Inter Milan (Internazionale) recently claimed the Italian League Title and were favoured by most of the correspondents to walk away with this game. On the other hand, their opponents were FC Bayern Munich, who recently claimed the title in the German Bundesliga, and are among the most decorated teams in all of Europe. To add to the tension, both teams were set to win the “treble” in their respective leagues. It’s a very rare thing, and whichever team pulled off the victory would be setting the precedent very high for their leagues, and for European Football in general.

The first half of the game got off to a wonderful start with both sides holding nothing back, and going for the victory from the moment the ball was put into play. There were a couple of good chances for both sides early in the game, but it took until the 35th minute for Inter’s Diego Milito to step past Bayern Defender Holger Badstuber to put the ball in the back of the net and to give Inter Milan the opening goal. Bayern, although they had dominated possession for most of the first half, had given the lead to Inter Milan, and the score would remain 1-0 going into the first half.

As the second half began, tension was even higher. Bayern has had a knack for pulling out a victory in the last few moments of the game throughout the Champions League Season, so even being down at the half didn’t mean that all hope was lost. In the first two minutes of the second half, the victory looked to be a tough fight for either side as Bayern nearly equalized the game from the opening kick-off, and Inter came back down the field and almost made it 2-0. Due to excellent saves from both Goalkeepers, the game remained at 1-0 in favour of Inter Milan.

Which way would this game end up? It was still far too early to tell at this point. It was a battle for possession with both teams having opportunities that weren’t converted. In the 53rd Minute, it looked as if it would change as Inter’s Goran Pandev was fouled, and Inter was awarded a Free Kick from a great spot. The kick soared well over the crossbar and the game was still 1-0.

The 63rd Minute saw Bayern substitute Hamit Altintop for Miroslav Klose, and immediately, they had an incredible shot at goal. It was kept out by an excellent Inter Back-field, and the game was still 1-0, with less than a half an hour to play. Inter’s Goalkeeper Julio Cesar proved his worth once again just a few moments later as he knocked away one of Arjen Robben’s infamous long-shots. Bayern Munich continued to pour on the pressure as they were looking to equalize. The 68th Minute saw Inter bring in Dejan Stankovic for Cristian Chivu to try and stop the momentum. No matter the pressure that kept coming, Bayern couldn’t get the ball past the Inter backfield, and they gave up a second crushing goal to Diego Milito in the 70th to see Inter Milan go up 2-0. Things were starting to go their way and it looked as if Inter would be the team to claim the treble. Still, with twenty minutes to play, there was plenty of time for Bayern to pull of one of their trademark miracles.

Ivica Olic was replaced by Mario Gomez in the 73rd for Bayern, and he showed his influence early getting into the box almost immediately. Yet again, Inter’s back line cleared it out. Bayern continued to push forward hoping for a last miracle, but it just didn’t happen.

Though the statistics would say that this was all Bayern’s game with a sheer dominance of possession and more shots on goal, it simply proved to not be their day. Inter Milan walked out of Madrid claiming the Treble, and earned the title of the Best Club in Europe, claiming their first European Cup since the 1964-65 Season.

Qualifying has already happened for the next UEFA Champions League Season, and maybe next year will be Bayern’s year. Without the first match even being played, there is no way of saying who will be next year’s European Champion. Regardless, it will be another incredibly entertaining season..

This Wrap-Up will be different than the rest of the Wrap-Ups that we have had this season, and that is because there is so much to say this week. We won’t break down the games as per usual, but we will be relaying A LOT of information.

Bundesliga Champions: FC Bayern München
Bayern has been on an end-of-season run that is nearly unprecedented in German Football. Not only did they defeat Hertha BSC in the Final Week to claim their 22nd Bundesliga Title, they are still in the running to pull off an unheard of Treble. They will be playing Werder Bremen in the DFB Pokal (German Cup) Final on May 15th, and then playing against Inter Milan in the Champions League FInal on May 22nd. They have a couple of very tough finals coming up, but they are looking to be the team that can pull it off.

Relegated: VfL Bochum 1848, Hertha Berlin
VfL Bochum 1848 – they have had a very rough season. After finishing in 14th at the end of last season, people didn’t expect too much from them this year. Although they have been a constant fixture in the Top Tier of German Football, they simply couldn’t pull it together this year and were relegated to the Second Tier.

