United Win is Written in the Stars

Shay Brennan 1968 European Cup winner

At the Camp Nou in the return leg of the last 16 of the Champions League Nicklas Bendtner had the chance to score against Barcelona during a period of slow tempo "tikka- takka", after Nasri's long ball from the right hand side saw him get clear of Busquets and Abidal. As history records, the Dane missed the chance allowing Barcelona survive elimination despite their loss in the first leg at The Emirates 2-1. 

On the eve of the Champions League final at Wembley the story of that match would be worth watching on DVD as it would show United players that Pep Guardiola's team are not totally unbeatable, as many pundits would have us believe. As with all finals, form goes out the window in a one off match. 

Just ask Rafa Benitez who conjured up a second half comeback of epic proportions against AC Milan in Turkey in 2005 seeing of a team filled with the likes of Cafu, Kaka, Seedorf, Paulo Maldini, Nesta, Gattuso, Shevchenko and Hernan Crespo. 

For Sir Alex Ferguson the route to success has to be an attacking mind-set and not let his team come too mesmerised by the magical Messi and focus on forcing the Barcelona back four earn their keep on the night. The key for United is the knowledge that Barcelona are beatable – if attached in the right way. 

In a formation is likely to include three up front with Rooney delivering balls from deep, Hernandez chasing down the passes from the edge of the box and the revitalised Valencia rampaging down the right wing, United can cause the La Liga winners trouble. Confronted with that type of movement Guardiola will rely on his regular back four with Carles Puyol and Gerard Piquet through the penalty box - if Eric Abidal is not selected for the final. 

If in doubt, Guardiola’s preferred 4-3-3 formation may include Javier Mascherano in place of Puyol, who would move out to left back and support the defensive work of Sergio Busquets. 

Ferguson may prefer Puyol in the position as despite his years, the club captain is still one of the best last line defenders in the game and would make every effort to hamper Chicharito if he plays in his usual role. The work rate of Rooney on the left, supported by Ji Park Sung will ensure that the sorties of Brazilian Dani Alves will also be curtailed. 

The midfield of both teams pick themselves with United using Ji-sung Park, Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick, who may also be used as a foil for Lionel Messi when Barcelona are in possession – a tactic they expertly adopt as means of wearing downs opponents. 

For Barcelona the combination will be Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Busquets, who on the night will deliver the work rate of six players, sharing all the defensive duties equally with magnificent ball distribution. 

Up front David Villa will be the point man attacking from the left side, leaving Messi from the right with the supporting act of Pedro Rodriguez doing the mileage through the middle as Barca attempt to unlock United’s back four of Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Fabio. 

For the most part Ferguson’s team resembles the eleven that lost to Barcelona in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome two years ago with the only absentee Cristiano Ronaldo, who on the night also failed to deliver for Ferguson. 

But one senses this time around it is different and Messi’s propensity to run from a deeper midfield position this season may allow United to inhibit him more than in 2009. All will depend on how the Turkish referee, Viktor Kassai, handles these close encounters, which could make the game stop-start if the Catalan players get into their tumbling mode too early. Something Real Madrid learned at their cost in the two semi-finals. 

Kassai has officiated more than 60 UEFA matches and was the man in charge when United beat Valencia 1-0 during the group stages of the Champions League earlier this season. During that match he brandished just one yellow card against substitute Aduriz - in time added on. In the 2010 World Cup semi-final last summer Kassai oversaw the win by Spain over Germany in Durban which coincidentally featured Pique, Puyol, Villa, Xavi, Pedro and Iniesta. In that match he brandished no yellow cards and would appear on the face of it to be the right man for a final between two footballing teams. 

It certainly would favour United, if Rooney also keeps his cool, as they tend less towards gamesmanship in the heat of battle. It is not the done thing in Govan, is Sir Alex’s view. 

In goal Edwin van der Saar will end an illustrious playing career in a Wembley venue he first visited in 1993 as an understudy to Ed de Goey in the Holland squad that drew 2- 2 with Graham Taylor's England team, in the first of their two 1994 world cup qualifying matches. Two years later van der Saar would win his first Champions League medal when Ajax beat AC Milan in Vienna. 

At the other end Victor Valdes will be looking to repeat the clean sheet of 2009. Something that seems unlikely. 

This season the winds of fortune have been with United, who in securing their 19th Premier League title have set a new record, leaving many of their big spending rivals in their slipstream. A win in Europe on Saturday would add another dent into the Liverpool Football Club legend and reward Sir Alex Ferguson for continuing the post Munich Tragedy legacy that he inherited from Sir Matt Busby. 

Many may argue that he has already achieved his place in Manchester United history with the Champions League wins in 1999 and 2008. However, with the final in Wembley this year Ferguson has the chance to give that 1968 team a trip down memory lane, as they were the men that really fulfilled the promise of the Busby Babes. That evening United vanquished the mighty Portuguese giants, Benfica. 

On Saturday night the sight in the VIP stand of Sir Bobby Charlton, Pat Crerand, Nobby Stiles, David Sadler, Alex Stepney, Bill Foulkes, Tony Dunne, John Ashton, Brian Kidd and Jimmy Rimmer, might sway the night. They too might all benefit from the ghosts of Shay Brennan and George Best, who are likely to have found very good seats in the new Wembley for the night. For all the might of Barcelona a win for United is on the cards. 

It’s written in the stars, Best and Brennan will have seen to that.

