27.04. (Wed) 20:45 Real - Barcelona

DID YOU KNOW?

* Real Madrid have twice beaten Barcelona at the semi-final stage en route to lifting the European Cup, in 1960 and 2002.

* Madrid, who have won the competition nine times, are aiming to reach a 13th European Cup final in what is a record 22nd semi-final appearance.

* In 211 previous meetings between the sides, Madrid hold the upper hand with 86 wins compared to Barcelona's 82. On 43 occasions the fixture has ended level.

* Cristiano Ronaldo headed a famous winner when the clubs met in the Copa del Rey final in Valencia one week ago. That match required extra-time to separate the sides, with the decisive goal coming in the 103rd minute.

* Ronaldo's goal on matchday 10 was Madrid's 900th in UEFA competition, making them the first team to reach that milestone.

* Wednesday's fixture will mark the 51-year anniversary of Madrid's 3-1 win at Barcelona in the second leg of their 1959-60 European Cup semi-final. That success, ensured a 6-2 aggregate win for the capital club, who went on to lift the trophy by beating Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 at Glasgow's Hampden Park.

* The following season, this time in the first round, Barcelona caused something of a stir by eliminating the previously invincible Madrid. A 2-2 first leg draw was followed by a 2-1 win in the second match.

* When the clubs last met in the semi-finals, Real Madrid eliminated Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate before going on to beat Bayer Leverkusen in the final, which was again at Hampden Park.

* Barcelona don't have a great semi-final record, having won five and lost six of their previous 11 visits to this stage.

* Pep Guardiola’s side have only won two of their five away matches in the competition, but Real Madrid thus far have a flawless home record.

* Lionel Messi's goal in the second leg against Shakhtar Donetsk was Barcelona's 300th in the UEFA Champions League.

* Messi, who has a record 50 goals for the season, is the competition's leading scorer with nine goals. Boasting 26 shots on target, he also leads that category.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1):Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Albiol, Marcelo; Pepe, Alonso; Ronaldo, Ozil, Di Maria; Adebayor

After rotating his side to great effect at the weekend against Valencia, Jose Mourinho will stick largely by the players who provided so much success in the Copa del Rey final. In comparison to that encounter, Raul Albiol can feature and will therefore start in the heart of the defence, while Sami Khedira is injured.

Ricardo Carvalho is banned.

Barcelona (4-3-3):Valdes; Alves, Pique, Puyol, Milito; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Pedro, Messi, Villa

Barcelona potentially have real issues in their defensive sector, where Maxwell and Gabriel Milito both picked up problems at the weekend. Maxwell is definitely out, Milito is struggling for fitness, and Carles Puyol isn’t certain to start either.

Maxwell’s exclusion is particularly worrisome as Eric Abidal and Adriano – two other potential left-backs – are both already ruled out along with Bojan Krkic.

Prediction

Barcelona may be widely regarded as the better side, but the momentum has shifted in the Clasico rivalry and for the moment it’s Real Madrid who hold the upper hand. Another tight match is in store, with nothing separating the teams over 90 minutes in their previous meetings. Jose Mourinho will be particularly keen to keep things tight and avoid the concession of an away goal, so expect a low scoring draw.

Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona

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27.04. (Wed) 21:00 Fulham - Bolton Wanderers

DID YOU KNOW?

* These sides have already met once at Craven Cottage this season, in February’s FA Cup fifth round. A 1-0 victory for the visitors thanks to Ivan Klasnic (pictured right) would eventually see Bolton play a Wembley semi-final, in which they which they were handed a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Stoke City.

* Their previous three meetings in the Premier League have all been draws, the most recent two both being goalless.

* The season before that, Fulham did the double over Bolton, with a 2-1 home victory followed by a 3-1 win at the Reebok.

* Both have a positive goal difference this season, Bolton with four and Fulham on one, with the Cottagers having only conceded 36 this season.

* Bolton on the other hand have bagged 48 so far in the campaign, however, only 15 of those have come on the road.

* Fulham have the joint second best home form with Manchester City and Liverpool, having won five and drawn one in their last six games.

* Something which may be ominous for Bolton, who have the joint worst away record, along with Blackpool, Blackburn and Stoke, having lost five and drawn one.

* In the fair play leagues Fulham have the eighth best record in the Premier League with no red cards and 40 cautions, whereas Bolton players have seen red four times and yellow 60, giving them the second worst record.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Fulham (4-2-2): Schwarzer; Salcido, Hangeland, Hughes, Baird; Sidwell, Murphy, Dempsey, Davies; Zamora, Dembele.

Bobby Zamora could make his return to the starting XI, with the striker’s physical presence likely to be a key factor in Mark Hughes thinking as his side search for the three vital points that would ensure Premier League survival.

Bolton Wanderers (4-3-3): Jaaskelainen; Steinsson, Robinson, Cahill, Knight; Muamba, Taylor, Lee; Elmander, Davies, Sturridge.

