4 April 2011
The UEFA Champions League quarterfinals get underway on Tuesday evening with two fascinating ties involving Spanish giants Real Madrid and title holders Internazionale of Italy.
In Madrid, at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real will host surprise package Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of their quarterfinal. Amazingly, it will be the Spanish sides first appearance in the last eight since 2004, while this is the first time Spurs are competing in the Champions League since its rebranding in the early 1990s.
It promises to be an attacking affair between the competitions two top-scoring teams, though Spurs main concern heading into the game is in defence: they will be without Alan Hutton, Younes Kaboul, Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate, while William Gallas is also doubtful.
Furthermore, the inspirational Gareth Bale could miss out: “Gareth’s hamstring is still tight and you can never tell with a hamstring injury,” said manager Harry Redknapp. “Until you really push it, you are not sure.
Madrid have some injury worries of their own, with the trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Marcelo all struggling to be fit in time, though the earlier-than-expected return from a serious back injury of striker Gonzalo Higuain is a major boost to the Spanish side.
Real were defeated 1-0 at the Bernabeu by Sporting Gijon on the weekend, the first home league defeat suffered by manager Jose Mourinho since 2001; hardly the perfect build-up to their match-up with Tottenham, especially as they have lost to Liverpool and Arsenal in their last two knockout ties against English teams.
At the San Siro in Milan, 2010 European champions Inter will play host to Schalke 04. The Italians suffered a blow to their hopes of defending their domestic league title when they were crushed 3-0 by rivals AC Milan on the weekend, so they could well opt to focus their energies on European competition.
Inter made a stunning comeback in the round of 16 against Bayern Munich, so they will relish another tie against German opposition. Veteran defender Javier Zanetti is the only member of the 1997 Internazionale team that lost on penalties to Schalke in the 1997 UEFA Cup final still playing for the club, and he expects a stern challenge from the Bundesliga side.
We must respect Schalke because they will give us two tough games like all the other teams,” said the Nerazzurri captain. “We must be careful because nobody reaches the quarter-finals through luck.”
Schalke have been hit by a double blow ahead of the first leg: striker Mario Gavranovic is out for the rest of the season with torn ankle ligaments, while midfielder Peer Kluge is certain to miss the trip to Milan with a stomach injury.
Defender Christoph Metzelder is also doubtful after breaking his nose in a weekend league game, though he could still play against Inter, possibly wearing a protective facial mask.
UEFA Champions League, Tuesday fixtures:
Quarterfinals, first leg
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur
Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Internazionale v Schalke 04 San Siro, Milan
