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The 2006 UEFA Champions League season is approaching its climax. The four most successful teams in the prestigious tournament of the Old Continent start the semi-final matches. It will be revealed which two of them will earn a ticket to the most coveted club football match in Paris - the Champions League final. For this right, two famous clubs and two newcomers to such competitions will clash - respectively "Milan" and "Barcelona", as well as "Arsenal" and "Villarreal". EuroFootball.com takes a look at the first semi-final pair playing on Tuesday. - Start - 21:45 Lithuanian time Referee - Alain Sars (France) On Tuesday evening, the eyes of all football fans will be on Milan - at the "San Siro" stadium, the touted local giants "Milan" will clash with their old opponent, the Spanish champion club "Barcelona", in the duel of European football giants, seeking to continue their victorious streak in the tournament semi-finals. Having won the title six times, the strongest team of the continent, the Italian club, except for the first season of the tournament that took place 50 years ago, has won all four semi-final matches in its history, and the fifth victory this year would mean the 11th final in history for the team. Meanwhile, "Barcelona" can only boast of their triumph in 1992, as the three attempts in the final, including the crushing defeat in 1994 against "Milan", were unsuccessful. The Champions League final held in Athens 12 years ago is the most memorable match of all 9 encounters between both teams. At that time, the favorite was considered to be the "Barcelona" club coached by Johan Cruyff, however, the stunning victory with a score of 4-0 was claimed by the players of "Milan" coached by Fabio Capello. In total, in the matches against each other, "Milan" celebrated four victories, and three victories, including a dramatic victory after a brilliant goal by Ronaldinho in last year's group stage match, were won by "Barcelona". For the Italian club to play in the Champions League final for the second consecutive season, their home stadium will be of great significance. In this season, "Milan" has already defeated teams like "Bayern" and "Lyon" with a combined score of 7-2 in the knockout matches and won 12 out of the last 13 matches played. However, the return match will take place in Barcelona, and history shows that the Catalan team is able to retaliate at home - in 13 home-away games against Italian clubs, "Barcelona" has won 8 times. Noticing similarities, "Milan" coach Carlo Ancelotti said: "These are matches between two great clubs. "Barcelona" and us play the most attractive football in Europe, so I hope we can see exciting matches where there is no lack of action on both sides of the field. "Milan" and "Barcelona" are similar teams with the same mentality. When such clubs meet each other, the key to victory lies in the ability to impose their game on the opponent." However, one big difference between the clubs is that "Milan" has much more experience in such high-level matches, as the Italian club is playing in the semi-finals for the third time in the last 4 seasons. In the quarterfinal match against "Lyon", C. Ancelotti could field 13 players who already tasted the taste of victory in the tournament in 2003, while the only Champions League winner in the ranks of "Barcelona" is Deco, who won't be able to help his team in the first match due to disqualification. "We know that "Milan" is a very experienced and organized club, playing at home they should be considered favorites. Nevertheless, being a favorite does not mean anything - you have to take the field and prove that you are the best. They have already shown that they are difficult to beat, but we are here to play football and try to achieve a positive result," said "Barcelona" coach Frank Rijkaard, who as a player spent five seasons in Milan and twice won the European Champions Cup with then also playing C. Ancelotti. The Dutch coach will have to scratch his head before the match, as not only the disqualified playmaker Deco and still injured Lionel Messi won't be able to play, but also Henrik Larsson, who was supposed to replace the latter, suffered an injury in the match against "Villarreal". As both Xavi, who will be out for a couple of weeks, and another midfielder Iniesta should get a chance to shine in the middle of the field alongside Edmilson, Andrs Iniesta, Mark van Bommel, or Thiago Motta. In the defensive wings, F. Rijkaard will once again choose between Oleguer and Juliano Belletti on the right and Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Silvinho on the left, while Carles Puyol and Rafael Marquez will play in the center. Two out of three players in the attacking trio are clear - they will be two-week rested Brazilian "magician" Ronaldinho and goal-scoring "machine" Samuel Eto'o. The third should be Ludovix Giuly, who is most suitable for the coach's tactical schemes, while the alternatives could be more solidly built forwards like Maxi Lopez and Santi Ezquerro. The situation is much clearer in the "Milan" camp, where after healing injuries, veterans Cafu and Paolo Maldini returned to the lineup. They should play in the defensive wings, and the duo of central defenders is likely to continue to be Alessandro Nesta and Georgian Kakha Kaladze. In the safety line, as usual, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, and more forward from them will play Kaka. The only, but quite a big loss for the Italian club is the injured hero of the quarterfinal match against "Lyon" Filippo Inzaghi. His place in the attack alongside the Champions League record holder Andriy Shevchenko, who has not yet scored a goal in the tournament, will be taken by Alberto Gilardino. Probable starting line-ups "Milan" (4-3-1-2): Dida; Cafu, Nesta, Kaladze, Maldini; Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf; Kaka; Shevchenko, Gilardino. "Barcelona" (4-3-3): Valdes; Oleguer, Marquez, Puyol, Van Bronckhorst; Van Bommel, Edmilson, Iniesta; Giuly, Eto'o, Ronaldinho.
