UEFA Champions League: Tuesday Quarter-Final Second Leg Previews

Who: Barcelona vs. Arsenal
Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
When: 2:45pm EDT
U.S. TV: Fox Sports Net
First Leg Result: 2-2
Preview I
Preview II
Sid Lowe: Pep wary of Walcott threat
Matt Hughes: Victory would be Arsenal's greatest ever
Walcott aims to rattle Barcelona






Who: CSKA Moscow vs. Inter Milan
Where: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia
When: 12:30pm EDT
U.S. TV: Fox Soccer Channel
First Leg Result: 0-1
Preview I
Preview II

Italy: Serie A Best and Worst of the Week

The Best





The Worst

Champions League gets a breath of fresh air as England loses grip on elite

For the time being the English clubs are battling for no more than survival. This comes as a small surprise because at least one of them has featured in each of the past five Champions League finals. Indeed, there has lately been a cluster of these sides in the semi-finals. From the viewpoint of the continent, our representatives must look like bindweed throttling everything else in the vicinity.

Sir Alex Ferguson rules out chances of Wayne Rooney starting against Bayern

The United manager this afternoon, however, suggested that Rooney has "no chance" of returning from injury, an outcome that appeared likely after the player did not train with the rest of the United squad this morning.

Americans On The Continent: Captain America

In a rather lackluster week for Americans on the Continent, Steve Cherundolo donned the captain’s armband as Hannover battled to a 0-0 draw away to Hamburg.

The Rest

Americans In The UK: Maurice Edu Wins One For Rangers

Edu had it going early, storming out with an attacking sense of purpose. The midfielder nearly scored within the first few minutes, but his 35-yard effort rattled the post. However, in the 11th minute, the American gave Rangers the only goal of the game when he slotted home an effort from seven yards out. Despite the hosts’ early exuberance, Rangers could not build on the lead. Rangers are locked in to the Scottish Premier League title, sitting 10 points ahead of second place Celtic.

The Rest

Can promotion bring the good times back to Newcastle?

Newcastle United's promotion has brought the good times back to Tyneside, just 11 months after relegation sent shockwaves reverberating around St James' Park.

Stuart Holden eyes Bolton return after fractured leg

United States midfielder Stuart Holden hopes to play in Bolton's last two Premier League matches against Tottenham and Birmingham.

Tim Vickery in South America

Reading Phil McNulty's blog after the Arsenal-Barcelona game, I was struck by the number of people who went out of their way to criticise the performance of Lionel Messi.

It is indicative of the enormous pressure the young Argentine will be under in the World Cup - the same pressure that broke his friend and former Barca team-mate Ronaldinho four years ago.

People are expecting circus tricks and something special in every game. It is the dilemma of the big name star in today's football.

The overkill of the marketing industry means that there is more focus than ever before on the top individuals - at a time when the physical and tactical development of the game makes football more collective than ever before.

Paolo Bandini in Italy

Once again, the Etnei were galvanised by the occasion of the Sicilian derby. Palermo were only weighed down by it.

Maxi makes the earth move for Catania.

Raphael Honigstein in Germany

Louis van Gaal's side are filled with confidence. But have they set themselves up for a fall?

Self-congratulatory Bayern Munich reclaim top spot.

Sid Lowe in Spain

The Chilean striker's recent heroics mean his nickname Paquirrín is now seen in a different light.

Humberto Suazo: the fat boy who helped transform Zaragoza's season.

Martin Rogers' Weekend Review

4. Keep an eye on …

Edson Buddle. The Los Angeles Galaxy striker took his season tally to three goals in two games with a double in a 2-0 victory over local rival Chivas USA. Any American forward who is scoring regularly has some chance of forcing his way into the World Cup squad, given the shortage of in-form American front men right now.

Review

Newcastle close in on promotion but will there be a rude awakening?

Chris Hughton has united a divided dressing room but the Magpies won't find their imminent Premier League return easy.

Injuries

Song ruled out of Barcelona clash

Rooney may be back in time for Bayern clash

Robben may be back in time for United clash

England: Premier League Review & Reports

It is advantage Chelsea in the Premier League title race with five games remaining after they beat Manchester United at Old Trafford, but Arsenal continue to hang on in there following a late win over Wolves.

Elsewhere, Manchester City climbed into fourth after their humiliation of Burnley capitalised on Tottenham's thrilling loss at Sunderland, Liverpool stuttered once more, West Ham battled back for a big point versus Everton while Aston Villa and Fulham both got back on track.

Review

Manchester United 1 - 2 Chelsea
Kevin McCarra at Old Trafford
Oliver Kay at Old Trafford
Daniel Taylor: Berbatov wastes his chance

Everton 2 - 2 West Ham
Harry Harris at Goodison Park

Burnley 1 - 6 Manchester City
Richard Jolly at Turf Moor

Arsenal 1 - 0 Wolves
Kevin Palmer at the Emirates Stadium
Alyson Rudd at the Emirates Stadium

Birmingham 1 - 1 Liverpool
Richard Jolly at St. Andrews

Italy: Serie A Weekend Review

Inter Milan remained in pole position for a fifth successive title as Serie A's top three all won on Saturday.