Year End Result:
28 Points including 6 Wins, 18 Losses, and 10 Draws.

Prediction:
VfL Bochum has bounced back and forth between the first and second divisions for many years. Once they hit their stride, they will be back in the top tier for many consecutive years.

Other News: Coach Heiko Herrlich was terminated on April 29th. Having only been coach since late October of 2009, his goal was to get the team out of the relegation zone. The team made a consistent streak, but it was a winless streak of 11 games to end the season.

Hertha BSC (Berlin) - Hertha kept a firm grip on last place for the entire season, and it would have been a miracle if they somehow could have avoided relegation. Playing FC Bayern München for the final game of the season, many of the fans, and the team members had already packed their bags for the move to the Second Division. Losing by a score of 3-1 only sealed the fate that many have seen coming the entire season.

Year End Result:
24 Points including 5 Wins, 20 Losses, and 9 Draws

Prediction:
This is a hard one to make. Hertha BSC has been a strong team in the past, and they had a relatively decent squad this year. They just couldn’t seem to pull victories together. They continue to have strong fan support, and depending on what happens over the Summer, the Club could come right back up. This is the 5th time the team has been relegated from the Top Tier.

Other News: Coach Friedhelm Funkel has been let go as the Coach. The Former Eintracht Frankfurt Coach took over in October of 2009, but couldn’t do anything to keep the team from being relegated.

Relegation Play-Off: FC Nürnberg will face Second-Division Team FC Augsburg to see who will take the final remaining spot in 1. Bundesliga. The Play-off will be a two-leg setup with the first game taking place on May 13th, and the second match to follow close after on May 16th.

The new play-off system has the team finishing in 16th Place in 1. Bundesliga facing off against the team finishing 3rd Place in 2. Bundesliga. Nürnberg took advantage of this play-off system to win promotion to the 1. Bundesliga just a year ago and Augsburg are looking to follow suit.

All the Scores from the Final Week:
Hertha BSC 1 – 3 FC Bayern München
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 1 – 1 VfB Stuttgart
Werder Bremen 1 – 1 Hamburger SV
SC Freiburg 3 – 1 Borussia Dortmund
FSV Mainz 05 0 – 0 FC Schalke 04
Borussia Monchengladbach 1 – 1 Bayer 04 Leverkusen
VfL Bochum 0 – 3 Hannover 96
FC Nürnberg 1 – 0 FC Köln
VfL Wolfsburg 3 – 1 Eintracht Frankfurt

Final Standings:
1. FC Bayern München – 70 Points (Bundesliga Champions)
2. FC Schalke 04 – 65 Points
3. Werder Bremen – 61 Points
4. Bayer 04 Leverkusen – 59 Points
5. Borussia Dortmund – 57 Points
6. VfB Stuttgart – 55 Points
7. Hamburger SV – 52 Points
8. VfL Wolfsburg – 50 Points
9. FSV Mainz 05 – 47 Points
10. Eintracht Frankfurt – 46 Points
11. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim – 42 Points
12. Borussia Monchengladbach – 39 Points
13. FC Köln – 38 Points
14. SC Freiburg – 35 Points
15. Hannover 96 – 33 Points
16. FC Nürnberg – 31 Points (Relegation Play-off)
17. VfL Bochum 1848 – 28 Points (Relegated)
18. Hertha BSC – 24 Points (Relegated)

Top Scorers:
1. Edin Dzeko (VfL Wolfsburg) – 22 Goals, 7 Assists
2. Stefan Kießling (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) – 21 Goals, 5 Assists
3. Lucas Barrios (Borussia Dortmund) – 19 Goals, 4 Assists
4. Kevin Kuranyi (FC Schalke 04) – 18 Goals, 7 Assists
5. Arjen Robben (FC Bayern München) – 16 Goals, 7 Assists
5. Claudio Pizzaro (Werder Bremen) – 16 Goals, 3 Assists

Player of the Season: Arjen Robben

And that will suit the club just fine.

Lyon was supposed to struggle to get out of a group that included Liverpool and Fiorentina, but did so with relative ease. Real Madrid was going to brush the French aside in the round of 16, but Lyon got through after two terrific performances. Standing in its way next was Bordeaux, defending Ligue 1 champion and the stingiest defensive team in the Champions League.

Lyon scored three goals at home in the first leg, and defended well enough in the return to make the semifinals.