Mascherano Hoping for Second Chance

Javier Mascherano

At the end of his first season at Anfield, Javier Mascherano featured in the Liverpool FC side that lost to AC Milan in the 2007 UEFA Champions League final. Now, as his first Camp Nou campaign draws to a close, he has a second chance to win the trophy as Josep Guardiola's FC Barcelona take on Manchester United FC.

"I have dreamed of making it to the Champions League final again, because it is very difficult to make it there," said the 26-year-old midfielder. "For footballers that play at the big clubs like me, taking part in the Champions League every year is a normal thing, but not many make it to the last match, the final; it's like playing at the World Cup."

The Argentinian international added: "So for me to have the chance again to play in the Champions League final in my first year here at Barcelona is fantastic. I hope that after the defeat back then with Liverpool, this time with a bit of luck we can win it. Barcelona managed to win [the final between the sides] two years ago, and I hope the same team can repeat that success. For me it would be a great feeling."

Having played for United's north-west rivals from 2007-10, Mascherano knows Sir Alex Ferguson's side better than any of his team-mates, and he remembered his derby encounters well. "It is a classic rivalry," he said. "That encounter has something very special to it. I played at Liverpool for almost four years, so I had the chance to play some great games against them. They always had that special extra to them."

That English perspective means the former CA River Plate, SC Corinthians and West Ham United FC man is well placed to pick out United's key men. "Rooney is the player that makes the difference at Manchester United," said Mascherano. "He has been so important for the team in the years he has been playing there, and what he means to the team. He is a really important player at the club, and one of the best in the world.

"Then there is Chicharito [Javier Hernández], for the form he has shown in his first year. I knew him from Mexico, I saw some of his matches there, but what was surprising was that he adapted so quickly to the Premier League. It is a really tough league to play in; to have such success and to manage to help United is not easy at all. To come from South America to such a big team and have such success in your first year is just fantastic.

"And then another player I would like to name who is impressive, a living legend, is Ryan Giggs," continued Mascherano. "He is a player who still, even at his age [37], shines so brightly in every position he plays in. He is just a spectacular player. He is the player everybody has talked about during his career."

UEFA Give Mourinho Costly 5 Match Ban

Jose Mourinho 

UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body has rendered its verdicts on the proceedings relating to the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona in Madrid on 27th April.

Madrid coach José Mourinho, who was dismissed from the bench in the first leg and made an inappropriate statement at the post-match interview, has been suspended for the next five UEFA club competition matches for which he would otherwise be eligible. The suspension includes the one-match ban for the match following the coach's dismissal, which was served for the return leg in Barcelona on Tuesday. The fifth match is suspended for a probationary period of three years. Mourinho has also been fined €50,000.

Madrid defender Pepe, who was sent off in the first leg, has been suspended for one UEFA competition match. However, as he did not take part in the second leg in Barcelona, he is considered to have served this suspension. Real Madrid have also been fined €20,000 for the improper conduct of their supporters.

Meanwhile FC Barcelona goalkeeper José Pinto, who received a red card in the first leg match in Madrid, is suspended for three UEFA competition matches, and having already served a one-match ban for the return leg, will now also be suspended for the UEFA Champions League final on 28 May and the next UEFA club competition match for which he is eligible.

Appeals may be lodged within three days of the dispatch of the reasoned decisions.

Rangnick Faces Tough Trafford Task

Ralf Rangnick 

Ralf Rangnick is asking his FC Schalke 04 players to show they have learned the lessons from a one-sided first-leg defeat when they visit Manchester United FC for the conclusion of their UEFA Champions League semi-final. 

United counterpart, Sir Alex Ferguson, meanwhile, has a selection quandary. 

Sir Alex Ferguson, United manager

"I hope Manchester United don't regard it as a formality, I certainly won't. The work ethic will be very high tomorrow in order for us to qualify.

If you look at the experience of last year where we lost the league [with a vital home defeat by Chelsea] it was after a Wednesday game against Bayern [a 2-1 quarter-final first-leg defeat in Munich]. The team was very tired against Chelsea in the next game so that has to have a bearing on my team selection – [they are] two massive games but each as important as the other. There will be some changes; hopefully I will have a nucleus of a team that is good enough to still win.

There seem to be better concentration levels in European games. It is not the regular football – the Premier League is incessant, tribalism almost. You are playing a London team, a Yorkshire team, Liverpool teams and it creates that incredible competitive edge. You go to Europe and there are different ways of playing, different tactics so it possibly brings different concentration from us."

Ralf Rangnick, Schalke coach

"We want to show we can play better, that we learned our lesson from last week and then we'll see what happens. If Sir Alex Ferguson does spare players it shows he has belief in his squad. And If we have a chance it is up to us to perform in contrast to the first leg. We need to take a different approach, learn from that and apply the lessons tomorrow.

The first ten to 15 minutes, Manchester United will try to score. I think we have to be well organised during this period and then we have to take our chances when we get them, even if there are just two minutes left. You only have to think of Man United in the Champions League final [against Bayern] when they came back to win 2-1.

The first leg we competed for the first 15 minutes then we gave away too many clear chances. We are looking to change that. When we played in Milan against Inter they didn't give us much hope either. Part of the hope comes from the development the team has shown over recent weeks – I hope they can show what they can do tomorrow.

Ideally we're looking at playing [Sergio Escudero] at left-back, he does have strong attacking qualities and is a possibility for tomorrow but we will have to see what happens in training."

