Semis in sight

The first round of UEFA Champions League quarter-final matches has done little to clarify which teams will be competing in the semi-finals, with all eight remaining clubs still able to entertain hopes of qualifying.

Close ties
The closeness of this week's ties makes it even harder for Fantasy Football managers but, as the competition draws to a climax, points are especially precious. Also remember that at this stage only one transfer can be made without charge - all additional transfers will deduct two points from your total, so use this option sparingly. The deadline for getting your team ready is Tuesday 22 April at 19.30CET.

Barcelona have the edge
Tuesday's first quarter-final sees FC Barcelona take on Serie A leaders Juventus FC. Barça have a slight advantage after drawing the first leg 1-1 in Turin two weeks ago. Coach Radomir Antic was certainly pleased with the first-leg result: "Juventus scored first from a set-piece and this gave them a lot of confidence, but we reacted in a great way in the second half and continued to work until we got the equaliser," he said. Antic also admitted that Barcelona were unusually defensive that night, but has since insisted it will be a different story in the return. If you believe this, why not go for the Catalans' highest-scoring forwards: Javier Saviola and Patrick Kluivert, or midfield players Thiago Motta and Xavi Hernández?

Valencia look to improve
In Tuesday's second game, Valencia CF welcome Internazionale FC. Inter, who lead 1-0 from the first leg, will be without two defenders Francesco Coco and Fabio Cannavaro due to injury. After the first leg, Valencia coach Rafael Benítez said: "We did everything better than Inter, except score." The Spanish champions will be hoping that home support will help them find their scoring touch and mount a comeback. Inter forward Hernán Crespo netted at the weekend as a substitute, but is not yet fully fit so may not get the chance to add to his nine Champions League goals this season until late on.

United still have hope
On Wednesday, Manchester United FC face reigning champions Real Madrid CF at Old Trafford, looking to overcome an intimidating 3-1 deficit from the first leg in Spain. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has not lost hope ahead of the second leg, but has admitted his players face an uphill battle. "Real Madrid can play just as well away from home but obviously at Old Trafford we will play better - there will be more goals yet," Sir Alex said. "We have a very difficult game, but the one ray of hope is the away goal. If we can score first, it will be an interesting night." Madrid's Raúl González, now Fantasy Football's highest-scoring player as well as the Champions League's all-time record goalscorer, is the likeliest man to kill off United's hopes.

Milan injury woe
The fourth quarter-final sees AC Milan welcome AFC Ajax. Milan have lost Andrea Pirlo for up to five weeks with a knee injury, meaning more midfield headaches for coach Carlo Ancelotti who has already lost Clarence Seedorf for the season with a serious knee problem and has Gennaro Gattuso suspended. However Fantasy Football managers will note that Milan are the only team with three players in the Fantasy Football Dream Team at present - Dida, Paolo Maldini and Rui Costa.

Suspended players
The following players are suspended for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals this week:
Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan)
Emre Belozoglu (Internazionale FC)
Gary Neville and Paul Scholes (Manchester United FC)
David Albelda (Valencia CF).

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