Philadelphia, PA - Never before have three teams from the same league advanced to the semifinals of the Champions League, but Premiership sides Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are looking to do just that when they kick off their respective quarterfinal first legs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Liverpool opens up its quarterfinal at Philips Stadion against Dutch league- leaders PSV on Tuesday. The Reds seem to be catching their Dutch opposition at just the right time, as PSV have a number of injury issues as well as a dip in form. The Eindhoven club is coming off of a disappointing weekend that saw its lead at the top of the standings reduced to only three points after a lackluster 1-1 draw with NAC. Liverpool, meanwhile, is flying high after a 4-1 thrashing of rivals Arsenal that saw striker Peter Crouch score three goals in his return to the lineup after missing time with a broken nose.
PSV boss Ronald Koeman will have to cope with the absences of two of his top defenders, Brazilian Alex, who is out with a hamstring problem, and Michael Reiziger, who will miss the rest of the season with a groin issue. Alex has been one of PSV's top players in the Champions League so far. He not only has provided a strong presence in the PSV back line, but has shown a knack for getting forward and creating scoring chances. He scored PSV's lone goal in the second leg of the club's Round of 16 showdown with Arsenal, sending them through, and his size will be missed inside of the team's own area.
Liverpool knocked off defending champs Barcelona in their Round of 16 contest, and having won the competition in 2005, the Reds bring plenty of big-game experience into this fixture. Liverpool went on the road and came home with a 2-1 win over Barca last round, and manager Rafael Benitez will not doubt be looking for a similar result on Tuesday. The two teams played to a 0-0 draw in the group stage of the competition this season before Liverpool earned a 2-0 win at Anfield in the second meeting. The stakes are a little higher this time around and with PSV's injury issues, Liverpool's penchant for rising to the occasion in big games should be enough to take a lead back to Anfield.
Tuesday's other contest is the only one that does not feature an English club as AC Milan play host to Bayern Munich at the San Siro. Bayern got past another European heavyweight in its Round of 16 clash, ousting Real Madrid in the most entertaining contest of the round. AC Milan, meanwhile, slipped past Scottish club Celtic in unimpressive fashion, but they too have a strong pedigree in European competition that could carry them far.
After an uneven season that has seen the club struggle for spells, Bayern is coming into the match off of maybe its biggest win of the season, a 2-0 defeat of league-leaders Schalke that pulled the two-time defending Bundesliga champions back to within striking distance of the top. Although Claudio Pizarro has been the team's leading scorer in Champions League play, it is his strike partner Roy Makaay that will provide the most concern for the Milan back line. Makaay scored his league-leading 13th goal on Saturday, and will draw plenty of attention from the likes of Paolo Maldini and Kakha Kaladze.
Milan has a potent offensive force of its own to counter with in Brazilian midfielder Kaka. He is the leading scorer in the Champions League this season with six goals and has provided Milan with a creative playmaker in the center of pitch. Along with strikers Ricardo Oliveira and Filippo Inzaghi, Kaka and the Milan attack will need to do more than they did against Celtic, when they were held scoreless for 180-plus minutes before finally scoring the lone goal in extra time. If Milan's attack can return to form they will be favored to go through, but another effort like the one they put out against Celtic will not be enough.
The Champions League is the only competition that manager Jose Mourinho has not won since his arrival at Stamford Bridge in 2004. Although the Portuguese maestro has lifted the crown with FC Porto, he has not been able to replicate that success with the Blues. This season has been a tough one for Chelsea, as the club has battled major injuries and failed to live up to expectations. Although they already own silverware from this season's Carling Cup triumph against Arsenal and have a great chance to advance to the FA Cup title game, they are six points behind Premiership leaders Manchester United and cannot afford another early exit in this competition.
The club just narrowly escaped with a 1-0 win against last-placed Watford over the weekend, and they just have not looked like the dominant team from the past couple of seasons. Salomon Kalou's stoppage-time goal rescued the team on Saturday and he has been a nice surprise for Mourinho, who has been less than impressed with the club's big offseason acquisition, striker Andriy Shevchenko. The Ukrainian was a big disappointment early in the season, but has since rebounded a little to provide Chelsea with a legitimate threat up top opposite Didier Drogba. The loss of winger Arjen Robben for the next four weeks due to injury will hurt Chelsea, as Mourinho liked to deploy the Dutchman out wide as a substitute to provide pace.
As good as Chelsea's strike unit is, their opponents Valencia, bring just as good a tandem into Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. David Villa and Fernando Morientes played a big part in Valencia knocking off tournament favorites Inter Milan in the last round. Villa has become a hot commodity among Europe's elite clubs and it isn't hard to see why. With 11 goals in league play and another four in the Champions League, Villa will be a lot to handle for John Terry and the rest of the Chelsea back line.
This is a very tough draw for Chelsea, who are facing a Valencia team that already have beaten Inter and are full of confidence. The Spanish outfit is balanced and capable of playing both an up tempo style, or a rugged defensive game. Valencia have the players to do it, and this could once again be Mourinho's time for an early exit.
The final fixture of the round features another favorable draw for Manchester United, who get first-time quarterfinalists Roma. After dispatching of French club Lille in the Round of 16 in two closer-than-expected games, the Red Devils are looking to rebound with a better effort against the Italian side. Injuries to United's back line will make things more difficult than expected, as both Gary Neville and Nemanja Vidic will not take part in the first leg.
A thin United back line is good news for Roma's Francesco Totti, who promises to give the Red Devils problems. Totti shares the Serie A lead with 16 goals, but is one of Roma's few scoring threats.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men have a clear edge in offensive firepower, and with Cristiano Ronaldo in top form, goals should not be an issue. Ronaldo has the ability to create chances out of nothing, so even if the club is struggling offensively, one moment of individual brilliance from the Portuguese winger can be enough to get them through. A return to top form by striker Wayne Rooney would provide a big boost, but United's overall talent should be enough to allow them to leave Stadio Olimpico with a positive result.
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