12.04. (Tue) 20:45 Manchester Utd. - Chelsea

DID YOU KNOW?

* Manchester United haven’t lost a knockout game at Old Trafford in the Champions League since their defeat at the hands of AC Milan in 2005.

* United have won their last six games in all competitions.

* Ferguson’s men haven’t lost at home all season.

* Dimitar Berbatov is the club’s leading scorer this season with 22 goals to his name, but none of them have come in the Champions League.

* United made eight changes for Saturday’s win against Fulham, but still won comfortably 2-0.

* Chelsea have scored just twice in their previous three games.

* The Blues' £50 million striker Fernando Torres has failed to score now in 11 games since joining in January.

* Nicolas Anelka is this season’s second top scorer in the Champions League.

* Last week’s home defeat against the Red Devils was Chelsea's first in the competition for seven games.

* Chelsea have won just five of their 10 games that Torres has played in.

LAST MEETING

Hitting the deck | Rooney didn't go near cameras after goal

April 6, 2011: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United

Imperious skill and control from Ryan Giggs set up a first-half Wayne Rooney strike to seal a vital away win, despite shouts for a clear Chelsea penalty in the closing stages.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Manchester United: Van der Sar; Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Nani; Hernandez, Rooney.

Chelsea: Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Essien, Lampard; Anelka, Drogba, Malouda.

Prediction

The game is destined to be a tight affair with chances at a premium and I think United will show their composure to ensure a victory but not without a scare from the Blues, who could be saying goodbye to Mr Ancelotti after the game.

Man Utd. 1-1 Chelsea

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12.04. (Tue) 20:45 Shakhtar - Barcelona

DID YOU KNOW?

* Barcelona’s 5-1 defeat of Shakhtar Donetsk in the first-leg of their quarter-final tie at Camp Nou last week was their ninth successive home victory in UEFA club competitions, equalling a club record.

* The Spanish champions are the top scorers in the Champions League this season with 23 goals. Only arch-rivals and potential semi-final opponents Real Madrid have scored as many.

* Forward Lionel Messi is the competition’s leading scorer with eight goals. However, Inter striker Samuel Eto’o and Bayern Munich’s Mario Gomez have netted the same amount.

* Messi also has the highest number of shots on goal (21), a record equalled by Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

* Midfielder Andres Iniesta is suspended for the match in Ukraine on Tuesday evening and striker Bojan Krkic is injured.

* If Shakhtar Donetsk manage to overturn their 5-1 deficit, then they will become only the fourth club to overhaul a four-goal disadvantage from the first-leg in UEFA club competitions.

* Shakhtar have won just once against Spanish opposition at home, suffering two defeats and drawing three times.

* The Miners have committed 160 fouls and suffered 141 – both a record, and more than any team left in the competition.

* Defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy became the first Ukrainian to play for Barcelona when he featured for the Blaugrana in 2009-10.

* The Ukrainian champions have a 100 per cent home record in this season’s Champions League and are unbeaten in 12 European games in Donetsk.

* Razvan Raţ is suspended for this encounter while Darijo Srna is out injured.

LAST MEETING

Messi on the slide | Argentine was impressive again last week

April 6, 2011: Barcelona 5-1 Shakhtar Donetsk

Barcelona were in control of the match right from the start with Andres Iniesta breaking the deadlock after just two minutes. Daniel Alves doubled the Blaugrana’s lead after the half-hour mark and minutes into the second-half Gerard Pique increased the home side’s tally. Yaroslav Rakitskiy reduced the deficit a minute before the hour mark but Seydou Keita and Xavi added their names on the scoresheet. It eventually finished 5-1 to Barcelona.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Shakhtar Donetsk: Pyatov; Kobin, Ischenko, Rakitskiy, Shevchuk; Mkhitaryan, Hubschman; D. Costa, Jadson, Willian; Luiz Adriano

Barcelona: Pinto; Adriano, Pique, Milito, Maxwell; Xavi, Busquets, Keita; Messi, Villa, Afellay

Prediction

Barcelona’s away record in the Champions League this season is disappointing but having won the first-leg comprehensively last week, Pep Guardiola’s team will know that they have done enough to progress to the last four. A win for Shakhtar at home is not entirely out of the question and with Guardiola likely to field some of his fringe players, the Ukrainians could eke out a narrow win.

Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Barcelona

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11.04. (Mon) 21:00 Liverpool - Manchester City

DID YOU KNOW?

* Liverpool are unbeaten at home since Kenny Dalglish took the reins at Anfield. Seven games have produced five wins and two draws since the Scot assumed caretaker charge.

* A goal fest may be a tough ask as the sides are both deep in the bottom half of the average goals per game table. Liverpool sit 14th with an average of 2.58 goals per game whilst City sit in 16th, averaging 2.48 per game. Blackpool top the pile as league entertainers, averaging a whopping 3.48 goals per game.

* Despite a slightly inferior goals-per-game average, City fans can draw comfort from the fact their side currently top the clean sheet table for this year’s Premier League. In 31 fixtures, Roberto Mancini’s men have shut out the opposition 14 times.

* Joe Hart and Pepe Reina have both taken part in every one of their respective sides' 31 league fixtures this season.

* In each of Manchester City’s last seven outings, the away side have failed to register a goal.

* The Reds better the head-to-head form with 74 victories in 149 matches. City have only 38 victories but haven’t lost to their hosts since 2008.

* Liverpool have a perfectly balanced form record in the ten Premier League games missed by crocked captain Steven Gerrard this term. Without their skipper, the 18-time league champions have won four, lost four and drawn two.

* City have won nine penalties this season, more than any other Premier League side.

* The Eastlands outfit have the worst disciplinary record in the league this season, amassing a whopping 64 yellow cards and five dismissals.

* A City victory would produce a first league double over Liverpool in 74 years, the last league double coming when City beat the Reds 5-1 at home and 5-0 at Anfield in 1937.

LAST MEETING

August 23, 2010: Manchester City 3 - 0 Liverpool

A comfortable night’s work for city as they brushed Liverpool aside. Gareth Barry opened the scoring against the club who pursued him at length prior to his move to Manchester and Carlos Tevez added two more to leave Roy Hodgson with the taste of defeat for the first time as Anfield boss.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Wilson, Lucas, Spearing, Meireles, Kuyt, Carroll, Suarez.

Manchester City: Hart, Boyata, Kolarov, Lescott, Kompany, De Jong, Toure, Silva, Johnson, Balotelli, Tevez.

Prediction

Rocking and rolling from putting Sunderland to the sword last week, City look ready to secure the holy grail of Champions League football whilst their hosts splutter their way toward competition for a Europa League berth.

The queue for the medical room at Anfield grows longer by the day and City look to have the weaponry to gun down the patched up side Dalglish will be forced to field.  Reds fans can hope that Mancini’s men have one eye on the small matter of an FA Cup semi-final next weekend, but 19-goal Carlos Tevez, the diminutive David Silva and a fresh Adam Johnson look sure to pose a makeshift Reds back four plenty of problems and secure City’s first double over Liverpool in 74 years.

Liverpool 1-2 Man City

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