Owen Coyle looks set to stick with the same starting line-up that ended Arsenal’s title hopes on Sunday with a 2-1 victory at the Reebok.

While loanee Daniel Sturridge has bagged seven goals in nine games following his January move from Chelsea, fellow striker John Elmander has only managed two goals in the league since the turn of year.

Prediction

With Bolton still in with an outside chance of qualifying for Europe next season and Fulham needing three vital points to provide a comfortable end to a stop start campaign, neither side should look to take their foot off the gas as we come to the tail end of the season.

Only three goals in the past four meetings between these two sides suggests it will be a tight affair at Craven Cottage on Wednesday, but with a buoyant Sturridge and a Fulham side in superb form at home, expect a score draw.

Fulham 2-2 Bolton

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27.04. (Wed) 19:00 Olympique Lyonnais - Montpellier Herault

DID YOU KNOW?

* Lyon are on a poor run of form, winning only once in their last five encounters.
* Les Gones are third in the table, and could move three points clear of fourth-placed PSG with a win at Stade Gerland.
* Lyon have won four of their last five league encounters with Rene Girard's men.
* Claude Puel's side haven't lost at home in 12 games.
* They've also scored the most goals in 2011 in the league, whilst also conceding the fewest.

* Montpellier are also in need of a morale-boosting three points, as they've only picked up a solitary win in the last eight league games.
* They were beaten in the Coupe de la Ligue final by holders Marseille on Saturday, Taye Taiwo scoring in the 81st minute to deny them a first cup win since 1990.
* MHSC have picked up the most red cards in Ligue 1.
* Rene Girard's men will have to do without Abdelhamid El Kaoutari who was sent off against Marseille two weeks ago, and also Emir Spahic who is serving a long-term suspension.

LAST MEETING

December 4, 2010: Montpellier 1-2 Olympique Lyon

Lyon kept up the pace at the top of Ligue 1 by securing a last-gasp win at Stade de la Mosson.

Argentinian international Lisandro Lopez opened up the scoring with a controlled finish. In-demand defender Emir Spahic gave La Paillade some hope for a draw when he headed in a corner, but they were struck a cruel blow when Lisandro got his second by latching onto Timothee Kolodziejczak's cross in the fourth minute of injury time to seal the three points.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Olympique Lyonnais: Lloris; Reveillere, Cris, Lovren, Cissokho; Toulalan, Gourcuff, Kallstrom; Briand, Gomis, Lisandro;

Montpellier: Jourden; Bocaly, Yangambiwa, Stambouli, Jeunechamp; Marveaux, Pitau, Belhanda; Utaka, Giroud, Camara;

Prediction

Both teams are in desperate need for a win, but Les Gones' experience as well as the fact there is Champions League football at stake, will see them through in a stadium where they've onlly lost once this season. 

O. Lyon 3-1 Montpellier HSC

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27.04. (Wed) 19:00 Olympique Marseille - Nice

DID YOU KNOW?

* Marseille picked up the Coupe de la Ligue trophy for the second successive season after beating Montpellier 1-0 in Saturday's final.
* After that success last term, l'OM went on to clinch the Ligue 1 title and could go top of the table and emulate last season's achievements if they beat Nice.
* Didier Deschamps men have only lost once in the league in 2011.
* They are also currently on a six-match unbeaten run in Ligue 1.
* Les Phoceens last lost to Wednesday's opponents at the Stade Velodrome in August 2007.
* This fixture last season ended in a 4-1 win for Marseille, en route to a first league title since 1992.

* Nice are on a seven match unbeaten run in Ligue 1.
* Their last defeat in the league was to PSG, more than two months ago.
* Les Aiglons have only scored 25 league goals this season, with Anthony Mounier having a hand in 13 of them.
* Eric Roy's side sit 14th in Ligue 1, however, they lie only a point above a congested relegation zone.
* The Stade Velodrome isn't a happy place for Nice, having lost 15 of their last 16 trips there.

LAST MEETING

December 5, 2010: Nice 1-0 Olympique Marseille

Marseille were undone by a late Emerse Fae winner in stoppage time at the Stade du Ray in December, which was effectively the start of a winless run for the defending champions.

Despite dominating proceedings, Didier Deschamps men were unable to break down a resolute home rearguard and were made to wait a month before their next league win.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Olympique Marseille: Mandanda; Taiwo, Diawara, Heinze, Fanni; Kabore, Lucho, Cheyrou, Ayew, Valbuena; Gignac;

OGC Nice: Ospina; Diakite, Civelli, Clerc, Pejčinović; Sable, Digard, Traore, Coulibaly; Moulongoui, Mounier

Prediction

The Coupe de la Ligue winners are on a rich vein of form at just the right time having won four of their last five games. Experience is on their side, and few would bet against them reclaiming top spot in Ligue 1 come Wednesday evening. 

Marseille 2-0 OGC Nice

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