Champions League

[Aquavit]

No English teams will be in the semi finals for the first time since the 1995/1996 season. That said, my boys from Munich tried really hard to let Arsenal through!

[Ron Obvious]

1. A surprising game...

I was really surprised by how sluggish Bayern were, after that first leg a few weeks ago. Maybe the early goal scared them.

Good luck in the next round. I hope Bayern will avoid Barcelona in the draw. I usually can't stand and am bored by Barcelona, but I was mighty impressed yesterday.

[Aquavit]

2. FCB vs. FCB

Arsenal really looked a lot more organized and determined this time around too. A very good effort on their side and, honestly, they probably should be through to the semis.

Bayern are going to be in trouble, big time, if they get Barca in the draw and can't find that same edge they've had most of the year. However, if this game serves as a wake up call, an FCB vs. FCB semi could be better than the final.

Personally, Dortmund vs. FC Bayern would be a fantastic next pairing and I really hope that's what the draw produces.

[Ron Obvious]

3. Quarter finals

Dortmund - Bayern, Real - Barcelona, let's get them out of the way now so they can't be the final. I'm not a big fan of single-nation finals.

[Aquavit]

4. test draw

The test draw today had Barca vs. Real, which would be epic. It also had Bayern getting Gala, which would be almost as good as getting Dortmund. As much fun as ending Dortmund's run (again) would be, exacting a little revenge on Didier Drogba would be almost as nice.

That said, if Bayern doesn't get their form back it won't matter if it's Dortmund, Barca, Gala, or Coventry City -- we'll be out.

[Ron Obvious]

5. The draw.

OK, it's official:

Málaga v Borussia Dortmund

Real Madrid v Galatasaray

Paris Saint-Germain v Barcelona

Bayern Munich v Juventus


I'd say PSG - Barcelona might be the most interesting tie in the round.

Prediction: Dortmund, Real, Barcelona and Bayern. Possible an all-German and an all-Spanish semi.

[Aquavit]

6. oy....

This is certainly not what I was hoping for. Juve is going to be VERY tough. It helps that the first leg is at the Allianz Arena, but it's still going to be EXTREMELY hard to get through to the semi finals.

I hope you are correct on your prediction!

[Aquavit]

7. Final eight updated.

Heading into the first leg of the quarter finals, here's how the last eight teams did in their domestic action:

Stuttgart 1:2 Dortmund
PSG 1:0 Montpellier
FC Bayern 9:2 Hamburger <-- note four of Bayern's goals were scored by a likely non-starter in Tuesday's QF match
Real Zaragosa 1:1 Real Madrid
Celta Virgo 2:2 Barcelona
Rayo 1:3 Malaga
Galastaray 2:0 Istanbul Buyuksehir
Inter 1:2 Juventus

Only two of the remaining teams didn't claim three points, and none of the remaining teams lost. Should make for some interesting mid-week football!

[Aquavit]

11. Update before the return leg

The return leg of the quarter finals is this week. Here's how the remaining teams did during their final tune-up matches:

Dortmund 4:2 FC Augsburg
Frankfurt 0:1 FC Bayern Munich (Bayern became Bundesliga champions with this win)
Real Sociedad 4:2 Malaga
Barcelona 5:0 Mallorca (Iniesta says that Lionel Messi will only play against PSG "if he is ready&quot
Real Madrid 5:1 Levante
Galatasaray 3:1 Mersin Idman
PSG 2:0 Rennes
Juventus 2:1 US Pescara

Galatasaray, Barcelona, and Juventus all played last-placed teams in their respective league matches, and Dortmund hampered FC Augsburg's chances of staying in 1. Bundesliga with their win. Meanwhile, Real Madrid and PSG played mid-table teams. FC Bayern Munich and Malaga's most recent opponents are fighting for a place in next year's Champions League competition.

Here's where we stand on aggregate after the first leg. This week's home team is listed first in the pairings below.

Dortmund 0:0 Malaga
Juventus 0:2 FC Bayern Munich
Barcelona 2:2 PSG
Galatasaray 0:3 Real Madrid

My guess is that Dortmund, FC Bayern Munich, Real Madrid will all qualify for the semi final. The Barca/PSG match is too close to call, and depends IMO on whether Messi plays. If he does, Barca will advance. If not, Barca may still advance but I'll give the narrowest of edges to PSG.

[Aquavit]

8. First leg results:

Last edited Wed Apr 3, 2013, 07:33 PM - Edit history (1)

PSG 2:2 Barcelona. Messi left with a hamstring injury.

FC Bayern 2:0 Juve. FC Bayern looked like a completely different team than the one that lost to Arsenal last month. Vidal will be suspended for the return leg.

Real Madrid 3:0 Galastaray. The biggest highlight for me as a Bayern fan is that Didier Drogba didn't score.

Malaga 0:0 Dortmund. This match was kind of ugly. Dortmund should probably have scored at least two goals but were really sloppy.

[Ron Obvious]

9. I watched PSG - Barcelona

PSG gave it a fair try and had lots of chances before Messi scored. In fairness, the Ibra equaliser was offside, but Barcelona players are still so irritating with their surrounding the ref, their waving their hands for cards, their rolling around the pitch. And the less said about that away strip, the better. Barcelona should be safe, but thanks to the last second equaliser (which looked like a keeper howler, but was actually a deflection), PSG will still have some hope for the away leg. If Celtic could do it...

I'm watching Bayern - Juve now. The freakish early goal upset Juve's game plan, and Bayern were thoroughly in control the whole time. Vidal should have been carded for that haircut alone, frankly. It's hard to imagine Bayern losing 3:0 in Turin, so they should be through also.

[Aquavit]

10. You know who should transfer to Barca next year?

Luis Suarez. You're exactly right about all their rolling around on the pitch and begging for cards antics, and he'd fit in perfectly with all of that.

We'll see how the return legs go. If Messi is out for next week's match, I think PSG will advance. Bayern are in a very good position with their excellent showing today, but the injury to Kroos is huge.

I can't wait to see how Dortmund does tomorrow!

[Aquavit]

12. Semi final teams

After today's action, the four teams left standing for the semi final are now clear. They are:

BVB Dortmund
Barcelona
FC Bayern Munich
Real Madrid

I doubt we'll see a der Klassiker/el Classico semi final. My guess is that we'll see Barcelona take on Bayern, and Madrid will get Dortmund. What's your guess for the semi final pairings, and who do you think will advance to the final?

[Aquavit]

13. Bring it on, Messi!

Semi final draw results:

FC Bayern vs Barcelona
Dortmund vs Real Madrid

[Ron Obvious]

14. Really looking forward to them.

These are the most balanced semis I've seen in years. No clear favourite, and these 4 were the best four in the tournament.

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict a Bayern - Real final.

[Aquavit]

15. Final tune-ups for the semi final first leg

Here's the final results for the UCL semi-finalists headed into the first leg.

FC Barcelona 1:0 Levante (Fabregas scored the winner in the 84th minute)

Hannover 96 1:6 FC Bayern Munich (Gomez and Pizzaro both scored a pair of goals in Bayern's second consecutive 6-1 result)

BVB Dortmund 2:0 Mainz 05 (Lewandowski and Reus got one goal each on the day, as Dortmund confirmed their 2013 UCL place)

Real Madrid 3:1 Real Betis (Ozil scored a brace for the victors in this one)

My prediction for this week's leg will be that 44 men run around like crazy for 180 minutes, and in the end the Germans win. Convincingly so, at that.