The team news for Manchester United is that Wayne Rooney missed training on Tuesday along with Fabio; the England forward has a tight hamstring and will be assessed on Wednesday. Ryan Giggs missed Sunday's Arsenal FC loss with "a bit of flu" but should be fit, while Dimitar Berbatov and Anders Lindegaard are back in the squad after lay-offs. Darren Fletcher is available after a virus and will be involved, according to Sir Alex.

For Schalke Benedikt Höwedes has missed Schalke's last three games with a stomach strain and is due to have a late fitness test along with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (knee). 

"We will not take unnecessary risks," said Rangnick. "He has to be 100% fit." Mario Gavranović (ankle), Christoph Moritz (knee) and Christian Pander (toe, cold) are all out.

At the weekend United suffered a defeat which means they will drop to second if they lose at home to Chelsea next Sunday – they started March 15 points ahead of the Blues. Sir Alex made two changes to the side that won at Schalke, Antonio Valencia and Giggs making way for Nani and Anderson.

Schalke have won only three of their last ten away matches.

The good news for Schalke is that Raúl González scored four UEFA Champions League goals in three games against United for Real Madrid CF. He appeared in both matches of Madrid's quarter-final win in 1999/2000, striking twice in the 3-2 second-leg success in Manchester that secured an identical aggregate victory. 

Raúl hit two more when Madrid beat United 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in a quarter-final first leg in 2002/03.

Guardiola Delighted with Team Effort

Guardiola delights at Camp Nou

Coach Josep Guardiola said the FC Barcelona dressing room was a "happy place" after the Catalan giants safely negotiated passage to the 2011 UEFA Champions League final. A 1-1 draw rounded off a 3-1 aggregate victory over a "great" Real Madrid CF side but the Blaugrana boss warns that with the end in sight his players need to keep their focus – starting with Sunday's derby against RCD Espanyol.

Josep Guardiola, Barcelona coach

"Taking into account what these players have come through it's incredible. They just keep going and going. I give my thanks to every one of them; what they have achieved is beyond definition. We won our first European Cup in Wembley [in 1992] and now we are going in search of our fourth.

In the first half, except for the first ten minutes, we had the ball and we played great football while coming up against a great [Iker] Casillas. After the break we dropped off slightly but our goal brought calm. There was a moment when if Madrid had scored a second we would have had problems.

I would like to highlight the great game Madrid played. They are a team with nine European Champions Clubs' Cups and being the richest and most powerful team in the world we knew it was going to be hard against them, we knew they would be going for it tonight.

The dressing room is a happy place at the moment. There has been so much work behind this; many of the players started the season on the back of a World Cup. It's a real feat getting to the final after such a hard season, and on top of that to eliminate a great team like Madrid.

The Liga is up next; we need to get some players back. We have a decisive game against Espanyol on Sunday that could get us closer to our goal. The league is the most important competition, the one that gives the most credibility, and we are just four points shy of winning it.

I'm not sure who we will face but I imagine it will be Manchester United. I think Sir Alex Ferguson is always there, in the Champions League or Premier League, competing for titles. It would be an honour for me, a young coach, to reach the final against him."

Aitor Karanka

"I spoke [with José Mourinho] before the game, running through various hypotheses of what might happen and what we should do at certain times. After the game he contacted the dressing room to congratulate the entire team. If things hadn't happened the way they did in the first leg we could have arrived here at 0-0. In difficult circumstances the team faced up to things.

Madridistas should be proud of what we have done over the past month. There are still games to go in the league and until they are complete we won't evaluate our season. Today the team demonstrated what it is all about; one that stands tall in adversity. The supporters have seen again what this team represents and we demonstrated different styles of play and created chances."

Uchida Not Giving up on United Trip

Atsuto Uchida

FC Schalke 04 go into their UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg at Manchester United FC trailing 2-0 from the first leg, but Atsuto Uchida is undaunted by the challenge of playing at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. 

Schalke recorded another disappointing result at the weekend, losing 4-1 against FC Bayern München, but if domestic results tell of a transitional season in the Bundesliga, the Royal Blues have blazed a trail in the UEFA Champions League. Though Schalke face an uphill task to reverse their first-leg defeat against United, the 7-3 aggregate victory over defending European club champions FC Internazionale Milano remains a key reference point for Uchida.

"We have not really been getting the results in the Bundesliga," admitted the 23-year-old. "It's not like we're cutting corners, we're really working hard to get results, but in the Champions League, our awareness and intent have been stronger. When we attacked against Inter we showed no hesitation, and we were able to attack quickly as a team. We believed in our own strengths."

Ralf Rangnick's men will attempt to rediscover this belief when they take on the Premier League leaders, who lost their own domestic encounter against Arsenal FC on Sunday. Until last week, Uchida had only seen Sir Alex Ferguson's men in action from afar, but now Old Trafford awaits in the last-four decider. "United have players you often see on television, and the pitch and the stadium are also wonderful. They're a great team, and they have a great coach but Schalke also have great fans, a great coach and great players, so we're going to give it our all. If we win we'll be in the Champions League final."

One Schalke player who certainly warrants the word "great" is Raúl González. The Spanish striker, who is the UEFA Champions League's leading all-time marksman with 71 goals, has struck five times in Europe since joining the Gelsenkirchen club at the same time as Uchida last summer, and the former Kashima Antlers FC full-back has nothing but praise for the 33-year-old.

