Champions League Semi-Finals

Filed in archive Champions League on April 26, 2010

This week sees the second round of the Champions League semi-finals. With all the English teams eliminated from the pinnacle of club football, Inter Milan face Barcelona while outsiders Lyon meet Bayern Munich.

Bayern Munich, who knocked out Manchester United in the quarter-finals in what was one of the most thrilling comebacks in recent years of the competition, travel to France tonight with a slight head start over the home team, a goal from talisman Arjen Robben in Munich putting them 1-0 ahead. Barcelona, at home tomorrow, must overturn a damning 3-1 deficit in a game which saw the Catalans outplayed in Italy, despite blistering displays against all previous opponents.

With Barcelona still in the competition Inter Milan are far from favourites, and for once meeting the likes of Messi, Xavi and Puyol over two games may not give them any advantage. If they were to get past this stage though, the team that so outplayed Chelsea over two legs in the first knock out round would surely be tipped as favourites to take home the trophy this season, making it their 3rd in total and first since beating Benfica 1-0 in the final in 1965.