But ensuring they each have a
chance to win a fourth European title will require the semifinalists to
successfully negotiate second leg matches that are shaping up to be contrasting
occasions.
On Tuesday, Barcelona will be
hosting a Real Madrid side — and particularly coach Jose Mourinho — still
seething following an ill-tempered loss at home last week.
A raging Mourinho suggested
there is a conspiracy to help Barcelona go through - one of the inflammatory
moments last Wednesday that led to Madrid being hit with six UEFA charges.
Barcelona, though, is also
under investigation after an angry scuffle between players and officials from
both teams at halftime resulted in substitute goalkeeper Jose Pinto being sent
off.
It means the repercussions
from the first leg that scarred the reputations of both sides could still be
felt long after the final whistle goes at the Camp Nou.
But Madrid has already
started stoking the tensions as it tries to overturn a 2-0 deficit and enable
Mourinho to reach a second successive final, having triumphed with Inter Milan
against Bayern Munich last May.
Madrid has posted a video on
its website calling on Belgian referee Frank de Bleeckere to avoid “falling for
Barcelona's theater.” “We believe we can do it,” midfielder Kaka said.
“Madrid can never stop
fighting.” Barcelona, whose lead was secured by Lionel Messi's double, is
focused on the health of its injury-ravaged defense.
Center back Gabriel Milito
tore a muscle in his left leg in Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad to join
an injury list that already includes Adriano and Eric Abidal, although left
back Maxwell could return on Tuesday.
That loss to Real Sociedad
was Barcelona's first in the league in seven months. But with four games to go,
Pep Guardiola's side still enjoys an eight-point lead over Madrid, which also
lost to Zaragoza having rested several players.
Seeing a 31-match unbeaten
run should serve as a “lesson” to his players, Guardiola said.
“Like any team we can win or
lose - we were coming off a complicated situation,” the Barcelona coach added.
Losing, though, in the
Champions League is something that rarely happens after first winning away.
Only twice have teams
overturned first-leg losses at home: Inter Milan earlier this season against
Bayern Munich and Ajax against Panathinaikos in 1996.
Manchester United, which lost
to Barcelona in the 2009 final, is certainly confident that Schalke's longest
run in the competition will end at Old Trafford after its 2-0 collapse at home.
Key players including striker
Wayne Rooney are set to be rested for Sunday's Premier League match against
Chelsea, which is just three points behind United with three matches to go
after the leaders lost at Arsenal on Sunday.
“I will make some changes on
Wednesday without question,” United manager Alex Ferguson said. “I will bring
Paul Scholes back in, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen.
“We'll need to do that but I
will probably keep my experienced players at the back. We have a big week ahead.
Wednesday is a European
semifinal second leg and then the game on Sunday. Two massive games, so we will
regroup and freshen it up.” History does not favor United on Wednesday, with
the three-time European champions losing all four previous knockout phase
matches against German sides.
Recent form, though, provides
more encouragement: Schalke has lost three successive matches and was routed
4-1 by Bayern Munich on Saturday.
“It's never good to lose, but
in principle we have nothing to play for in the Bundesliga,” midfielder Alex
Baumjohann said. “We can't hide our heads in the sand, we have to repeat the
performances we had before. You always believe, as long as it's not finally
decided (against United).
“But a lot of things have to
come together for us to achieve a miracle. But if we don't believe in it, we
might as well not fly to England.” Their chances, though, of returning to
England for the May 28 final at Wembley are slim.
In Nyon, UEFA has rejected Real Madrid's request to open new
investigations into Barcelona players' Champions League behavior.
UEFA says no new charges will
be leveled following a bad-tempered semifinals, first-leg match last Wednesday.
On Friday, UEFA's
disciplinary committee will examine six charges against both clubs, including
two for Madrid coach Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho made offensive
comments to match officials and said UEFA actively helped Barcelona reach
Champions League finals.
Madrid reacted by asking UEFA
to sanction Daniel Alves, Pedro Rodriguez and Sergio Busquets for feigning
injuries.
UEFA also rejected Madrid's
protest against a red card shown to Pepe.