The opponent is Bayern Munich, a team in great form. Bayern hammered Hannover, 7-0, over the weekend to retain its lead atop the Bundesliga. Arjen Robben – scorer of two terrific goals to knock out Fiorentina and Manchester United in the last two rounds – continued his marvelous recent run with a hat trick, and Franck Ribery was rested in the second half to be fresh for Lyon’s visit.

Lyon, meanwhile, played Bordeaux to a 2-2 draw in the teams’ third meeting in 19 days, and then bussed it back home after the game. Because of the continued inability to fly due to the volcano eruption in Iceland, Lyon hit the road again on its way to Munich, with a stopover in Stuttgart along the way.

As for on the field matters, central defenders Jean-Alain Boumsong and Mathieu Bodmer are both out with injury, leaving midfielder Jeremy Toulalan as the likely partner for Cris in the middle of Lyon’s back line. On top of that, forward Lisandro Lopez – who had two of those goals in the quarterfinal first leg against Bordeaux – is doubtful with an ankle injury.

Even taking all of this into account, it would be foolish to dismiss Lyon’s chances to progress to its first ever final in Europe’s top club competition.

Even without Lisandro, Lyon has the weapons up front to attack a Bayern defense that has looked shaky plenty of times this season. Bafetimbi Gomis isn’t always the most convincing striker, but Michel Bastos and Cesar Delgado have played well, and Ederson is finding some form, having scored against Bordeaux Saturday.

Lyon’s 4-2-3-1 set-up has the flexibility to attack Bayern’s back line in a variety of ways. And it’s a back four that won’t be at full strength due to fullback Holgder Badstuber’s suspension, with Diego Contento the likely replacement. Bayern’s bigger loss, though, is that of Mark von Bommel in central midfielder, leaving Louis van Gaal without his trusted enforcer in the middle of the pitch.

The biggest challenge for Lyon will how its fullbacks, Aly Cissokho on the left and Anthony Reveillere on the right, deal with Robben and Ribery, respectively. Robben’s menace on the wing will likely have the added effect of limiting Cissokho’s ability to join the attack.

In the middle, Ivica Olic is the kind of striker that can ask questions of a makeshift defense. Olic scored two huge goals in the quarterfinals against Manchester, both by hustling and harrying United into turnovers in its own box.

Hugo Lloris, one of the hottest keepers in Europe, will need to be on his game again.

All things considered, this one is a tough call. On the surface, Bayern should probably win. But Lyon has overcome bigger challenges than this.

FC Schalke 04 1 – 2 FC Bayern München

Since Bayer Leverkusen began to fall apart a few weeks ago, there has been nothing more entertaining than the battle between Schalke and Bayern to keep control of the top spot in the league. With them going head to head in the 29th week, things could only heat up from there.

This match got off to a relatively slow start as both teams were feeling each other out, and both teams had their eyes set on the top position. Ten minutes gone, and it already seemed a different match. Schalke started putting the pressure on and giving Bayern a few frightening moments. The 22nd minute brought an injury to Bayern Defender Daniel van Buyten that saw him subbed out with Martin Demichelis.

It all changed just a few minutes later though when Bayern made a run against play and scored two goals in 2 minutes to give them a commanding 2-0 lead. The 25th minute saw Franck Ribery convert a shot past Schalke’s Manuel Neuer. Then, in the 26th, last week’s Champions League hero Ivica Olic found himself with plenty of time and space in front of goal, but passed it off to unmarked Thomas Müller, who tapped the ball in.

The home side wasn’t willing to call in a game though, and it took just 5 minutes for Kevin Kuranyi, who is looking to improve his World Cup Odds, to put one past Bayern Goalkeeper Butt to bring Schalke back within one. Things seemed to be swinging back in Schalke’s favour as Hamit Altintop was red carded just before half to bring Bayern down to ten men.

The second half seemed to be all about Bayern defending their slim lead, and they did so very effectively. Schalke did have a chance to equalize in the 52nd, but Ivan Rakitic shot it high and wide. It was their best, and perhaps only real chance in the second half to bring the game level.

The frustration was starting to show, and Schalke was able to bring one thing level – they were knocked down to ten men as well as Marcelo Bordon was given his Red Card just in to injury time for he committed a poor challenge and saw his second yellow of the match.

