Inter Milan v. Barcelona: FSB, FSE, and FSP at 12:30pm

Inter Milan hosts Barcelona in today’s Champions League semifinal.  The two teams are in good form at the moment and enter the game with a ton of belief.  Although the Italian giants believe they are good enough to win the Champions League they still feel like underdogs against the Spanish giants.

Barcelona got the better of Inter during group play, earning a 0-0 tie in Italy and 2-0 victory at the Camp Nou.  The Spanish Champions had a hiccup over the weekend, earning a 0-0 tie against Espanyol.  Barcelona also had to endure a grueling 14 hour bus ride to Milan because the volcanic eruption caused a ban on air travel.  Nonetheless, the Catalans are the best in Europe and should try to impose their game from the first whistle.  The key man, as always, is Lionel Messi.  Little Leo is playing breathtaking soccer at the moment.  Barcelona also welcomes back former Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic from injury.

Inter Milan is arguably better than they were in November.  Offensively, Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder will be the key man for Inter.  Gabriel Milito and Samuel Eto’o are two of the most capable strikers in Europe and could punish a somewhat suspect Barcelona backline.  Esteban Cambiasso will be in charge of keeping Xavi in check, a role that he is more than capable of accomplishing.  Inter’s Brazilian right back Maicon will go head to head with Messi.  Maicon is one of the best in the world at that position, but is he good enough to stop Messi?

So who takes this one? Inter Milan is undefeated at the San Siro in this year’s competition and they are in great form.  On top of that, Jose Mourinho is no slouch and I’m sure he’s prepared his team for this match. I give the edge to Inter but only by the smallest of margins.  Inter 1-0 over Barcelona.

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Manchester United v. Bayern Munich, FSC 12:45pm

Bayern Munich travels to Manchester for the second leg of the quarterfinals with a 2-1 lead. Bayern played well at home creating scoring opportunities and dominating possession.  But Bayern boss, Van Gaal, stills sees his team as the underdogs in Manchester.  Manchester has a stable of quality players but the big question is, who is going to score?  Sir Alex already ruled out top scorer Wayne Rooney with an ankle injury. Berbatov?  The Bulgarian has stepped up his production a bit this season but he’s no Wayne Rooney.  Bayern get a boost from the availability of dynamic Dutch winger Arjen Robben, Robben and Frank Ribery will provide the offensive spark for Bayern.  I give the edge to Bayern in this one.

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Bordeaux v. Lyon, FSP 12:45pm, FSC delayed 3:00pm

Lyon is clearly in command of this one with a 3-1 lead. To make matters worse, Bordeaux enters the match with a 3 game losing streak.  Bordeaux’s leading goal scorer, Marouane Chamakh, will need to be in excellent form to see his team get to the next round.  Lyon are confident in a semifinal appearance against Bayern or Manchester United, but it is a mistake to overlook Bordeaux. Lyon has a few key absences such as suspended forwards Sidney Govou and Lisandro Lopez; injured Cleber Anderson, as well as Francois Clerc, Jean Makoun and Dejan Lovren.  This should be a very exciting match.  I give the edge to Lyon.

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