Chelsea bus arrives at Camp Nou

 

Chelsea managed to defy the odds when they kept Barcelona off the scoresheet and secured a 1-0 semi-final win over the reigning Champions League holders at Stamford Bridge last week, but will they be able to repeat the feat at Camp Nou in the second leg?

The Blues' interim coach Roberto Di Matteo has insisted that his side will take the game to the Blaugrana in Catalunya in a bid to extend their advantage. Pep Guardiola, however, remains wholly confident that his Barca outfit will be able to defeat the west Londoners and that Lionel Messi will return to form having failed to score in the club's previous two fixtures.

Will Di Matteo keep his word and attack Barca from the start, or will he opt for the old park the bus routine?

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الرياضة بتضحّك

This town ain't big enough for two

 

A defining day in the Premier League saw Manchester United draw 4-4 with Everton on Sunday lunchtime, before Manchester City cut their lead at the top of the table to three points with a 2-0 away win against Wolves later in the afternoon.

All that sets up nicely the mouth-watering Manchester derby on April 30 at the Etihad Stadium, with the league title firmly in both teams' sights. Will the red half of the city be rejoicing or will the blue half be making all the noise come full time?

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109 not out!

 

April 21, 2012 could become one of the most important dates in Real Madrid's recent history. A 2-1 victory against arch-rivals Barcelona in the Clasico on Saturday could prove to be the defining moment of the Spanish season, as goals from Sami Khedira and Cristiano Ronaldo put Pep Guardiola's side to the sword for the first time in La Liga since 2008.

And to cap a memorable evening, Los Blancos have now scored the most goals in a single Primera Division campaign, surpassing the previous record of 107 set under former boss John Toshack in 1989-90, and achieving the feat with four matches remaining.

So not only have Madrid taken a significant step towards ending Barcelona's domestic dominance, but their astonishing scoring feat provides an extra sweetener for Jose Mourinho and his players.
 

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Humble pie

 

With Borussia Dortmund on the brink of claiming their second successive Bundesliga title, Jurgen Klopp has been vocal in stating that Bayern Munich should recognise the achievements of their rivals.

The Bavarian giants, and especially president Uli Hoeness, have been critical of the Signal Iduna Park side in the past and the relationship between the two clubs is now more strained than ever.

However, with BVB on the verge of defending their title, the Bayern Munich president may have to follow Klopp's advice and finally "take off his hat to BVB's performances"...

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Let's get ready to rumble!

 

With a thrilling Serie A title race between AC Milan and Juventus set to draw to a close, hostilities between the two Italian giants have not been contained to the pitch in recent months. A particularly contentious meeting between the two sides took place at San Siro at the end of February when Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari had a perfectly legitimate goal disallowed by the match officials, an error that Massimiliano Allegri simply refuses to forget.

The Ghanaian himself has an inventive solution for the rivalry between the two sides: "Allegri always talks about my disallowed goal against Juventus. When the season is over, I suggest a boxing contest between Allegri and Conte."

Well, if all else fails ...

 

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Bastian Schweinsteiger

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Didier leaves the Barca Boys trailing in his wake

 

In the wake of Bayern Munich's victory over Real Madrid on Tuesday, all eyes were on Chelsea to inflict similar punishment of their own in their semi-final first leg against Barcelona. The Blues were forced to adopt a counterattacking style against the competition holders, who unsurprisingly dominated possession for the most part, but in football you must grab your chances - something Barcelona appeared to take for granted, while Chelsea ensured their only shot of the evening counted for something.

However, their scalp over the Blaugrana would not have been accomplished without match-winner, Didier Drogba, who netted his third goal against Pep Guardiola's men. But arguably it will be his off-the-ball antics, rather than his goal, that will live longest in the memory. One criticism of the Ivorian is that he tends to fall to the ground a little too easily, despite his powerful physique, as evidenced by his countless trips to the Stamford Bridge surface. Still, the experienced forward had Carles Puyol and Javier Mascherano trailing in his wake throughout the evening!


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Munich thief leaves Madrid flat-footed

 

Prior to the first leg of Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena, a mystery thief reportedly stole six pairs of boots and some shirts from the visitors' dressing room. Three pairs allegedly belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo, while the others belonged to Mesut Ozil and Karim Benzema.

It may have made a difference, as in the end Bayern managed to win the match 2-1 courtesy of a last-minute winner from Mario Gomez, while Ronaldo, along with defenders Sergio Ramos and Fabio Coentrao, endured a night to forget.

Meanwhile, Marca are reporting that Bayern have failed to give any sort of explanation for the theft, despite the fact there are security cameras monitoring the dressing rooms. While it may well be a case of people going to extreme lengths for a piece of Madrid memorabilia, there is the nagging possibility that it was all just a bit of gamesmanship from the hosts.

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Robben seeks spinach strength

 

It has not been the best of weeks for Arjen Robben. After missing a penalty in Bayern Munich's potential title-deciding defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga last Wednesday, he then failed to inspire his side past Mainz at home on Saturday.

Now the Bavarians face the visit of a far more dangerous outfit in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final: Robben's former club, Real Madrid. The Dutchman has acknowledged that his side will have to be at their best to defeat Jose Mourinho's men and reach the final, which will be played at the Allianz Arena.

For Robben the tie against Real Madrid is also a chance to finally defeat goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who famously denied him in a one-on-one in the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Much like Popeye, the winger could well use a can of spinach to help him through this hardest of challenges ...

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