The match was a hard-fought victory for Bayern, and Schalke did everything they could to stay in the match, but it just wasn’t in the cards for them this week. I guess it was in some cars, but that as the 6 Yellows and 2 Reds.

The run-up for both teams could be very interesting as they both have a relatively light schedule going into the final week. The one thing that could decide who finally claims top prize this season is the fact the Bayern does have more Champions League games left. This will be an exciting end to an exciting season.

Attendance: 61,673

FC Köln 0 – 3 Hertha BSC

In another match from the weekend that couldn’t be missed, there was a battle at the bottom of the table. It wasn’t too long ago that it looked for certain that Hertha would be relegated. The past few weeks have given them a hope of remaining in 1. Bundesliga, and this match could improve their chances even more.

Hertha has been riding the bottom spot the entire season, and FC Köln has been wavering just a few points outside of the relegation zone. This match was bound to ruin someone’s day.

FC Köln welcomed the Berlin squad into the RheinEnergieStadion and Hertha came in with only one thing on their mind and that was to claim all three points. Although Hertha seemed to dominate from the start, neither side was able to convert a goal. The first real chance for the home side came in the 19th minute when Milivoje Novakovic tripped over the ball and allowed for Hertha’s Steve von Bergen clear it away for a corner kick.

Hertha had substitute Goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny between the posts for this match, and he was put to the test throughout the first half.

The breakthrough came in the 25th minute whe a shot from Hertha’s Adrian Ramos was deflected right in to the path of Raffael who shot a screamer past Köln Goalkeeper Mondragon. Just two minutes later, it looked as though the home side would equalize with a corner kick found it’s way in to an unmarked Novakovic, but his header went off the crossbar and Hertha was able to maintain the lead.

In the 43rd, Köln had yet another chance to equalize when Zoran Tosic stepped up to take a free kick. It was a perfectly placed free kick that cleared the wall and forced the Hertha Goalkeeper to make a flying save. After that, it was all Hertha.

Just before the whistle calling an end to the first half, Raffael produced his second goal from four yards out to give Hertha a 2-0 halftime lead.

Köln refused to give up though and their next best chance came in the 63rd with a header from Kevin McKenna went wide of the post. The frustration began to show through when the cards started flying and Köln saw themselves down to ten men when Youssef Mohammad was shown a straight red in the 73rd. It took Hertha just two minutes to capitalize on the man-advantage and the victory was assured for Hertha in the 75th when Cicero used the resulting free kick to give Hertha a 3-0 lead.

Köln saw themselves reduced to 9 men in the 87th minute as Zoran Tosic was issued two yellow cards in just 45 seconds to see a red card ending to the match.

FC Köln have not won at home in their last 6 outings, and in turn have claimed just one victory in their last six games. Hertha, on the other hand, have picked up two victories and a draw in their last three matches to give them almost as many points as they had acquired throughout the season. This brings them up to 22 points, and within striking distance of Hannover 96 and SC Freiburg as they fight to avoid relegation.

Attendance: 46,300

All of the Week 29 Scores:
FC Schalke 04 1 – 2 FC Bayern München
Eintracht Frankfurt 3 – 2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Borussia Dortmund 2 – 1 Werder Bremen
SC Freiburg 1 – 1 VfL Bochum
VfB Stuttgart 2 – 1 Borussia M’gladbach
FC Nürnberg 2 – 0 FSV Mainz 05
FC Köln 0 – 3 Hertha BSC
VfL Wolfsburg 4 – 0 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Hamburger SV 0 – 0 Hannover 96

In Other News:

*FC Bayern München reached the semi-final of the Champions League thanks to the away goals rule versus Manchester United.
*Hamburger SV takes on Standard Liege in the Second Leg of a Quarter-final Match in the Europa League on Thursday
*VfL Wolfsburg takes on Fulham in the Second Leg of a Quarter-final Match in the Europa League on Thursday
*Hamburger SV forward Jose Paolo Guerrero will not be seen for the rest of the season. He has been suspended for five matches after reportedly throwing a bottle at a fan after their draw with Hannover 96 this past weekend.

