Barcelona and Chelsea start as clear favorites on Tuesday to qualify for the semifinals of the Champions League football after winning the duels trip to Bayern Munich (4-0 in the Nou Camp) and Liverpool (3-1 at Anfield) respectively.In case you fulfill the predictions, the two teams will face in the next round of the major continental club competition, although their rivals rooms, two 'big' in Europe, try to break the script and planned to achieve an epic comeback.
"This party has to deal seriously and with respect for the competition and Bayern Munich because he has the ability to make goals," said Barcelona's technical secretary, Txiki Begiristain, the Monday before departing to the Bavarian capital.
FC Barcelona, which his coach 'Pep' Guardiola will see from the stands after being ejected by penalty in the first leg, travels with a comfortable advantage at the Allianz Arena and should have no problems in maintaining and possibly expanding, despite warnings .
"The Germans do not stop fighting until it is finished the match and secure the Bayern will give us hard," said goalkeeper Victor Valdes, whose goal has remained unbeaten in the last five matches of the club azulgrana.
The defensive shortcomings that have appeared Barça seem to have remedied in recent matches but still has difficulty in playing the ball to stop, that could mean one of Bayern's resources to try to become the first team in history of European competitions in lift a 4-0.
In Munich, Guardiola is likely to keep their front three, but could break the Argentine Leo Messi, leaving the responsibility to the Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry and the French Andres Iniesta.
Behind them would stand Yaya Touré, the brain of the computer Hernandez Xavi, Sergio Busquets.
In the rear, Guardiola put Gerard Piqué and Carles Puyol, as central, with Dani Alves on the right, but on the left, missing the Mexican Rafa Marquez for punishment, could act Uruguayan Martin Caceres, but also have potential Sylvinho and Eric Abidal.
For his part, Chelsea, in a sweet moment of the season, will try to complete a round before his audience that he has very expensive thanks to its 3-1 in the mythical stadium of Liverpool.
The statistics are not positive for the 'Reds', and that 98% of the teams that have won 3-1 away from home in a knockout competition for the main European clubs have been ranked at the end of the shock back.
The big question for the coach Rafael Benitez is in the physical state of Steven Gerrard, whose participation is in doubt because of the problems that dragged on for days. "We lost 3-1 and we know that everything can change if we play well and to Steven," said Liverpool's Spanish coach.
The team will, yes, with the return of Argentine Javier Mascherano, suspended in the return encounter.
In memory of Liverpool on Thursday that will also fulfill the twentieth anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy, in which 96 football fans' reds' were killed in an avalanche.
