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In the Champions League today there will be two quarter-final matches played. Last year's champions "Milan" will host "Deportivo" at home, while in the other pair Edgaras Jankausko's club "Porto" will play against the French champions "Lyon".
Start: 21:45 Lithuanian time
The leader of the Italian championship "Milan" hopes to take a big step towards the semi-finals today. Lately, "Milan" has been unbeatable: after a draw in Prague with "Sparta", the club has won five consecutive victories, not against weak teams - they crushed "Sparta" in the Champions League and defeated "Lazio", "Sampdoria", "Juventus", "Parma" in their national championship.
"Deportivo", who has already eliminated one Italian club in the round of 16, will seek to repeat it in the quarter-finals. Although they are not favorites again this time, they are certainly capable of defeating their opponents. The form of the La Coruna team has been unstable lately. Although they have beaten "Juventus" twice in Europe, they have lost three times to "Valencia", "Mallorca" and "Barcelona" in the league.
"Milan" has problems with player injuries - Alessandro Nesta will not be able to help the team, and it is unclear whether captain Paolo Maldini and goalkeeper Dida will play. The team's coach Carlo Ancelotti knows his opponents well as they played against them last season, but he also believes that every game is different. "We are the first to play at home, but that is not an advantage. We have to give everything we can, and a draw wouldn't be the end of the world. The most important thing is not to concede a goal," Ancelotti said.
His colleague on the other side of the barricade, Javier Irureta, says that "to beat the Italians, you need to think and play like an Italian". "Deportivo" will miss only the suspended Victor.
Start: 21:45 Lithuanian time
At the Dragao stadium, the leaders of the Portuguese and French championships will clash. However, their leadership differs significantly. "Lyon" currently has the same points as "Monaco", but they are leading the league due to a better goal difference. Meanwhile, "Porto" is 7 points ahead of "Sporting" in second place, and has played one game less.
Several players will be missing for the Portuguese club in these matches. Brazilian Derlei's season has already ended due to injury, and Sergio Conceicao and Maciel cannot represent the team in European competitions because they have already played for other clubs this year. There are doubts about whether captain Jorge Costa and Pedro Mendes will be able to play, and injured Marco Ferreira will have to watch the match from the bench. If coach Jose Mourinho decides not to play with only one forward, the Lithuanian recently showed that he can score when he sent the ball into the "Braga" goal three times in the Portuguese Cup.
In the "Lyon" team, only defender Claudio Cacapa will be missing, who has been recovering from a knee injury after surgery since the start of the season. Among the good news for the French is that forward Sidney Govou, one of the team leaders, has recovered, as well as goalkeeper Gregory Coupet. Brazilian Elber will also play, although he recently stated that he is unhappy at the club and would like to return to Germany.
