What to Expect From the Second Leg of the Champions League Quarterfinals

After an epic first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals in which we saw amazing last-second wins, star players go down with injury, and more star players out due to suspension, the second leg has arrived as all eight sides still have a legitimate chance of making the semifinals.

The matches lined up for Tuesday, April 6 are CSKA Moscow vs. Inter Milan and FC Barcelona vs. Arsenal.

The matches lined up for Wednesday, April 7 are Bordeaux vs. Lyon and Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich .

Here is a preview of each matchup—who (or what) to watch out for, and who will advance to the semifinals.

Tuesday, April 6

CSKA Moscow vs. Inter Milan

First Leg: Inter Milan 1, CSKA Moscow 0

Preview

After a first leg at the San Siro in Milan, in which Inter Milan dominated for a majority of the match but were able to win by only 1-0, they now head to Russia in what will be an extremely difficult second leg.

In the meantime since the first leg, we have seen José "The Special One" Mourinho somehow make himself even more unpopular in Italian football by claiming that he "hates Italian football," and we witnessed Inter beat Bologna 3-0 just a day after he made the controversial statement.

Meanwhile for CSKA Moscow, they did nearly get that away goal that would have put them up very late, but they will be without both Milos Krasic and Yevgeny Aldonin in the second leg due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

During this last weekend in the Russian Premier League, CSKA Moscow's match with Zenit St. Petersburg got postponed due to security reasons, partly due to the suicide attacks by Chechen rebels in the busy Moscow subway system that killed approximately 40 people.

This match is in Luzhniki Stadium, which was the home of the 2008 Champions League final and is a venue in which CSKA Moscow have only one loss (to Manchester United in the group stage) during this Champions League season.

What To Watch For

If CSKA Moscow can overcome a sloppy first leg and become the first Russian side to make it to the semifinals in the current Champions League format.

Also, how much will not having Krasic and Aldonin hurt, as both are major contributors, and the Russians will need to overcome their loss in order to make it to the semifinals.

For Inter, will they will be able to keep up their success when it matters most in the Champions League.

So far this year, Inter have been able to beat Rubin Kazan and Chelsea in their final match of the Group Stage and Round of 16 respectively, both extremely difficult matches.

Will Inter be able to get that tough away goal? Inter will not have a tough weather factor going against them, but it is still tough to win in Russia.

Prediction

Even though CSKA Moscow had a great run, I think the fairy tale will end at home here in a 1-1 draw, as I do not know how the Russian side will be able to cope without Krasic and Aldonin.

FC Barcelona vs. Arsenal

First Leg: Arsenal 2, FC Barcelona 2

Preview

After a truly unforgettable first leg that was probably the best Champions League match of the season, Barcelona and Arsenal will now go to the Camp Nou in Barcelona for a spot in the semifinals.

Barcelona will be without both Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol in the back, which will be a huge hole for the Catalan side to fill. Also, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been ruled out with a calf injury.

Last weekend, Barcelona won 4-1 at the expense of Athletic Bilbao, but Barcelona will have their all-so-important El Clásico at the Bernabeu on Saturday night, a match that certainly will decide who will win La Liga this year.

Arsenal has been nailed with the injury bug, as both Andrei Arshavin and William Gallas left with injuries during the first half before Cesc Fabregas fractured his femur late in the match, which will leave the captain out of the Gunners squad for the rest of the season.

But the Gunners' injury list does not end there, as Cameroonian midfielder Alex Song has been ruled out with a knee injury.

Last weekend against Wolverhampton, Nicklas Bendtner scored a last-second goal to keep Arsenal three points behind Chelsea in the Premier League title chase.

What To Watch For

For Barcelona, it will be how they will be able to cope without having Pique and Puyol in the back.

Both are key cogs in the Barcelona defense, and their presence is a must for a major match such as this one.

The only other thing to watch for Barcelona will be how seriously they take this matchup with El Clásico.

Even though that might not seem as much as something to watch, it certainly will be a factor in the way Barcelona approaches Arsenal.

How much will Arsenal be hurt by the injury bug? With all the names out for this match, one must wonder how they will be able to get anything going against Barca.

