Yesterday, we previewed the Manchester United-Schalke match, if you missed it check it out. The second semifinal (April 27th at 2:45 Eastern) will be the 3rd edition of El Clásico in 11 days (the first match was a 1-1 draw at the Bernabéu , the 2nd a 1-0 Real Madrid victory in the Copa Del Rey final).
Much has been written about this matchup, which is widely regarded as the best rivalry in world soccer, and maybe even in sports - apologies to Red Sox-Yankees, Dodgers-Giants, and Duke-North Carolina. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals should be a treat.
The Champions League trophy has arrived in London ahead of the final. Hopefully, London mayor, Boris Johnson takes better care of this trophy than Sergio Ramos. (image from of UEFA.com) |
It was originally thought that Iniesta might miss the first leg of the semifinals after deliberately provoking a yellow card in Barcelona's first leg defeat of Shakhtar Donetsk. UEFA decided to forgo any further punishment. This is a huge boost for Barça who would have certainly missed Iniesta's creativeness in midfield. While Iniesta will be available for the Catalan giants, Adriano will not. The defender/midfielder is out for four weeks with a torn thigh muscle.
Update: In addition to Adriano, Maxwell has now been ruled out for the match. Barcelona will be scrambling to patch together a back four. I wouldn't be surprised to see Carles Puyol play LB with either Javier Mascherano or Sergio Busquets play CB. Busquets has played CB multiple times this season, and Mascherano turned in a fine performance in central defense in Barcelona's 2-0 victory over Osasuna on Sunday. Barcelona will need to find a defensive alignment that works in order to stop Real's offense.
Real Madrid, who won their first Copa del Rey since 1993, against Barcelona earlier this week and looked excellent in their game against Valencia following their victory. Los Blancos are looking to make it to their first Champions League final since 2002 when they defeated Bayer Leverkusen. Real, who have played second fiddle to Barça for the past 3 or 4 seasons, attempted to address their short comings this summer with the signing of José Mourinho as manager. While it appears the league will slip through the grasp of the Special One, the ultimate prize - the Champions League trophy - is still a possibility.
While Barça have Messi leading the way, Real have Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo leads Real with 42 goals and 12 assists in all competitions. That output is bested only by Messi. Gonzalo Higuaín (10 goals), Karim Benzema (21 goals) and Ángel Di María (9 goals, 13 assists) have provided extra spark for Mourinho's side. One player who will be missing from the side when they take the pitch in Madrid is German international Sami Khedira. Khedira, like Adriano, suffered a torn thigh muscle that could keep him off the pitch for the rest of the season. At a minimum, he will miss the next several weeks. The defensive midfielder will be missed, as he has featured in 8 of Madrid's Champions League games.
Real Madrid and Barcelona face off for the 4th and 5th time this season for the right to play for the Champions League title. |
Prediction: Despite Madrid having the momentum following their Copa del Rey victory, I expect Barcelona to advance to the final. The Special One will certainly have something up his sleeve when the two teams meet, keep in mind he led Inter to victory over the Catalans in last season's semifinal, but Barcelona are just too good. Expect home wins from both side, with Barça finding the extra goal needed to advance. Also, as an American sports fan whose teams have befallen curses for their transgressions, I expect Real to pay the price for running over the Copa del Rey.
While the Champions League trophy has already arrived in London, we don't know the teams that will walk out on the pitch at Wembley on May 28th. The games on Tuesday and Wednesday should go a long way to providing us the answers.
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