"Raúl is simply a legend on a global scale. The way he plays, his results on the pitch; the way he is as a football player and a human being is something I really admire," says Uchida. "He's a superstar, but he doesn't think about himself, he cares about the team as a whole. His football is the same – he works hard, and also in normal life he's someone who speaks up. He's just like everyone's older brother around here, and you can really count on him."

It has been a steep learning curve for Uchida, who cites FC Barcelona's Daniel Alves and Inter's Maicon as full-backs he holds in the highest esteem. The Japanese international has had to acclimatise to a new language, a new culture and a new team, while contending with the news of the fall-out from the earthquake and tsunami that struck his homeland in March, and left him feeling "powerless". Given the circumstances, so far Uchida appears to have taken everything in his stride.

"Germany has an atmosphere and environment that resembles Japan," he explained. "At times the people are serious and firm; they obey the rules, so in that respect it has been pretty easy to live here. A couple of years ago it was a pretty courageous thing to leave Japan and go to play in Europe, but recently a lot of Japanese players have started playing in European teams, so in that sense I just needed a little courage." 

As Uchida prepares for the biggest match of his career, he will be hoping that fortune favours the brave on Wednesday night.

Related articles

• With Chelsea the main focus, Rooney to be rested (usatoday.com)
• Schalke 04 Lose to Bayern Munich (optimum-sports.blogspot.com)
• Rooney, Giggs to sit out Champions League semifinal (cbc.ca)

Madrid Karanka it Up at Camp Nou

Aitor Karanka

On Monday assistant coach Aitor Karanka talked to the press at Camp Nou and the former player expressed his disappointment with UEFA for failing to admit Real Madrid's charges against Barcelona.

"Tomorrow's match has been pushed to the background due to today's UEFA resolution. UEFA promotes respect and fair play everywhere, but everyone saw what happened at the Bernabeu on Wednesday and no one has done anything about it. Football has a certain set of values and tomorrow's match is less important. What matters today is that UEFA have allowed actions described in the rules and regulations to go unpunished, but this wasn't the case for Real Madrid two months ago for something that cannot be found in rules and regulations."

"Once again, we see different yardsticks are used here. A few months ago, Mourinho and some of our players were suspended for something that cannot be found in the rules and regulations. But something that can indeed be found in them, and that everyone saw happened (not just Real Madrid), went unpunished today. These are objective matters that can easily be verified."

"There will be players on the pitch tomorrow who everyone saw did not uphold respect and fair play on Wednesday. They even made racist insults covering their mouths so that no one could read their lips. Two of our players did nothing of the sort and will not be at the stadium tomorrow."

"We are Real Madrid. We wear a crest and represent an institution that has never failed to face up to challenges in its 109-year old history. The only thing that matters to us now is reaching the Wembley final. Our coach feels bad for not being able to be with the team tomorrow. It would be important for us to be able to dedicate a victory to him."

On Monday UEFA rejected both the protests lodged by Real Madrid and the complaint made by Barcelona following the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg last week at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Related articles

• Real Madrid accuse Uefa of ignoring Barcelona 'racism' (guardian.co.uk)
• UEFA throw out complaints by Barcelona and Real Madrid (cnn.com)
• Karanka: Semi has been overshadowed (mirror.co.uk)

Pep Guardiola Not Sure What to Expect

Pep Guardiola press conference

Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola is expecting an anxious evening at the Camp Nou despite his side's 2-0 first-leg advantage over Real Madrid. While Guardiola also broke the good news of Éric Abidal's recovery from liver surgery, Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka played down criticism of his side's approach in the first match as he said José Mourinho's touchline ban would not be a problem for the Merengues.

Josep Guardiola, Barcelona coach

"I don't know what Madrid to expect. They have such a strong team and so many players that they can play in several ways. This is a very tough semi-final tie. We shall see how strong mentally we are tomorrow. I know the fans will help us especially if things get tough.

I imagine that we have to be very focused because it'll be tough, mentally speaking. We will have to move the ball fast and I am sure there will be a lot of anxiety but the fans will be there to help us. I want to thank them for this in advance and I want to thank the players for letting me experience this match. We want to try to reach the final again this season and I am very eager for the match to start, for the world to see it and to reach the final.

We will try to play the best football possible and what happened is in the past. I hope those things we saw last week don't happen again. I haven't thought about who I will field tomorrow. [Seydou] Keita last week was fundamental and made the team very solid, he's essential for us in this type of match.

We have to be prepared for anything tomorrow: they can attack or defend, but we have to be ready for anything. Tomorrow Madrid will play the match of a lifetime to try to get to the final. They have a good enough squad to make life tricky for us.

Abidal has recovered and it's great news. Milito is injured and we spoke to the doctors to see if Abidal could help. They told us he was perfect physically but that he has lost a lot of weight. The team is really happy to have him back. We're in the semi-final which is great news, and then Abidal is back and that's great."

Aitor Karanka, Madrid assistant coach

"We have to respect people saying that we're defensive. Cristiano [Ronaldo] said that and if he has to be in the starting XI then he will be. Tomorrow we will see if we play defensively or not. It depends if there are 11 players on the pitch. They're just ways of playing football and the important thing is to be in the final.

The coach won't be on the bench or in the dressing room area. We had that situation against Auxerre [and won 4-0] so it isn't a problem. I think if there's someone who feels bad now it is the coach for not being able to be on the bench tomorrow. So if we can win, we can dedicate it to him for being in the final – that would be important.

In football we're all professional and we're grown up enough. The Real Madrid coach said it was his fault that we lost the match last week so we are able to be self-critical."

