International Champions Cup 2013: Predictions for Top Semifinal Fixtures

Four of world football's most notable clubs still have a chance at capturing the trophy in the 2013 Guinness International Champions Cup.

The semifinal fixtures to determine the participants in the championship match will occur over the next two days. The first sees English Premier League side Everton, who won the opening round's most entertaining contest, take on La Liga titan Real Madrid.

Another EPL squad in Chelsea will look to advance in a tilt with AC Milan, who has a jam-packed schedule, having recently competed in the Audi Cup.

It should be an intriguing couple of days of action in this inaugural American event, so let's predict which sides will meet for the championship.

Note: Background information is courtesy of InternationalChampionsCup.com, unless otherwise indicated.

Everton vs. Real Madrid

The Toffees barely got by their match with Juventus, edging the Italian outfit 6-5 in a penalty shootout after Kwadwo Asamoah made it 1-1 with 10 minutes to go for the eventual losing side.

Tim Howard denied Federico Peluso to clinch the win for his club.

Everton's American goalkeeper will have his work cut out for him against Real Madrid's potent attack on Friday, though.

Real managed to dispatch of the MLS' Los Angeles Galaxy with relative ease in a 3-1 victory. French international striker Karim Benzema provided both the winning and insurance goals for manager Carlo Ancelotti's team.

In just about any scenario, it would be difficult to bet against Los Blancos, even at less than full strength. Cristiano Ronaldo's presence gives Real the best player on the pitch for sure.

Considering Ronaldo was prevented from scoring in the opening match, it wouldn't be surprising to see him find the back of the net in Dodger Stadium—even against Howard in his native land.

What prevents Everton from being more of a factor in the EPL is the team's lack of goals, and that should hurt them in this matchup, too.

Prediction: Real Madrid 2, Everton 1

AC Milan vs. Chelsea

Jose Mourinho recently left Real Madrid to return to his former job as manager of Chelsea, and he already has a potential shot at his former club if he can lead the Blues to victory in this Saturday's fixture.

There is plenty of reason to think the Blues could pull through for him, too. Mourinho didn't even deploy key players such as David Luiz or Juan Mata in the starting XI against Inter, according to the Associated Press (via USA Today), yet Chelsea still dominated the Italians en route to a 2-0 win in the opening match.

AC Milan is still finding their legs this summer, and if not for a furious rally in the Audi Cup against Manchester City, the 5-3 outcome could have been downright embarrassing. Instead, after cutting the deficit down from 5-0 in the first half, it wasn't such a bad result.

In fact, thanks to a goal by Kingsley Boateng in the 51st minute, Milan was able to post its best finish in the Audi Cup to date by beating Sao Paulo 1-0.

The momentum continued with a 2-1 win over Valencia in the opening round of this tournament.

Fortunately, AC Milan will have star striker Mario Balotelli for this match. Having said that, I believe a motivated Chelsea club will get this win for Mourinho to set up a final against Real, which will give far more added weight to this exhibition tournament.

Prediction: Chelsea 4, AC Milan 2