© EuroFootball.com
Wednesday evening UEFA Champions League will have decisive semi-final matches, which will determine the second finalist.
At "Stamford Bridge" stadium, London's "Chelsea" will face Madrid's "Atletico" eye to eye. Both clubs need at least one goal, otherwise, extra time will be waiting.
London's "Chelsea": The only English team defending the country's honor in the prestigious European tournament. London's "Chelsea" club is just a step away from the final, where they last played and triumphed in 2012.
The first meeting at "Atletico" fortress between the teams ended in a goalless draw. The hosts dominated possession and created several opportunities, but failed to break through the iron defense of the Madrid footballers.
In "Chelsea's" training, there is a great atmosphere (AFP photo). In the last matches, Jose Mourinho's players showed that defense can lead to a good result. In the English Premier League, "Liverpool" players suffered a defeat in front of their fans with a score of 0-2, and within "Chelsea", Demba Ba and Willian stood out.
J.Mourinho-led team will be without suspended Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel. In London, Eden Hazard and Samuel Eto'o can play, but "Chelsea" will likely have to cope without goalkeeper Petr Cech and probably John Terry.
Projected starting lineup: Mark Schwarzer Cesar Azpilicueta – Branislav Ivanović – Gary Cahill – Ashley Cole Ramires – David Luiz – Oscar Willian – Eden Hazard Fernando Torres
Madrid's "Atletico": This season, the Madrid's "Atletico" team, in excellent athletic form, finally got their chance to reach the final again. The last time "Rojiblancos" fans celebrated such an achievement was in 1973.
Diego Simeone steered his team excellently, and in the quarterfinals, they managed to eliminate a team like "Barcelona". "Chelsea" does not expect an easy fight in the English capital, and "Atletico" will try to take revenge for missed opportunities in their home ground, in London.
They failed to break down "Chelsea" defense in Madrid (AP photo). In the Spanish Primera Liga, the Madrid eleven won a difficult but important victory. In an away match, D. Simeone's players defeated "Valencia" by a narrow margin and took a solid step towards the title. The crucial goal in this match was scored by Raul Garcia.
"Atletico" traveled to London with almost the full squad and there are no injured players, but their captain Gabi will miss the match as he received a yellow card in the first leg and reached their limit.
Projected starting lineup: Thibaut Courtois Juanfran – Miranda – Diego Godín – Filipe Luis Mario Suárez – Tiago – Arda Turan – Koke Raúl García – Diego Costa