Review

Spain: La Liga Weekend Review

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona won their games, which means the former will start next week's El Clasico on top of La Liga.

Review

Monday MLS Breakdown: Old Bond Leads Pena To New Home At D.C. United

The friendship between Jaime Moreno and Juan Manuel Pena laid the foundation for yet another Bolivian connection at D.C. United. Kyle McCarthy discusses Pena's arrival in the Monday MLS Breakdown.

England's Fifth Official: Rafa's tactical masterstroke

Few of us like Monday but The Fifth Official does, for it brings with it a chance for him to point the finger and laugh. Here he pulls out the pretty, the puzzling and the downright pig-ugly from a five-star weekend.

Friday MLS Forecast

The Forecast reviews the revised Designated Player rules before delving into a truncated Week 2 fixture list.

Premier League Predictions: Five matches that will decide the title

As Manchester United look to claim a record fourth consecutive Premier League, and Chelsea and Arsenal try to stop them, Telegraph Sport looks at five key clashes that will decide the title.

England: Premier League Weekend Previews & Predictions

A Wayne Rooney-less Manchester United lock horns with title rivals Chelsea in what promises to be a decisive clash in terms of where the Premier League trophy is destined come the end of the season.

Elsewhere, a potentially fatigued Arsenal host Wolves, fourth-placed Tottenham make the trip to the Stadium of Light, Burnley meet Manchester City, Liverpool face a must-win game against Birmingham while struggling West Ham tackle Everton.

Preview I
Preview II


Manchester United vs. Chelsea: Preview I /Preview II

Lawro's Predictions

Spain: La Liga Weekend Preview

Real Madrid will attempt to ensure they head into next weekend's mouthwatering showdown with Barcelona on top of the standings by recording their 12th successive Primera Division win when they take on Racing Santander on Sunday.

With the two Spanish giants locked on 74 points, it is Madrid's stunning goalscoring that is currently giving them the slight edge, with their tally of 81 goals from 29 games being 10 more than Barca and giving the capital club a +2 goal difference over their arch rivals.

Preview

Italy: Serie A Weekend Preview

Fiorentina will look to continue their recent resurgence and revive their European claims when they face Parma at the Tardini stadium.

AC Milan, meanwhile, have claimed just two points in the last three games.

The Rossoneri, who are two points behind Roma, take on Cagliari in Sardinia.

Palermo go into Saturday's Sicilian showdown at Catania looking to consolidate the fourth and final Champions League qualifying spot.

They are three points clear of Napoli, Juventus and Sampdoria.

Preview

Germany: Bundesliga Weekend Preview

Schalke host Bayern again this week, and Bremen head over to Dortmund for a pivotal match in the race to finish in the top five.

Saturday
Eintracht Frankfurt – Bayer Leverkusen
Freiburg – Bochum
Borussia Dortmund – Werder Bremen
Schalke – Bayern Munich
Nuernberg – Mainz
Stuttgart – Borussia M’gladbach
Koeln – Hertha Berlin


Sunday
Wolfsburg – Hoffenheim
Hamburg – Hannover

Preview

UEFA Champions League: Team Of The Round - Quarter-Finals First Leg

Goal.com runs through the best in show from all four quarter-final ties...

UEFA Europa League Wrap

Wrap

The Week That Was

This was the week in which Diego Maradona had face surgery following a dog attack, Jose Mourinho declared he dislikes Italian football, Gary McAllister was signed for a pint of John Smiths bitter and the media ran riot on April Fool's Day.

UEFA Champions League: Wednesday's Reports & Fallout

Internazionale Milan 1 - 0 CSKA Moscow
Milito nets key winner

Nick Szczepanik: Slight advantage Mourinho

Player Ratings







Arsenal 2 - 2 Barcelona
Kevin Palmer at Emirates Stadium


Kevin McCarra: Arsenal fortitude memorable


Patrick Barclay:
Chance to progress even with injury woe


Phil McNulty: Arsenal survive Barca siege


Richard Williams: Cesc selfless to the end


Oliver Kay:
Nou Camp not lost cause for Arsenal


Paul Hayward:
Barca live dream but let Arsenal escape


Fabregas, Gallas, Arshavin Injured


Player Ratings


The View From the Back Pages in England

UEFA Champions League: Wednesday's Previews & Additional Nuggets

Who: Arsenal vs. Barcelona
What: CL Quarter-Final First Leg
When: 2:45pm EDT
Where: Emirates Stadium, London, England
U.S. TV: Fox Soccer Channel
Preview I
Preview II
Sid Lowe: Cesc faces Dream Team he left behind
Kevin McCarra: Arsenal need grit to advance
Amy Lawrence: Song finds the right rhythm
How to Beat Barcelona: Three managers who did it


Who: Internazionale Milan vs. CSKA Moscow
What: CL Quarter-Final First Leg
When: 2:45pm EDT
Where: San Siro, Milan, Italy
U.S. TV: Fox Soccer Plus
Preview I
PreviewII
Preview III
Mourihno: Italy hates me

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas picks Barcelona's greatest goal

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has described Marc Overmars' goal during Barcelona's 3-1 victory against Liverpool at Anfield back in 2001 as the best the Catalan club has ever scored.

