Champions League Semifinals

This year's Champions League semi finals has a nostalgic feel to it with all 4 having faced each other at this stage more than once in the past.


Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
Chelsea v Barcelona

(2nd legs reversed. To be played April 17/18 and 24/25)


While Bayern last faced Real Madrid in a semi over 10 years ago, Chelsea and Barca's most recent matchup was 3 seasons ago at the end of the 2008-09 season.

Anyway here's a look at the 4 teams' chances of making the Final in Munich in May.

Bayern Munich 

The German superpowers are back amongst Europe's elite, riding on a crest that has seen the Bundesliga become the third best league in Europe ahead of Italy's Serie A and German football once again near the summit of world football. While they may not be the German champions, they still have one of the most talented outfits in European football and world-class players like Franck Ribery, Thomas Mueller, Mario Gomez, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Arjen Robben, Manuel Neuer, etc.

The question is, with the chance to play the Final in their own stadium on the line, can Bayern cause what would be considered an upset against a rampant and confident Real Madrid side? Or will the emotion and pressure be too much for this fairly young side?

Real Madrid will undoubtedly be the toughest side Bayern would have faced this season but it's not as if Bayern have been involved in some easy fights this season - they were drawn after all in the so-called pool of death and won the pool quite comfortably, and they also had to fight back from a 1-0 deficit against Basel - that they did with tremendous aplomb with a 7-0 thumping in Munich.

One thing in their favour is that the first leg is in Munich. A good result there and they could go to the Bernabeu with their tails up and park the bus in front of Madrid. They're also aided by the fact that Real Madrid do not have a particularly good record in Munich too - albeit at the old Olympiastadion.

Chelsea

A club apparently in chaos, without a permanent manager has managed to maintain its remarkable record in the Champions League this season. Chelsea love the semifinal stages of the Champions League having made that stage 8 times in their 10 seasons in the Champions League.

Whether they can make only their 2nd appearance in the Final remains to be seen given the team standing in their way is none other than that team, Barcelona. There is some rivalry between these two sides dating beyond the Mourinho era when Chelsea were controversially knocked out by Barcelona in the quarterfinals in 2000 despite winning the Stamford Bridge leg 3-1.

Barcelona currently have the upper hand in this rather recent rivalry and given their form and match practice - they've played a decent Milan team twice en route to this stage, should probably beat the West Londoners. However, di Matteo's men do play the first leg at home and a good result there might see them very well park the bus at the Camp Nou. The team spirit at Chelsea is also a lot better than it was when Andre Villas-Boas was there. Chelsea can also count on the experience of Terry, Lampard, Cole, Cech, Drogba too.

Real Madrid

Could 2012 finally be the year that Mourinho cracks the Barcelona dominance on Spanish and European football? You know what, it could very well be - and I'm saying this as a Barcelona fan. They've been wonderfully consistent in the league and appear to be hitting form at the right time. They've always had the arsenal of talented players in Ronaldo, Kaka, Mesut Ozil, etc. but have always struggled psychologically when up against their rivals from Catalunya.

While they did lose at home to Barcelona this season in the league, Real Madrid still maintain a 6 point lead over their great rivals - a sign of their ability to quickly bounce back from adversity this season and an awareness that one game doesn't necessarily lose you everything. While Barcelona have stumbled away from home, Real Madrid have just kept up the pressure, being virtually unbeatable at home and away.

They'll need one heck of a performance away from home in Munich now. Brave APOEL was always going to be easy fodder for the meringues but a Bayern side so badly wanting to win the Champions League at home will be a lot tougher. Real must be far more clinical than they were in Moscow against CSKA when they threw away a 1-0 goal advantage right at the end. I think a score draw will be what Mourinho's men will be after in Munich. After that cue the onslaught at the Bernabeu - and with all the stars fit again, that really should be a formality.

Barcelona

The best club side at the moment, possibly the best club side ever as I alluded to earlier. Barcelona are currently the team to beat and Chelsea, Bayern Munich and even Real Madrid all know that.

They have set sky high standards on the field for the last 4 years under Pep Guardiola - a complete team with talented players able to play the sumptous passing-keep possession game that has characterised the Catalans and killed teams even though Barcelona may only be 1-0 up. It is this type of football that has made the Spanish national team the number 1 team in the world.

This season in the league, they may have found the going tougher, struggling away from home, but in Europe, Barcelona have remained a massive mountain to climb and look primed to be the first team to retain the title of Europe's best for the first time since Milan did it in the 1990s - first time in fact in the post-1992 Champions League era.

They've conquered a quite decent Milan team and with Chelsea on the horizon of similar ilk and talent, Barcelona should back themselves. The same 0-0 result at San Siro was a positive for the Catalans and one fancies they'll be happy with that at Stamford Bridge.

Could Barcelona make history this season? The odds are actually now moving quite quickly in the Catalan's favour.

Tips?
Barcelona v Real Madrid final in Munich - sorry Bayern fans who must be used to missing out on Finals like the rest of their compatriots when Germany is playing.

Barcelona beat Real Madrid on penalties. One on one, Barcelona still trump Real Madrid I'm afraid.