Team News

Barcelona had good news this week with the return of Abidal (liver tumour) and Andrés Iniesta (right calf) to his squad on the eve of the game. However, Martín Montoya's first start for the club on Saturday lasted 14 minutes before he was taken off with a broken collarbone and dislocated shoulder. Gabriel Milito tore a thigh muscle scoring a disallowed goal late on and joins Maxwell (groin) and Adriano (right thigh) on the sidelines. Bojan Krkić (knee ligament) is a long-term absentee.

For Madrid Sami Khedira has not played since tearing his right adductor muscle in the Copa del Rey final. Fernando Gago also remains absent with a torn adductor.

At the weekend bithy teams lost with Barcelona loisng at Real Sociedad by 2-1 and the Catalan's 31-game unbeaten run in the Liga, one shy of Real Sociedad's 31-year-old Spanish top-flight record, ended as Guardiola made seven changes to the side that defeated Real Madrid last Wednesday. Only Lionel Messi, Xavi, Gerard Piqué and Keita retained their places.

For Real Madrid it was a 2-3 home loss to Real Zaragoza with Ricardo Carvalho sent off six minutes from time as Madrid, who paraded the Copa del Rey before kick-off, slipped to their first back-to-back defeats of the season. Real Madrid have now conceded eight goals in their last three games; as many as they shipped in 22 previous outings.

The last two occasions that Real Madrid have got the better of Barcelona twice before at this stage of the competition en route to lifting the European Champion Clubs' Cup, was in 1960 and 2002.

Frank de Bleeckere Gets El Clasico No. 5

Uefa has handed Frank de Bleeckere the task of refereeing the Champions League match between Barcelona and Real Madrid on Tuesday – an appointment unlikely to go down well with the Madrid manager, José Mourinho.

Mourinho last week accused referees of favouring the Catalan side after his team lost 2-0 to Barça in the first leg of their semi-final at the Bernabéu.

The Portuguese was enraged by the dismissal of the makeshift midfielder Pepe by Wolfgang Stark and afterwards read out a list of officials he believes have made decisions which have benefited Barça in previous years.

The Belgian De Bleeckere was on that list after opting to send off Thiago Motta in the last-four clash last season between Internazionale, then managed by Mourinho, and Barcelona.

Television replays later showed there had been little contact between Motta and Sergio Busquets, with the Spain midfielder even peering through his fingers to see what action the referee was taking as he rolled about on the floor.

"I can't say what I feel. I only leave one question. Why?" said Mourinho on Wednesday. "Why? Ovrebo, Busacca, Frisk, Stark, De Bleeckere. Why to all these people. Each semi-final always brings the same. We're talking about a fantastic football team. So why?"

Tom Henning Ovrebo turned down a number of penalty appeals for Chelsea when Barcelona knocked out the London club two years ago, Massimo Busacca harshly sent off Arsenal's Robin van Persie in the round-of-16 clash this season, and Anders Frisk dismissed Didier Drogba six years ago as Barça came from behind to beat Mourinho's Chelsea in a last-16 first leg match.

Schalke 04 Lose to Bayern Munich

After defeats against Kaiserslautern and Manchester United the Royal Blues ended a disappointing week with a 4-1 reverse at Bayern Munich on Saturday evening.

Ralf Rangnick made two changes to the line-up from the first leg of the Champions League, introducing Annan and Kluge for Baumjohann and Edu as the Schalke boss opted for a more defensive approach. Benedikt Höwedes was again sidelined with an abdominal strain. 

Hannover's 1-0 defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the afternoon presented Bayern Munich with the chance to leapfrog the Lower Saxony side into third spot in the Bundesliga. And Bayern set out to exploit this opportunity from the kick-off. The Royal Blues struggled to get into the game and soon went behind after six minutes. Anthony Annan gave the ball away on the touch line, Mario Gomez centred into the box and Arjen Robben made no mistake as he found the bottom left corner of the net. But Schalke hit back straight away. From a short corner Jefferson Farfan dispatched a cross into the Bayern box where Holger Badstuber, under pressure from Joel Matip, turned the ball into his own goal to level the scores with eight minutes gone.

Bayern continued to press forward, however, and they were rewarded on 13 minutes. A Robben free-kick from the edge of the box deflected off the Schalke wall and Thomas Müller smacked the rebound into the net to restore the home side's lead.

With the action increasingly taking place in Schalke's half, the lively Robben hit the side netting on 16 minutes but three minutes later Bayern were celebrating again. A cross by the Dutch winger was headed on by Müller for Mario Gomez to score with a tap in at the far post. Under the intense pressure Schalke found it almost impossible to mount any threat on the Bayern goal, a fact reflected by attempts on goal stats of 10-0 in favour of the Munich outfit at half-time. 

Ralf Rangnick rang the changes for the second half, introducing Alexander Baumjohann for Hans Sarpei in support of Edu, who replaced Raul up front. The substitutions appeared to have little effect on the game, however. Bayern were in control and Schalke did not start pressing forward again until ten minutes into the second half, though they were unable to carve out any clear-cut chances. Manuel Neuer was once again centre stage as he produced a number of saves to keep his team in the game. Robben missed a great chance to make it 4-1 after breaking into the box on 78 minutes, Neuer saving his shot on goal just in time with his left foot.