Roman Soldier: Roma Believes In A First Scudetto In Nine Years

Goal.com's Roman Soldier, Vince Masiello, sees the Scudetto line in sight for Roma following their weekend win over Inter...

UEFA Champions League: Tuesday's Reports & Fallout

Bayern Munich 2 - 1 Manchester United
Harry Harris at Allianz Arena
Kevin McCarra: Olic winner sinks United
Kris Voakes: Last-gasp victory deserved
Paul Hayward:
Another late calamity for England
Oliver Kay: United given taste of own medicine
Rooney facing four weeks out
Player Ratings





Lyon 3 - 1 Bordeaux
Robin Bairner: Blanc's men beaten
Lyon determined not to relax after win
Player Ratings

Quotes & Chants of the Week

"I am very happy at Inter. I am not happy in Italian football - because I don't like it and they don't like me. Simple."
Jose Mourinho does his best meerkat impression to express his distaste with football Italia.

"In terms of finishing fourth, on that performance we wouldn't finish 44th."
A rueful Martin O'Neill following Aston Villa's 7-1 drubbing by Chelsea.

"The tracksuit top might be a decent souvenir but I doubt if my reading glasses would be any good to someone else."
Plymouth boss Paul Mariner, who threw his top into the crowd after returning to former club Ipswich, but forgot the glasses were in the pocket.

"His movement for his goal was unbelievable, he was at the right place at the
right time. I think he will play until he is 51. That is in two years."
Avram Grant on ancient striker Kanu, who showed there's life in the old dog by scoring the winner against Hull.

"Celtic can still win the Scottish Cup, which would take the gloss off what has been a poor season."
Roddy Forsyth after Celtic's 4-0 drubbing by St Mirren.

"He's got a head like a beach ball!"
Liverpool fans to Sunderland boss Steve Bruce.

"Let's all do the Wenger - la-la-la-la!"
Birmingham fans dance with arms held aloft and gaping mouth after Kevin Phillips' late equaliser against Arsenal.

The Rest

UEFA Champions League: Tuesday's Previews

Who: Bayern Munich vs. Manchester United
What: CL Quarter-Final First Leg
When: 2:45pm EDT
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
U.S. TV: Fox Sports Net
Preview I
Preview II
Preview III
David Pleat: Key Clashes
James Skinner: Clash of different financial philosophies


Who: Lyon vs. Bordeaux
What: CL Quarter-Final First Leg
When: 2:45pm EDT
Where: Stade Gerland, Lyon, France
U.S. TV: Fox Soccer Channel
Preview I
Preview II
Paul Doyle: France united in fear & optimism

Kevin McCarra: Sir Alex Ferguson holds a winning hand despite shuffling his pack

The United manager has reacted to an enforced need to rotate his squad by delivering a masterclass in the deployment of resources.

Sid Lowe in Spain

There may have been only one goal in it but Real's Madrid derby win was painfully inevitable.

Real roll on as Atlético are crushed by their own inferiority complex.

Raphael Honigstein in Germany

Germany's coach Joachim Löw may have to recall the player who walked out in a strop two years ago - Kevin Kuranyi.

Kevin Kuranyi is a major headache for Joachim Löw – even the hair is better.

Paolo Bandini in Italy

Even the Tinkerman had to admit Roma can win the scudetto after beating Mourinho's Inter 2-1.

Claudio Ranieri completes Roma renaissance with win over Inter.

Tim Vickery in South America

The World Cup, then, is also the story of the unsung heroes and an excellent current example - an unsung hero in an unsung side - is Denis Caniza of Paraguay.

Champions League: Where Are They Now? The Bayern Munich And Manchester United Teams Of 1999

Ladies and gentlemen and the class of '99. Goal.com runs through the whereabouts of the protagonists in one of European football's most dramatic nights...

Americans In The UK: Hahnemann Stunts Everton And West Ham, Keeps Wolves Afloat

Marcus Hahnemann produced a pair of impressive performances last week, notching a clean sheet against the Toffees and giving a strong showing against the Hammers.

The Rest

Americans On The Continent: European Push

Carlos Bocanegra earned his sixth start in a row and Rennes grabbed their fourth win on the trot, defeating Le Mans 3-1 to continue their late surge towards a Europa League place.

The Rest