England's Best Fight For Champions League Supremacy

With the Champions League starting to heat up as we come to the second leg of the first knockout round, can the Big Four of England show they have what it takes to match Europe's best?

With three of the four English sides posting a one-goal advantage in the first leg, will they have what it takes to progress past some of Italy and Spain's finest?

Juventus v Chelsea

Tuesday 10 March 2009, Stadio Olimpico di Torino

Kickoff: 19:45

Juventus

Juventus lost 1-0 away to Chelsea in the first leg—their first loss in nine games of this season’s competition (including preliminary rounds).

They have won four (one away from home), drawn four (three away from home), and lost one (away from home) of their nine matches en route to the first round knockout stage. Juventus have scored 12 goals (five away from home) and conceded five goals (four away from home) and finished as winners of Group H.

Juventus will be without Mauro Camoranesi, Mohamed Sissoko, Paolo De Ceglie, and Cristiano Zanetti, whilst Marco Marchionni is a doubt.

Chelsea

Chelsea won 1-0 at Stamford Brige against Juventus in their last Champions League match, their fourth win this season in the competition.

They have won four (all at home), drawn two, and lost one of their seven matches so far. Chelsea have found the back of the net 10 times (eight at home) and conceded five goals (one at home) in this season's competition and finished as runners-up to AS Roma in their group.

Chelsea will be without Nicolas Anelka and Deco, but Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Essien are both fit again and will be likely to feature.

Prediction

After Chelsea's 1-0 victory in the first leg, Juventus will have their work cut out for them. To make matters worse for them, Juve have not won a single of their last eight matches against English opposition.

Chelsea seem to be flourishing again under new manager Guus Hiddink, and with Didier Drogba finding his goal-scoring form as well—hitting the back of the net three times in the five matches since the Dutchman took over the club—the Blues look like a tough prospect to beat.

Even with the home advantage, Juventus will only be the most minor of favourites in this encounter. Although they have not lost any of their last 15 home matches in all European competitions, a victory for Juventus does not look too likely against a strong Chelsea squad that has found its feet again in both domestic and international competitions.

Chelsea have not won a single of their last six away Champions League matches, and so on the night, a draw between the two sides looks to be the most likely result. That would mean Chelsea progressing through to the next round thanks to their victory at Stamford Bridge in the first leg.

Liverpool v Real Madrid

Liverpool defeated Real Madrid 1-0 away in the first leg of their Champions League fixture, making it three Champions League wins in a row and nine straight undefeated matches in this season's competition.

The Reds have won six (three away from home) and drawn three (two away from home) of their nine matches so far. Liverpool have scored 13 times (7 away from home) and conceded five goals (three on the road), and qualified as winners of their group.

Liverpool will have to do without Yossi Benayoun, who injured his hamstring in training. Fernando Torres, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Daniel Agger will all be late decisions for the match, as their fitness is still in doubt.

Liverpool will also be without Albert Riera, who picked up a suspension in the first leg  match after collecting a yellow card.

Real Madrid lost 1-0 at home against Liverpool in the first leg of the fixture, to end their two game winning streak in the Champions League.

Real Madrid have lost thrice (twice at home) on their way to this second leg and have found the back of the net nine times (five at home) and conceded six times (three at home) in this season’s competition. They qualified as runners-up to Juventus in their group.

Real Madrid have no current injury concerns.

Prediction

Liverpool defeated Real Madrid 1-0 at the Bernabeu two weeks ago and will carry a crucial away goal lead into this match.

With both teams lagging behind the leaders in their respective domestic leagues (with Liverpool in third place, seven points behind leaders Man Utd and Real Madrid in second place, six points behind leaders Barcelona), both sides may put their attentions towards European glory as their title chances slip away at home.

Liverpool will want to put their terrible recent Premier League form behind them, and may look to this big fixture as a way to revive their domestic campaign in order to find the form that will secure a spot in next year's Champions League, if not to reignite their all-but-dead Premiership title hopes.

Real Madrid's La Liga title hopes are also looking further out of reach with each passing week, and so the world's wealthiest football team will look to continue their past glory as the most successful club to date in Europe's most prestigious football tournament.

With the home advantage in their favour, as well as a good European record this season, Liverpool will go into this match as slight favourites for victory. Liverpool have not beaten a Spanish club at home since 2001, but Real Madrid have not won a European match on English soil since 2000.

As such, The Reds will look to continue their Champions League run this season by either posting a narrow victory over Madrid, or more likely on current form, by shutting down the match and grinding out a goalless draw to progress to the next round of the tournament on aggregate.

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