The final two quarter-finalists in the UEFA Champions League will be decided on Wednesday night with two of the trophy favourites in Real Madrid and Chelsea hoping to progress.
Real Madrid v Olympique Lyon> @ Santiago Bernabeu
First Leg Olympique Lyon 1 (Gomis 83’) Real Madrid 1 (Benzema 65’)
Form Real Madrid remain in second place in Spain’s La Liga, but on the weekend their 2-0 win over Hercules allowed them to close the gap on leaders Barcelona to five points. Karim Benzema fired in a double in the win to keep up his good recent form. The result made it three consecutive wins for Real who are undefeated in all competitions since January.
Worth noting is Real’s home form, having won all 21 fixtures at the Santiago Bernabeu this term. Jose Mourinho’s men have also claimed a place in the final of the Copa del Rey against Barcelona, meaning they can still win the treble.
Lyon’s Ligue 1 campaign started slowly but they’ve moved up to third recently in a tight race which will go down to the wire. Lyon won 2-0 at Sochaux on the weekend with Lisandro Lopez back among the scorers. The win made it four victories in their past five Ligue 1 fixtures. Lyon have already bowed out of both domestic cups, so Europe and Ligue 1 is the focus.
Team news Real superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to shake off a thigh complaint to take his place against Lyon but he will need to pass a medical first. Madrid, though, will be without injured duo Kaka (knee) and Sami Khedira (thigh) in a blow.
Lyon also have their problems with Michel Bastos suspended and in a further blow a knee injury he sustained on the weekend has ruled him out for two months. Lisandro Lopez’s goal on the weekend shows he’s back to fitness after injury kept him out of the first leg, while there’s injury clouds over Aly Cissokho (thigh), Yoann Gourcuff (toe) and Cris (tendonitis).
Coaches Jose Mourinho: “The fans are usually pretty quiet at Santiago Bernabeu. They’re clapping when we play good football, but I have yet to see them give the team their full support. This is the moment of truth for the team and I’m confident that the fans will now step up to give us their full support. We have always played pretty well at home.”
Claude Puel: “We have to fight in defence but we also must play offensively. We have a great, tactical match ahead of us. Real Madrid have many individual threats but we can compete with them as a team; “I don’t care about stats. This is a match between two confident teams who are winning their matches.”
Sports Pundit prediction; Real Madrid 3-0 Olympique Lyon
Chelsea v FC Kobenhavn> @ Stamford Bridge
First Leg FC Kobenhavn 0 Chelsea 2 (Anelka 17’, 54’)
Form English champions Chelsea have had a campaign to forget domestically after a blistering start. The Blues are down in fourth, out of title contention and out of the FA Cup. They have won their past two matches in the league, but have struggled for consistency over the past three months. Star Didier Drogba has been out-of-sorts, but Frank Lampard has found his form lately. Chelsea’s home form is usually impressive.
FC Kobenhavn enter this game as massive underdogs but in Denmark’s Superliga they are the dominant force, boasting a 19-point advantage at the summit after 21 games. They did win 1-0 on the weekend at Aalborg BK, but that came after their opening loss of the season, 2-0 at FC Midtjylland. As you’d expect, FCK’s away form is good in Denmark, but travelling to Chelsea is a different story altogether.
Team news There’s few concerns for Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti with long-term injured pair Alex and Yossi Benayoun back in contention. Alex has not played since November due to a knee injury, while Benayoun is back after an Achilles tendon injury suffered in September.
Defender Mikael Antonsson will be given every chance to prove his fitness after a buttock injury. Right-back Zdenek Pospech is suspended for the game.
Coaches
Carlo Ancelotti: “Every game is important to maintain our confidence. We’ve had victories against København, Manchester United and Blackpool and our confidence is better and we want to maintain this and, if possible, improve. 
Stale Solbakken: “We need a miracle or two. Obviously we are in a very, very difficult situation. We have not been at our best after the winter break. We didn’t manage to break Chelsea down at all in the first game and now I think it’s down to who scores the first goal. If we score it, it will change the psychology of the game.”
Sports Pundit prediction; Chelsea 2-0 FC Kobenhavn