Champions League Preview: Chelsea's 1st Shot at Revenge

Barcelona vs Shakhtar

Barcelona will be taking on Shakhtar Donetsk with the knowledge that their chances of retaining the title has been massively boosted after a weekend in which Real Madrid were defeated and they won.

It has resulted in a massive eight-point lead over Real Madrid, which means that Barcelona can focus their attention on the Champions League trophy. They will be taking on a Shakhtar Donetsk side that certainly one cannot be taken lightly as they have been excellent this season.

Also, they are extremely good at home, and this, coupled with the fact that Barcelona do not do well away from home, means that Pep Guardiola will be looking to make the most out of the Camp Nou match.

Shakhtar Donetsk are clearly the underdogs for the match, which could work in their favour as they will be coming in with no pressure at all. Barcelona will be welcoming back Xavi into the side, who was suspended for the match against Villarreal.

However, Captain Carlos Puyol will be unavailable yet again. Shakhtar Donetsk will be facing Barcelona with their fullback Fernandinho after he made his return from injury during the weekend.

Chelsea vs Manchester United

This is going to be Chelsea's biggest match of the season so far after all their hopes of lifting a trophy this season will be resting on this match, or this tie as a whole.

Hence, they are expected to be up for this game like never before, while it could also be partly due to the fact that they have been one of the few sides to suffer for a long time in this competition.

There will be undoubtedly references made to the 2008 Champions League final, which Chelsea lost to United on penalties. It is expected to push players like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba to their best.

The most interesting thing with this match has to be the personnel selected by Carlo Ancelotti. It remains to be seen if Carlo Ancelotti will go for Fernando Torres in favour of Didier Drogba, who scored in the weekend.

Man Utd will be looking to not lose the tie in this one match, which means that they will be extremely cautious in their attack. Rio Ferdinand's anticipated return is a huge boost for Sir Alex Ferguson's side. He is expected to partner Nemanja Vidic in a partnership that has done so well for Man Utd over the years.

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