The Royal Blues never really looked like they were going to get back on terms and instead the hosts extended their lead with six minutes to go. Ribéry passed to Müller from the right flank, and although Kyriakos Papadopoulos was able to block the first shot, the Germany striker dispatched the rebound into the bottom corner to make it 4-1.

Bayern:

Butt - Lahm, Van Buyten, Badstuber, Contento (Ottl 72') - Schweinsteiger, Tymoshchuk - Robben, Müller (Kroos 85'), Ribéry - Gomez (Klose 83') 

Schalke: Neuer - Uchida, Matip (Escudero 79'), Metzelder, Sarpei (Edu 46') - Kluge, Papadopoulos, Annan - Farfan, Jurado - Raul (Baumjohann 46') 

Goals: 1-0 Robben (6'), 1-1 Badstuber (o.g. 8'), 2-1 Müller (13'), 3-1 Gomez (19'), 4-1 Müller (84')

Too Stark for Andy Townsend

Wolfgang Stark

Andy Townsend was eating with ITV colleague Adrian Chiles when he ran into Madrid fans, angry after seeing their side lose 2-0 to Barcelona and Pepe and Jose Mourinho controversially sent off.

"I went into a restaurant and was eating when I noticed people looking at me," said Townsend "Some of them started taking pictures and then someone came and gave me a pot plant, saying, 'This is for you' with a funny look on his face.

"There were 10 of us around the table thinking, ‘'What is going on here?’ When I stood up I got booed and when I went to the loo I got followed there and back. A waiter escorted me to my seat. I didn’t know why.

"Then people came up to me, talking aggressively in Spanish and there was a man shouting at me from the other side of the restaurant. It was all getting out of control.

"Then it dawned on me. Because I still had my UEFA accreditation around my neck they thought I was the referee. To them I was Wolfgang Stark, so I had to turn around and tell them I was from English television."

Townsend, a former Chelsea and Aston Villa player, blamed Jose Mourinho for stirring up Madrid fans to the point of frenzy. "There’s a sinister edge to it," he said.

"The crowd were baying for the referee’s blood. They totally saw the referee as the villain of the piece.

"As ITV were going off air there was actually a fight going on in front of me in the stadium — two men were exchanging blows. And these were the decent seats.

"I witnessed first-hand the effect Mourinho has on fans. I wouldn’t want to see him back in England."

Luis Figo Expects Mixed Emotions

Luis Figo

The UEFA Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona is set to capture the imagination of the footballing world, yet for one man this mouthwatering tie will provoke a unique range of emotions.

Luís Figo is one of those few players who excelled for both clubs during his glittering playing career, winning a pair of Liga titles and a European trophy with each. His switch from Barcelona to the Santiago Bernabéu in 2000 remains one of the most talked-about transfers in history, arousing a combination of disbelief in Catalonia and joy in the capital. Including the pulsating UEFA Champions League semi-final contest in 2001/02, the former Portugal captain has been involved in more than his share of memorable Clásicos.

Nobody therefore is better placed to evoke the modern-day rivalry than the 38-year-old. With the first leg taking place in Madrid on Wednesday, Figo told UEFA.com why he expects the latest heavyweight bout to be every bit as intense as the ones he featured in. "These are matches that will always be remembered," he said.

"They take place every year but they're remembered due to the history behind the fixture. There's a great rivalry between these clubs for football and also social reasons. That's why the rivalry is so big, but it's important to stress that it's only a football match and people need to look at it in that sense. The stronger team on the day will win."

But who is that team? Might Barcelona reproduce the dazzling football that sealed a 5-0 league win against José Mourinho's team in November, or has Madrid's victory in the recent Copa del Rey final given them the edge? "I don't think the past games will have an impact," Figo reflected.

"You can't think back to what happened in previous matches, you have to think about the next one. They are both coming into this semi-final very strongly. I think they're the two best teams in the world at the moment. That's why this UEFA Champions League semi-final will go down in the history of football."

When Figo's Madrid triumphed over Barcelona at the same stage nine years ago, they went on to claim European club football's most coveted prize for a record ninth time, defeating Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the final. Back then, Vicente del Bosque's team were regarded as the most glamorous team around with such talents as Figo, Ronaldo, Zinédine Zidane and Roberto Carlos. Times have changed, however. Josep Guardiola's tyros have won the last two Spanish titles and they are now the ones attracting plaudits worldwide for their attractive, passing style.

Figo, who retired in 2009 after four seasons with FC Internazionale Milano, expressed admiration for the current Barça side and admitted Madrid's route to Wembley is an extremely difficult one. "I think Barcelona play the better football at the moment," the 2000 Ballon d'Or winner said. "They have a very well defined philosophy, all the players have impressive skill and they know how to play together.

"Football always goes in cycles. We had some years with Madrid when we won everything. Now it seems Barcelona are doing that. It depends on the different generations. Right now, Barça have players who play fantastically well together and who know how to fit into the system. That makes them very hard to beat."

Not that Figo is leaning one way or another. He refused to offer a prediction, insisting that "making forecasts is not a good idea", but nevertheless implied that the presence of his compatriot in the Madrid dugout could swing the tie in favour of the Merengues. "José Mourinho has been very successful," explained Figo, who won two Serie A titles with Mourinho at Inter.

"His teams do well because of the way he gets them to play so I think his presence definitely will help Madrid. He's achieved a lot of victories playing in a certain way, so there is always a possibility he can continue to be successful and to win more."

Rangnick Ready for Visit of Sir Alex

Ralf Rangnick

FC Schalke 04 coach Ralf Rangnick has described his team's semi-final against Manchester United FC as the biggest game of his, and many of his players' careers. By contrast Sir Alex Ferguson pointed to his squad's experience of this stage as a cause for confidence, along with their freshness, but admitted there was always apprehension with the final just one step away.

Ralf Rangnick, Schalke coach

"Nothing will be decided tomorrow. We know Manchester are much better organised than Inter, so it will not be as easy for us to score. We have to try to be compact as well. A close result will leave everything open for the return leg in Manchester.

We know United have lots of attacking players at their disposal, especially on the wings; there will be at least five attacking players in their lineup, six if you count [Patrice] Evra. We have to find a good balance between defence and attack.

Who knows how many of these players will play in a match like this in the coming years? The same goes for me. This is my biggest game so far judging by the attention it is getting in general and from the media. Surely, over the course of these two games, Manchester have more to lose than us. We have to stay focused but also enjoy this.

Sir Alex Ferguson has won more games and titles at this level, but United will have a very experienced team, much as Inter did. Our team is a bit younger and hopefully hungrier to make up for their lack of experience. Our passion and discipline has helped us against Inter and I hope it will do so again against United."

Sir Alex Ferguson, United manager

"Wayne Rooney's form has been fantastic these last two months but the most important thing for us is the freshness has come into the team in the last few weeks with players coming back like [Antonio] Valencia, [Rio] Ferdinand, Anderson and Park Ji-Sung.

In terms of the quality of the team, you saw it on Saturday again that this is a team that will not give in, there is absolutely no chance this team will ever give in and that's a great quality.

I think the present group have enough experience now in Europe, it is where we should be. The expectation from my point of view has always been high as regards the European scene, because you do get envious of other clubs' record in Europe and we are trying to come to parity with that – in other words, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Ajax, Liverpool, and we need to progress quickly to get to that level again.

You always get apprehensive at this stage of the competition. We've had this situation over the years. [When] we played Barcelona away from home in the first leg [in 2008] and got the result we wanted, in the second leg the last two minutes were absolute agony. Semi-finals are never easy.

[On seeing Schalke against Inter] The first thing is they never looked like losing the game, and that is quite a credit to them given the experience of Inter. There was never any stage where I thought they were going to lose that match, most of the time they were in complete control and even in the good moments Inter had they dealt with it easily. It was a good impression."

For Schalke Benedikt Höwedes is struggling to be fit after sitting out much of Monday training with a stomach strain, though Rangnick is hopeful Kyriakos Papadopoulos (calf) and Peer Kluge (abdominal muscle strain) will be fit. Mario Gavranović (ankle) has missed recent games while Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (knee), Christoph Moritz (knee) and Christian Pander (toe, cold) are longer-term absentees.

United have confirmed that striker Dimitar Berbatov will not feature on Tuesday having failed to recover from the groin problem that meant the Bulgarian sat out his side's last two Premier League games. Midfielders Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves are also missing, along with Bébé and reserve goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard, prompting a call-up for Sam Johnstone, 18, as third-choice keeper. John O'Shea also made the flight to Germany despite carrying a knock.

How Do United Replace Van der Sar ?

Edwin Van der Sar

Sir Alex Ferguson jokingly replied "I don't know" in his best German when asked by a local journalist about his reported interest in signing FC Schalke 04 goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, yet behind the smiles lay a more serious question: namely, how the Scot will replace Edwin van der Sar this summer?

Manchester United FC's UEFA Champions League challenge this term has been founded on a strong defence with the Premier League leaders yet to concede on their travels and Van der Sar, as assured as ever at the age of 40, has been key to that effort.

The Dutch keeper, who will retire at the season's end, belied his years once more on Saturday during United's 1-0 home win against Everton FC, pulling off a fingertip save to deny visiting midfielder Jack Rodwell with the game goalless. That stop helped United secure a success that leaves them on the cusp of another domestic title, one that would mean Van der Sar bowing out with a fourth Premier League winner's medal to add to the same number won with AFC Ajax.

And he might yet end his final season in the UEFA Champions League as he did his first in the competition back in 1994/95 – by holding the club game's most cherished trophy aloft. It is an enticing prospect for Van der Sar but, ahead of his seventh UEFA Champions League semi-final, he showed a down-to-earth attitude befitting a native of the Low Countries as he reflected on the final straight of his long sporting journey.

Playing down the suggestion he might be tempted to reconsider his decision to retire, he said: "I don't know, I am just enjoying it. It is always nice when you are involved in a winning team, and that's what we've done a lot lately. Hopefully we can keep on doing that these last couple of game we have to play this season. I've had a reasonable career so far and let's hope we can finish if off nicely."

Saying Van der Sar, United's 2008 final shoot-out hero, has had a "reasonable career" is like suggesting Raúl González is a half-decent striker and the meeting of these two golden oldies – greats of the modern UEFA Champions League era – could provide an intriguing subplot to tomorrow's action.

Raúl González has scored 71 UEFA Champions League goals, but he has never put the ball past Van der Sar in the competition. The pair met back in autumn 1995 when the keeper kept a pair of clean sheets for Ajax in two group stage victories against the Real Madrid CF of an 18-year-old Raúl.

Sixteen years on, the pair will face off again and Van der Sar hailed his contemporary when he warned United's defenders would have to be at their vigilant best to contain the threat of the 33-year-old, whose five goals have helped propel Schalke to their first semi-final.

"What I think about Raúl is he's quite an amazing player of course," said Van der Sar, who has 53 UEFA Champions League shut-outs to his name. "He played so many years at Real Madrid at a high level and he scored all those goals in the league for them and of course is the top scorer in the Champions League. He is not someone you can take your eye off because he is so dangerous and only needs a little chance to score a goal, our defence will have to be on their toes when they play against him."

Raul Has Good Record Against United

Raúl 

Raúl scored four UEFA Champions League goals in three games against United for Real Madrid. He appeared in both matches of Madrid's quarter-final win in 1999/2000, striking twice in the 3-2 second-leg success in Manchester that secured an identical aggregate victory. 

Raúl hit two more when Madrid beat United 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in a quarter-final first leg in 2002/03. Giggs and Paul Scholes lined up against Raúl in both of those seasons, while Wes Brown and Rio Ferdinand faced the Spaniard in 2003/03. 

Both times Raúl went on to earn a winners' medal.

Neuer Ready For Manchester United

Manuel Neuer

A ball boy in the 2004 final in Gelsenkirchen, FC Schalke 04's Manuel Neuer is relishing the chance to face a Manchester United FC side in which "the team is the star" on Tuesday.

The last time Gelsenkirchen hosted such an important UEFA Champions League match, Manuel Neuer was a wide-eyed ball boy soaking up the atmosphere as FC Porto triumphed over AS Monaco FC in the 2004 final.

The Germany No1 will take centre stage on Tuesday, however, when FC Schalke 04 entertain Manchester United FC in the first leg of their semi-final tie.

So much has happened to Neuer in the last seven years, it would be understandable if the 25-year-old struggled to recall the details of Porto's big night in the Ruhr region, but the experience remain etched in his mind. "I was standing right on the pitch," Neuer told UEFA.com. "Back then it was a dream for me to be able to be at that match. Now it's a dream for me to be playing in the semi-finals."

Inspiring your hometown club to a place in the last four for the first time is indeed the stuff of fairy tales. Yet there was nothing tender about the ruthless manner in which Schalke eliminated holders FC Internazionale Milano in the quarter-finals, winning 5-2 away before securing a 2-1 home victory.

"It was certainly surprising, especially after we fell behind after only 20 seconds and then later went 2-1 down," reflected Neuer, who debuted in 2006 and has made more than 150 league appearances for Schalke. "Nobody thought we could score five at San Siro. Our fans had faith in us but I don't think they believed we'd go through in the way we did."

Despite their heroics in Milan, Ralf Rangnick's charges are still seen by most as outsiders in a formidable semi-final lineup. Neuer, however, is not worried about their underdog status – "we enjoyed playing that role against Inter" – and is relishing the opportunity to measure himself against the likes of Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernández.

"I have respect for those players but I'm not afraid of them," said the international, capped 20 times by Germany. "I've already played against Rooney once, in the [2010 FIFA] World Cup [round of 16], and it ended positively for Germany. I hope it'll be similar against Manchester United."

Neuer is nevertheless wary of the three-time European champions. He feels collective strength, rather than individual flair, is the English club's biggest weapon. "They have many good players," he explained. "There is the experience of Ryan Giggs and Edwin van der Sar. I was a big fan of Van der Sar when I was growing up, but you can't just pick out one player. The team is the star at Manchester United. I have to say I really like the way they play."

While United bank on the experience of Giggs and Van der Sar, the Bundesliga outfit will turn to their own iconic figure. Raúl González has rolled back the years this season and, according to Neuer, the predatory striker has been an inspiration in their European campaign.

"He has so much experience and he's very important for us in these games," he said of the 33-year-old Spaniard. "Raúl has great statistics in the Champions League. He scores a goal every two games – so he'll definitely score against Manchester United."

Real Madrid Through to Semi-final

Harry Redknapp, Tottenham manager

"It was a good game so I have nothing to complain about. The goal was disappointing but the goalkeeper has been great for us and he's made saves that he has had no right to in the past. He's been a great goalkeeper since I've been here and he made a rare mistake but that's how it goes.

It was an even game, very balanced; the first leg cost us badly. They're a strong side and over the two legs there's every chance they would have beaten us anyway. Going down to ten men in the first leg made it an impossible task.

The Champions League has been great for us; we've seen some fantastic football here at White Hart Lane and away from home. To have come as far as we have in our first season in the Champions League and to play the way we have has been great for everybody; it's been a great experience for me and the players."

José Mourinho, Real Madrid coach

"Madrid, with their history, have to be in the semi-finals and now we are. We're a young team with players who perhaps don't have much experience in this tournament yet; we are still under construction. I said we couldn't afford to joke around here so risks with [booked] players had to be taken; [Ricardo Carvalho] will be back for the semi-final second leg. There was always a threat Spurs could create real danger if they scored early on but we managed to make sure they didn't. As time passed they became less of a threat because we got hold of the ball and controlled the game more.

Tonight we played the type of game we needed to in order to control the match. Who knows what's going to happen in the games against Barcelona? Hats off to them; they're a top team. When they play well they win and when they don't play well they also win. We will take each game as a separate entity. I'm not of the opinion that whatever happens in the first game will influence the second; each game will be very different.

I've been in the game for many years and I know you are ultimately judged by your results. You can prepare your team well but if you don't win, and you don't win titles, then it's very easy to forget all the work that has gone in. Football is like that. It's not a successful season to get to the final of the Spanish Cup and to the semi-finals of the Champions League."