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On Tuesday, four teams that reached the Champions League quarter-finals will compete - "Lyon" will host the ambitious Madrid "Real" led by Jose Mourinho, while "Kobenhavn" will face the stumbling London "Chelsea" team.
Match review available on "EuroFootball.com" portal.
"Lyon" - Madrid "Real"
"Lyon" is a team that has become a real headache for Madrid "Real". The French club eliminated the Spanish giants in the Champions League quarter-finals last season, leaving them once again empty-handed.
Now, "Real" will be led by Jose Mourinho - a Portuguese manager who has shown his success in knockout matches. The "Royal" club reached the final of the Spanish King's Cup for the first time in six years.
Despite this, Lyon's defender Kim Kallstrom believes that Madrid can be defeated once again: "We have beaten them before and we will do everything to make it happen again. Of course, "Real" remains the favorite, especially because they defend better than before. It's clear that Mourinho has had an impact, so it will be tougher for us."
It's worth noting that Lyon will be without their striker Lisandro Lopez, who has scored ten goals this season, but their main goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will return to the lineup.
"Real" will be without striker Gonzalo Higuain, and he may be replaced by the former Lyon player, Frenchman Karim Benzema.
In the last national championship match, the Spaniards easily defeated "Levante" 2-0 and closed the gap with the leader, "Barcelona," to five points.
Meanwhile, Lyon is currently in fourth place in the French league. They are only four points behind the leaders, "Lille," after a convincing victory over "Nancy."
Match preview video:
"Kobenhavn" - "Chelsea"
"Kobenhavn" will host the struggling English champions at home and will not be able to complain about a lack of energy - the team has not played an official match for almost two months due to a break in the Danish championship. However, such a long break could have negative consequences.
The Copenhagen team is leading the championship in Scandinavia with an impressive lead of 19 points over their closest rivals. They have won 16 matches and drawn three times.
On the other hand, "Chelsea" is struggling - they are currently in fifth place in the English league, trailing the leader "Man Utd" by 12 points. Furthermore, they suffered a painful defeat at home to Liverpool's "Everton" in the FA Cup over the weekend.
The fact that it won't be easy in Copenhagen is evident from the group stage match where "Kobenhavn" played a 1-1 draw with mighty "Barcelona" in front of their home fans.
"We have not lost at home in the Champions League yet, and we have played against teams like "Man Utd," "Barcelona," and other great teams before," said "Kobenhavn" coach Stale Solbakken. "Our goal is to keep hope and possibilities alive to fight for a victory in the second leg."
In the Champions League, coach Carlo Ancelotti is looking to succeed, and goalkeeper Petr Cech has already stated that a loss to the Danes would be a "tragedy."
"The club has never won this tournament, and its final will take place in London this year - a city that has not yet won this trophy," said Ancelotti. "We have many reasons why this tournament is extremely important."
The duel in Denmark will be a chance for the expensive "Chelsea" acquisition Fernando Torres to shine, as he has failed to impress in the first two matches, resembling anything close to his €58 million price tag.
Match preview video:
