Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
Andy Pakes previews this Sunday afternoon clash in the first edition of Game of the Week for 2012
Dave Hughes tells us about his sporting hero, Wes Morgan
On Tuesday, Tottenham travel to Real Madrid. In their first season in the Champions League, Spurs have performed well, finishing top of their group and knocking out AC Milan in the round of 16. Bale is expected to return for the tie and his pace would be a great asset, alongside key players Defoe and Van der Vaart. Defence could be an issue though, with Hutton, King, Kaboul and Woodgate all out injured.
Real Madrid suffered a shock defeat at the weekend but they sit comfortably in second place in La Liga. They too topped their qualifying group, with no defeats, and knocked out Lyon impressively 4-1 on aggregate in the last round. Ronaldo, Benzema and Marcelo are all doubtful but their fate will be decided on Monday and fans will be hoping that particularly Ronaldo, the league’s joint top scorer with Messi on 27 goals, will be fit in time.
Prediction: Real Madrid win
Also on Tuesday, current champions Inter Milan face Schalke 04. Milan finished second in their group behind Spurs and scraped through their last-16 match against Bayern Munich on the away rule 3-3. Under their third manager this season, there has been much unrest around Milan but the club is currently second in Serie A and has four wins out of the last six games.
German side FC Schalke 04 topped their group, finishing above Lyon and Benfica. They currently lie 11th in the Bundesliga and have some big name players in their squad: Raul, Edu and Metzelder. Injuries could affect them on Tuesday though, as they are missing key men striker Gavranovic and midfielder Kluge.
Prediction: Inter Milan win
On Wednesday, Manchester United travel to Stamford Bridge. They qualified strongly, with no defeats, and have conceded only two goals so far in the competition. This may change soon, however, as they are without defenders Ferdinand, O’Shea and Rafael da Silva. With Wayne Rooney looking back on form though, scoring hat-trick at the weekend, and Hernandez and Berbatov in good shape, they have plenty of options upfront.
Chelsea also topped their qualification group and then defeated FC Copenhagen in the round of 16 but their form has slipped recently, seeing them draw 1-1 with Stoke at the weekend. Having already defeated Man United at home this season, they will be confident, but will the attention surrounding Terry and the England captaincy detract from the Blue’s concentration?
Prediction: draw
Barcelona host Shakhtar Donetsk in the week’s final game. Eight points clear at the top of La Liga and unbeaten in qualification so far, the Spanish side is favourites to win the competition at 6/5 on William Hill. There have been concerns about Messi’s fitness but he played part of the game at the weekend and should be fit.
Shakhtar Donetsk have a three-hour flight to Spain but won’t be daunted by their opposition; they won the UEFA Cup in 2009, their lead their domestic league by 13 points and in this year’s Champions League, they finished above Arsenal in qualifying and impressively knocked out Roma 6-2 in the round of 16. Kucher has travelled, despite a knee injury, but the Ukrainian side will have to be at its best to defeat the Spanish champions.
Prediction: Barcelona win
I agree with all the predictions but.....we're not champions yet! Technically, it's still Chelsea.........
of course! silly me!
Spurs to beat Madrid! I'm hoping Mourinho home defeats are like buses - you wait for one for ages and then two come along at once
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