Real Madrid - Borusia Dortmund

Update


The Bundesliga side survived an early onslaught by Jose Mourinho's men to hold onto their 4-1 first-leg advantage for most of the game – and had several chances to make the aggregate score even more humiliating for the wasteful hosts.

However, goals from Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos in the last 10 minutes suddenly set up the most frantic of finishes, but Dortmund hung on to clinch their first final berth since 1997, when they defeated Juventus 3-1 to win the trophy.

Angel Di Maria, benched for the first leg, started for the hosts, while Cristiano Ronaldo also returned after he was rested with a thigh complaint for the Madrid derby victory over the weekend.

Dortmund’s line-up picked itself, with Jurgen Klopp restoring the likes of Marco Reus and Ilkay Gundogan after resting his regulars during Saturday’s Bundesliga win over Fortuna Dusseldorf.

Mourinho’s men knew the magnitude of the task at hand, and their start to the match was suitably relentless. Gonzalo Higuain could have opened the scoring four minutes in, but his shot from Mesut Ozil’s pass was right at Roman Weidenfeller.

Madrid sent a series of warnings Dortmund’s way, but the Germans showed a glimpse of what they were capable of when Gundogan’s clip found Robert Lewandowski completely unmarked for a half-volley right at Diego Lopez.

However, Ronaldo immediately mirrored the chance at the other end, forcing Weidenfeller into a close range block, before Mesut Ozil somehow dragged wide when put clean through.

The visitors were then handed a huge blow just before the quarter hour mark, when Mario Gotze limped off clutching his hamstring and was replaced by Kevin Grosskreutz.

There was enough action in the first 15 minutes to fill an entire half of football, but after weathering the initial storm, Dortmund regained their composure and slowed things down – exactly what Madrid did not want.

In fact, the remainder of the half was rather monotonous by comparison, leaving Mourinho with plenty to ponder over the break.

But Madrid’s half-time plans were almost wrecked minutes after the restart, had Lewandowski kept his cool when Grosskreutz cleverly found him unmarked inside the box, instead of blasting the ball into orbit.

The Pole nearly made instant amends when latching onto Reus’ slipped pass, sprinting in behind and lashing at goal, but the ball cannoned off the underside of the bar.

There was only one side that looked like scoring and it was not the team that needed three goals to progress. The quietly impressive Reus teed up Gundogan with a virtually open goal, but somehow, Lopez recovered to make an unbelievable save.

Lewandowski missed from eight yards before Madrid finally showed signs of life in the second half, but true to form, Di Maria stroked wide of the far post from just inside the box, before Ronaldo poked over from a similarly promising position.

But substitute Benzema would give the hosts a glimmer of hope with seven minutes remaining, side-footing in from close range after Kaka teed up Ozil for the cross from the right.

And it got even better for the Spanish side when Ramos smashed the ball home from Benzema's layoff with two minutes plus stoppage time left in the game.

But with the home fans roaring them on, Madrid could not go that last step further as Dortmund survived a few late scares to edge over the finish line.

Now the only question that remains is whether Wembley will be an all-German affair, with Bayern Munich well on their way to taking the Bundesliga’s most high-profile rivalry onto the biggest stage of them all.

Arsenal - Manchester United






How gauling will today be for the Gooners? They have to witness their own team, a side that has gone without a trophy for a good eight years, stand and applaud one of their own who jumped ship and won the Premier League. Luckily for them, and unfortunatley for us, I think they may take the three points to help solidify a Champions League spot. Why you cry? Well....
I know it will be nice to get the record of most Premier League points, but is that enough motivation, away from home, against a team in very decent form at the moment and who are fighting tooth and nail to get into the big boy's league next year. Arsenal's recent form include five wins and a draw in their most recent home game with Everton. Also, not in the too distant past, they beat Bayern Munich away. How good does that look now?

Torino - Juventus






The pair join former Juventus midfielder Matteo Brighi on the sidelines, who has failed to recover from a muscle strain which has kept him out of the last four matches. 

