Champions League Quarterfinals: Can Barcelona, Real Madrid or Schalke Lose?

With the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on the horizon, let's face facts. This has been the least competitive round in recent memory, and one can only hope that the semifinals will be closer contests.

Inter Milan began their title defense in the quarters with the probable goal of the tournament by Dejan Stankovic, only to concede five goals to Schalke 04 in the remaining 89 minutes.

Shakhtar Donetsk scored a crucial away goal after falling behind 3-0, only to have Barcelona regain the three-goal advantage less than a minute later, and added a fifth. 

Tottenham failed to lead, threaten or score as Real Madrid tallied four goals to go with their clean sheet. 

Today sees the only matchup that could be decided on a single goal. Manchester United return to Old Trafford with an away goal in hand. While the attention has been on Wayne Rooney and his seven goals in seven games against London teams, Edwin van der Sar is having a stellar season, and could be the key.

Ancelotti continues to downplay any obsession with the Champions League trophy by Chelsea and owner Roman Abramovich, but Fernando Torres wasn't brought in to trade home wins with Manchester in the EPL. He has failed to score in 648 minutes in Chelsea blue, but was a thorn in Nemanja Vidic's side when at Liverpool. 

The three remaining goals will need more than a hat trick from any combination of players. Only three clubs have managed to erase a four-goal lead after the first leg in UEFA competition. Here, we have Inter Milan trying to do it on Schalke 04's home turf, Tottenham attempting to outscore the offensive arsenal of Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk looking to beat the stacked odds and stacked lineup of Barcelona.

Any and all odds will go out the window once the game begins. Barcelona and Real Madrid are two teams who will undoubtedly enjoy the chance to maintain possession, tire their opponents, and absorb pressure. As the clocks tick in both matches, and both Shakhtar and Tottenham move higher up their pitches, they will be playing right into the hands of two of the most lethal counterattacks you'll see. 

In Germany, Inter has shown under Leonardo that they can score goals. They've also gone against the grain of all things Italian, and have conceded goals at a stellar pace.  All of this leads to the likelihood of us seeing a Champions League with an all-La Liga semifinal on one hand, and an EPL/Bundesliga one on the other.

The question will be: does any trailing club have a chance scoring four goals, period, let alone doing so without conceding one? While Shakhtar, Tottenham and Internazionale all have the firepower to do so, I'd think the odds are the same that Didier Drogba could net four by himself at Old Trafford. 

Could it happen? Yes. But I'm not betting on either. I'm merely hoping the semifinals will deliver some of the magic that's missing this round.