came in the 59th when Blumer Elano nodded the ball through to Stephan Ireland (maybe offsides??) who finished nicely to draw the match. Juande Ramos made a couple of substitutions to shake things up. One of which may have been a tad unpopular with Keane. But, the change didn’t have the desired effect for the Spurs as they watched Nedum Onuoha out jump Pascal Chimbonda to head the winner past Paul Robinson for the victory. When you are up against Robinson in goal, there is a great chance that you’ll get the goal you need.

  Derby 0 - 1 Man United 

Ronaldo stars at Pride Park. Rams supporters have to be very proud of their club today as they almost took a point from the champions, and deservedly so. Robbie Savage did exactly what he was brought in for by shutting down United players all over the park. The Red Devils came out firing in the first half and should have gone up by a couple, but yet again they would have been more successful on a rugby pitch. When they were on target Roy Carroll was there. Carroll had a great day in the net and was surely the star of the show for Derby.

On the other end of the pitch Ben Foster made his first start for Manchester United and put in his claim for the future starters job. Derby only had a few chances but they could have scored twice through Kenny Miller before the half. Foster was up to the task though and kept his side from being even more embarrassed at the break. The Red Devil attack kept coming with Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs working the home defense. Ronaldo came through in the 76th minute with a super volley just out of Carroll’s reach for the winning goal. Manchester United have made the last few matches much more difficult than they needed to and they had better get their heads out or the season will be circling the drain soon.

  Liverpool 2 - 1 Reading 

Torres continues tear at Anfield. Liverpool reasserted their claim as a top four Premiership club by coming back from an early deficit and putting in a solid performance. In a perfect execution of a free kick with an amazing finish by Marek Matejovsk in the 5th minute. Javier Mascherano matched the performance with a power shot of his own in the 19th to even the score. Just after the break Fernando Torres slid unmarked around the crowd and headed in the winner.

I have been impressed with Torres this season and his almost effortless ability of finding the goal. Not impressed however with Steven Gerrard. Watching him dive with minimal contact from Andre Bikey then give the Reading defender a bollocking showed me that he is not only a world class diver, but a whinging prat.

 Arsenal 1 - 1Middlesbrough

Gunners escape at the Emirates. Arsenal again pulled a late escape as Kolo Toure scored from a deflected ball with his noggin in the 86th minute to save major blushes for the hosts. Middlesbrough had gone ahead early through Jeremie Aliadiere’s finish of a controversial play. Mark Schwarzer booted a long kick into the Boro offensive half that was met by an apparently offside Tuncay Sanli. The flag stayed down and the Turk found Aliadiere who calmly slotted home. Arsenal had the best of the possession throughout the match, they just could not crack the Boro defense until deep into the match.

The Gunners seemed to have joined Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea in the petulant club with their oh so professional performance after the final whistle. Watching Emmanuel Eboue verbally assault referee Mark Halsey after the match is indicative of the top four mentality that they deserve to be treated differently than everyone else.

Other action- Portsmouth 2-0 Aston Villa; Sunderland 0-1 Chelsea; West Ham 2-1 Blackburn

     AS Roma  v  Manchester United

Not the draw I had hoped for this round. These two met in the group stage with the Red Devils winning 1-0 at home and Roma getting a 1-1 draw in the return leg. So it’s safe to say that they know each other. Roma is coming off of a stellar thumping of Real Madrid in the last round and they have what it takes to make the finals. Manchester United had trouble finding the net against Lyon, but were dominant offensively in both matches.

On paper it would appear that the Italian side would be better suited to advance from this round. They are definitely scoring more against better opposition. I’m keeping the faith though and I think that Sir Alex is going to have the lads fired up and ready for Roma. If United can come away with a draw in Rome they will win at Old Trafford. The main concern is how protected the traveling supporters will be in Italy. History is not on their side. My guess- Manchester United 4-2 AS Roma aggregate.

          Schalke 04  v  Barcelona

Schalke are excited about drawing Barcelona and I kind of see why. Lionel Messi is out for this round, Thierry Henry isn’t a shadow of how he was at Arsenal and Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho still don’t like each other. The Germans ground down FC Porto and beat them in a penalty shootout, can they do the same with Barca? The Catalan club beat Celtic quite handily in the last stage, but Schalke has a better defense than the Scots.

Schalke are not a club that scores a lot, where as Barcelona have found the net consistently in the campaign. The Spaniards have a very potent attack and will make the German side run. Schalke will tighten the back and keep the scoreline down. Barca will come through, but it will be a fight.My guess- Barcelona 3-1 Schalke aggregate.

             Arsenal  v  Liverpool

Two English sides had to meet in this round, they just had to. The Gunners and the Reds will make the tie exciting. This is the match-up that will be the most physical with both sides showing flair and muscle. Arsenal came back from a bad first leg at home to send AC Milan packing with a stunner at the San Siro. For their part Liverpool sent off the other Milanese side with two straight victories over Inter Milan.

Rafa Benitez is a different manager in the Champions League than he is in the Premiership. By that I mean successful. Arsene Wenger has quite a pedigree for himself and will have the Gunners ready to go after the double. The keepers will be the difference in the round and I have to give that edge to Pepe Reina. My guess Liverpool 3-2 Arsenal aggregate.

           Fenerbahce  v  Chelsea

The “experts” seem to believe that Fenerbahce was the side everyone wanted to get. I don’t think so. The Turkish side have the ability to run and pressure a defense as Sevilla found out in the last round. Chelsea can find the twine very well themselves and have the midfield to pressure both offensively and defensively. A fact that Olympiacos can attest.

Avram Grant has to prove to his critics that he can manage in a big match and I think he will. Chelsea are just too strong of a side and after their debacle at Barnsley they will be focused on the game at hand. They will with stand Fenerbahce’s attack and advance to the semi-finals. I’m picking the Londoners to win BUT don’t be surprised if the Turks pull the upset. My guess Chelsea 5-2 Fenerbahce aggregate.