Top goalscorer Rolando Bianchi impressed after coming off the bench against Fiorentina and with two goals in his last three games, the 30-year-old is predicted to replace Riccardo Meggiorini up front.

Should Napoli fail to beat Pescara on Saturday evening, Juventus could claim back-to-back league titles with victory. 

Antonio Conte has no fresh injury concerns and is expected to once again adopt the 3-5-1-1 formation which he has utilised to good effect in recent weeks.

Palermo - Inter


Tommaso Rocchi - Inter-Parma
A 1-0 victory over Parma last weekend allowed Inter to move above Rome into fifth place in Serie A and kickstart their challenge for a Champions League qualification place. Palermo, meanwhile, drew 1-1 away to Catania which means they sit in the relegation zone in 18th, with just five league matches left to play.

Despite that victory, the pressure continues to mount on Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni, with his team having endured a poor run of form in recent months. They currently sit five points off fourth-placed Fiorentina.

Tommaso Rocchi is expected to continue up front for the Nerazzurri after scoring the vital late goal that sealed their victory last week, while Samir Handanovic will start in goal despite rumours this week linking him with a move to Barcelona. 

The San Siro side have a huge injury list to contend with ahead of their match against an in-form Palermo, with a number of first-team players still on the sidelines. Antonio Cassano, Diego Milito, Rodrigo Palacio, Esteban Cambiasso and Walter Gargano are all still out. 

Josip Ilicic netted Palermo's 95th minute equaliser against Catania in their last league game, and should retain his place in attack for the hosts. 

The Sicilians are without the suspended Andrea Dossena, but are otherwise largely at full strength as they seek to clamber out of the relegation places. 

Dortmund - Real





Borussia Dortmund’s preparations for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid have been hampered by yesterday’s revelation that Mario Gotze will be leaving the club for Bayern Munich in a  £31.5m deal at the end of the season. The news sees the playmaker end a 12-year association with the club that has been difficult for fans to take.

Jose Mourinho’s men travel to Westfalenstadion for the second time in this season’s Champions League, after Dortmund ran out 2-1 winners in October’s Group D encounter. Despite being favourites to advance to a Wembley final, Real would be foolish to underestimate their German opponents, who qualified ahead of the La Liga champions as Group D winners.
Dortmund remain the only unbeaten side in this year’s tournament, after a late show saw them overturn a 2-1 deficit to qualify for the semi-finals, at Malaga’s expense. Jurgen Klopp's side will be determined to thwart the competition’s top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, who has netted 11 goals in Europe this season.

Bayern - Barcelona








Barcelona could take their first steps towards a fourth Champions League final in eight seasons, in the first leg of their semi-final in Munich tonight.

The Catalans travel to the Allianz Arena to play a red hot Bayern Munich side who have lost just once in 2013 in all competitions. Indeed, Jupp Heynckes’ Bundesliga champions have won 18 of their last 19 matches, their only defeat came at the hands of Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Despite reports to the contrary, Heynckes has not sought the guidance of the ex-Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola as he attempts to guide his Bayern side to a second successive Champions League final. The 67-year-old has reiterated that ‘nobody knows his side better’, rubbishing suggestions he is heeding advice ahead of the semi-final.

Inter - Parma





Parma boss Roberto Donadoni will be without the services of goalkeeper Antonio Mirante, who is out for the rest of the season after picking up a muscle knock during the 2-1 win over Lecce last weekend.

Cristian Zaccardo will also miss out through injury while Francesco Modesto will replace Massimo Gobbi, who is serving a suspension.

Meanwhile, Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni will likely name the same back four he used in the 2-1 win over Cesena on Sunday, as Cristian Chivu, Javier Zanetti and Walter Samuel are all nursing injuries.

Wesley Sneijder and Ricky Alvarez are starting to round into form after their injury lay-offs and should play in behind striker Diego Milito in a 4-3-2-1 formation.