And the other major thing to watch will be how Arsenal attacks with both Pique and Puyol suspended.

If Arsenal are going to have any real success, it must come from the middle of the pitch, and they must beat whoever Barcelona will have starting in the back.

Prediction

This is an extremely tough matchup for Arsenal to win, and mainly due to the injuries accumulated during the first leg, Arsenal will lose 2-1 in a match that will be just as exciting as the first leg.

Wednesday, April 7

Bordeaux vs. Lyon

First Leg: Lyon 3, Bordeaux 1

Preview

After the most one-sided match in the first leg of the quarterfinals, Lyon will travel across France to take on Bordeaux in another thrilling matchup.

Bordeaux have had a week to forget, as it all started with a 3-1 loss to Marseille in the Coupe de la Ligue final before losing to Lyon in the first leg in the Stade de Gerland and losing to Nancy, 2-1, over the weekend in Ligue 1.

And now, news has come out of France that Brazilian Fernando will be out for the season due to a fractured cheekbone suffered in last weekend's loss to Nancy.

Even though the second leg is in the Stade Chaban Delmas, it still is not by any means an easy match, as Lyon have caught lightning in a bottle since advancing over Real Madrid 2-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16, and they are in first place in Ligue 1.

Lyon knows that their success in Ligue 1 on top of the table will be short-lived due to Bordeaux having two more matches to play than Lyon, so that will force Lyon to focus primarily on winning the Champions League.

What To Watch For

Will Bordeaux be able to turn it around after three straight losses?

Bordeaux were the only side left in the Champions League at the start of the quarterfinals to not suffer a defeat, but now they find themselves in real jeopardy of not advancing as they need at least a two-goal win to advance.

Also for Bordeaux, how will they do without Fernando, who was a major cog in their attack and is certainly needed if Bordeaux are to advance?

For Lyon, it will be if they can finish the job and make their first Champions League semifinal. They have been a great side as of late, and it is up to them to continue their great run of success.

Prediction

Right now Lyon have nothing to play for but the Champions League, while Bordeaux have been a really cold side.

With that in mind, I have Lyon winning 2-1 to advance on to the semifinal.

Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich

First Leg: Bayern Munich 2, Manchester United 1

Preview

After a very entertaining first leg in which Bayern were able to win at the final whistle, this entertaining matchup will move to Old Trafford, where it will be decided.

For Manchester United, they did lose Wayne Rooney for at least two weeks after he rolled his ankle on a challenge with Mario Gómez, but now there is a rumor that Rooney will be able to start in the quarterfinals, which could be a risky yet brilliant move.

Since the first leg, United hosted Chelsea at Old Trafford in a match that could decide the Premier League title, but unfortunately for the Red Devils, they lost 2-1 as they look towards this matchup with even more passion.

Bayern Munich did win the first leg at the Allianz Arena, but they know that they have an extremely tough matchup ahead of them at Old Trafford, where the German power's Champions League dreams could end.

Last weekend Bayern (who were down to 10 men for over half the match) beat Schalke 2-1 to retake over first place in the Bundesliga as the season is starting to come to a a close.

What To Watch For

For Manchester United, it will be if Rooney makes a return for the Red Devils.

Obviously, Rooney is an extremely important piece to United's puzzle , and his presence is a must if United are to advance.

Also, how will Manchester United recover from losing the last two matches?

United are known from coming back in a big way during these matches, and it will be interesting to see if the Red Devils will be able to do that again.

For Bayern, they will be with Arjen Robben after he missed the first leg due to injury along with the matchup against Schalke over the weekend.

But will Bayern be able to finish better now in the second leg?

They could have been up more than 2-1 if they finished better in the first leg, and they will need to finish their chances at Old Trafford in order to advance.

Prediction

This is an extremely close matchup, but I will go with Manchester United by a 2-0 score, as they do have that advantage being at home in the second leg, and after another loss over the weekend, they will put lots of emphasis on this matchup.

Finally, these are four great matchups, but only four of these sides will be able to progress to the semifinals, and only two will be able to advance into the Champions League final in Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, where we will find out who the champion of Europe will be.