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On Wednesday, UEFA Champions League quarter-finals will feature second leg matches that will determine who will advance to the tournament's semi-finals. "Benfica" will seek to prove at the "Nou Camp" stadium that the goalless draw in Portugal was not a coincidence, while in Turin, "Juventus" hopes that luck will be on their side and they can overturn "Arsenal's" two-goal advantage.
The first leg in Lisbon ended 0-0.
Before the second leg UEFA Champions League match at the "Nou Camp" stadium, "Barcelona" hopes that they can finally end the goal drought they have been experiencing recently.
The first leg in Lisbon ended goalless, and in the last three matches, "Barcelona" has only scored one goal - an eleven-meter penalty against "Real" in the weekend match which ended in a 1-1 draw.
"Although we only scored one goal in the matches against "Benfica" and "Real," the most important thing is that we create a lot of chances," said Dutch defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst. - "Neither we, nor Eto'o, nor Larsson are worried. On Wednesday, we will have a great opportunity to break the streak of unsuccessful matches. Our dream is to win the UEFA Champions League, and first of all, we must overcome "Benfica."
Meanwhile, "Barcelona" coach Frank Rijkaard stated that the offensive problems could turn to their advantage in the match against "Benfica."
"If we had scored many goals on Saturday, it would be harder to score against "Benfica,"" said the Dutch coach on a Spanish radio. - "Now the team will have more desire to beat the opponents."
Although "Barcelona's" Argentinean Lionel Messi has already started training on Monday after a month-long rehabilitation, he will not be ready to play in Wednesday's match. The club's medical staff also had to assist Samuel Eto'o, who suffered a minor injury, but it is almost certain that the Cameroonian will be in the starting lineup on Wednesday.
However, the main headache for F. Rijkaard should be the sparse defense of the Catalan super club: Mexican national team defender Rafael Marquez, Brazilian national team versatile defender Edmilson, left-back Silvinho, and defensive midfielder Thiago Motta will not play due to injuries.
In the weekend match against "Real," team captain Carles Puyol, who clashed heads with Sergio Ramos, trained on Monday and will most likely form the center-back pairing with Oleguer.
F. Rijkaard was certainly relieved to learn that Nuno Gomes, the top scorer of the Portuguese league, sustained a left knee injury in the weekend's 2-1 victory over "Belenenses." The forward will likely be out for about three weeks, and he will also miss the match against "Benfica" on Wednesday along with injured defenders Alcides and Nelson.
It is believed that, just like in the first leg, Ronald Koeman will rely on a defensive tactic for these matches, with the dangerous Italian Fabrizio Miccoli and former "Barcelona" midfielder Geovanni expected to counter-attack.
"We have attackers who can score against "Barcelona"," said F. Miccoli. - "It will be tough, but we have a chance to reach the semi-finals."
R. Koeman does not intend to give up in advance: "Everything is possible in football, nothing is certain. We will fight until the last minute, just like in the first leg."
While all team representatives spoke without knowing who they would face in the semi-finals, after Tuesday's second leg matches in the other two pairs, it became clear that the winner of those ties will face the "Milan" club, which dramatically defeated French champions "Lyon" 3-1.
Possible lineups "Barcelona" (4-3-3): Valdes; Belletti, Oleguer, Puyol, van Bronckhorst; van Bommel, Iniesta, Deco; Ronaldinho, Larsson, Eto'o; "Benfica" (4-3-3): Moretto; Rocha, Luisao, Anderson, Leo; Beto, Petit, Fernandes; Simao, Geovanni, Miccoli;
Turin - London (First leg ended with "Arsenal" victory 0-2)
After the first leg of these clubs at "Highbury" stadium in London, the 2-0 win by "Arsenal" forced many experts to conclude that they took the biggest step towards the semi-finals among all quarter-final teams. However, the Italian champions and current league leaders hoped that the return of Czech national team defender Pavel Nedved would inspire the team to fight selflessly at the "Delle Alpi" stadium.
The winner of this tie will face undoubtedly this year's Champions League sensation "Villarreal" in the semi-finals, who on Tuesday eliminated Milan's "Inter" in a thrilling match.
"Juve" is a team that fights until the end of the match, as long as there is even a theoretical hope to change something," said the best European footballer of 2003, who missed the first leg due to a suspension. - ""Arsenal" will have to sweat. The only thing that is clear is that we cannot make any mistakes. I missed the first leg, but I can play now. I'm not saying that I will strengthen the team, but I will give all my efforts and hope that will be enough."
Although P. Nedved will return to the left-back position, "Juventus" coach Fabio Capello has few options to change the team lineup due to suspensions, as "Arsenal" defender Patrick Vieira, Italian national team midfielder Mauro Camoranesi, and French national team defender Jonathan Zebina will not play.
It is expected that instead of M. Camoranesi, the right-back position will be taken by Romanian Adrian Mutu, former "Lazio" defender Gianluca Giannichedda will replace P. Vieira in the central midfield, Gianluca Zambrotta will move to the right defensive flank, and Giorgio Chiellini will take his place on the left.
In attack, F. Capello will likely choose the usual pairing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Trezeguet. The coach also hopes that Alessandro Del Piero, who missed the first leg due to a thigh injury, can at least start the match on the bench.
There were much better news in the "Arsenal" camp: on Monday, it was revealed that two players, the 18-year-old Spaniard Cesc Fabregas and the Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Eboue, returned from injuries. Both players sustained injuries in Saturday's English championship match, where "Arsenal" beat Birmingham's "Aston Villa" 5-0.
Especially good news was about C. Fabregas, as the Spaniard was arguably the best player in the first leg: the young Spaniard dominated the center of the field, scored one goal, and provided an assist for the second Thierry Henry's goal.
Experience will be crucial in Wednesday's match, so it is speculated that after recovering from the injury, the Swede Fredrik Ljungberg will return to "Arsenal's" lineup as the fifth midfielder for the match against "Juventus."
Arsene Wenger's biggest headache before the second leg match will likely be the defense - it is unclear whether E. Eboue has fully recovered to play in the starting lineup. If he is unable to play, A. Wenger may unexpectedly make major changes in the defensive line: it is speculated that then the English national team defender Sol Campbell could return to the field, and Swiss player Philippe Senderos could take the place on the right side of the defense.
It is worth mentioning that S. Campbell has not played in the "Arsenal" lineup since February 1st when he left the "Highbury" stadium during the match against "West Ham" and did not participate in team training for some time.
Another possible scenario is that E. Eboue could be replaced on the right side by Swiss Johan Djourou. This is what A. Wenger experimented within the match against "Aston Villa."
Possible lineups "Juventus" (4-4-2): Buffon; Zambrotta, Thuram, Cannavaro, Chiellini; Mutu, Giannichedda, Emerson, Nedved; Ibrahimovic, Trezeguet; "Arsenal" (4-4-1-1): Lehmann; Eboue (Djorou), Toure, Senderos, Flamini; Pires, Fabregas, Hleb, Gilberto; Reyes; Henry;"