Updated table:
1. FC Bayern München – 59 Points
2. FC Schalke 04 – 58 Points
3. Bayer 04 Leverkusen – 53 Points
4. Borussia Dortmund – 52 Points
5. Werder Bremen – 48 Points
6. Hamburger SV – 45 Points
7. VfB Stuttgart – 44 Points (+6 Goal Difference)
8. Eintracht Frankfurt – 44 Points (-2 Goal Difference)
9. VfL Wolfsburg – 43 Points
10. FSV Mainz 05 – 38 Points
11. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim – 34 Points (-1 Goal Difference)
12. Borussia M’gladbach – 34 Points (-12 Goal Difference)
13. FC Köln – 31 Points
14. FC Nürnberg – 28 Points
15. VfL Bochum – 28 Points
16. SC Freiburg – 25 Points
17. Hannover 96 – 24 Points
18. Hertha BSC – 22 Points

*Goal Difference has only been added to teams that are equal on League Points.

Of course, only four can. But the dream remains alive in eight cities across Europe; below, we take a look at how those dreams can become reality. We’ll start with the two games to be played Tuesday, followed by Wednesday’s matches (first leg results in parentheses).

Barcelona vs. Arsenal (2-2)

Why Barcelona can advance
The match is at the Camp Nou, where only two teams – Sevilla in the Copa del Rey and Rubin Kazan in the Champions League – have come away victorious in 22 competitive matches this season. No team has kept a clean sheet in any of those games, meaning Arsenal will likely have to score at least twice to advance.

The injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic gives manager Pep Guardiola more diverse tactical options. Whether Thierry Henry to Bojan Krkic – scorer of two goals in Saturday’s 4-1 league win over Athletic Bilbao – take Ibrahimovic’s spot in the starting XI, expect Lionel Messi to play a more central role in Barcelona’s attack. There, he can use his speed to take on Thomas Vermaelen and likely central defense partner Sol Campbell, or draw those defenders away from goal to open up space for teammates.

Barcelona wins by dominating possession in midfield, and with Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song out injured for Arsenal, the Catalans’ advantage in that area of the pitch becomes that much more apparent. With the playmaking ability of Xavi and ball-winning ability of Sergio Busquets, Barca’s midfield unit has to be considered the better of the two, and Andres Iniesta returned to training for the first time in 10 days Monday.

Eric Abidal’s return at left back – he played the full 90 minutes there against Athletic – is a marked improvement from Maxwell to cope with Arsenal’s pace on the flanks.

Why Arsenal can advance
The Gunners have to figure they will get their share of chances against a depleted Barcelona defense. With Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique both suspended for the match, Gabi Milito figures to be joined by either Rafael Marquez or Yaya Toure in central defense. Nicklas Bendtner, with his combination of power and pace, is exactly the kind of striker that can give that back line problems.

Samir Nasri is a player very much in form for Arsenal, and his presence can neutralize the attacking potency of Barcelona’s fullbacks. Maxwell and Dani Alves were given free reign to go forward at will in the first leg, and Arsenal manager Arsene Wagner will no doubt make a tactical adjustment to avoid a repeat of that.

While Arsenal is also shorthanded, it has quality to call on form its reinforcements. The players most likely to fill holes created by injury – Campbell, Denilson, Tomas Rosicky, Emmanuel Eboue – are good players that have played in big matches before.

Beyond tactics and personnel, Arsenal has had that “team of destiny” feel to it lately. It fought back from a two-goal deficit in the first leg after all had seemed lost, and a Bendtner goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 win over a spirited Wolverhampton side Saturday in injury time to keep the club’s Premier League aspirations alive.

CSKA Moscow vs. Inter Milan (Inter leads, 1-0)

Why CSKA can advance
The Russians will certainly feel it within their grasp to overcome a one-goal deficit on their home pitch after a decent showing at the San Siro last Wednesday. Keeper Igor Akinfeev had a great game and the CSKA defense may not be facing a complete Inter attack, as Wesley Sneijder will be a game-time decision after injuring his ankle in Monday’s training session.

Sneijder is the catalyst for Inter and his injury could be a break for a CSKA side that likely needs to keep a clean sheet to have a chance of advancing.

Leonid Slutsky’s side has been in tougher spots than this in this year’s Champions League. It won 2-1 at Besiktas on the final day of group stage play to advance, and then went to Sevilla and took a 2-1 victory to get to the quarterfinals. This time, CSKA has its opponent at home on the turf pitch at Luzhniki Stadium.

Why Inter can advance
Manager Jose Mourinho knows a goal in Moscow will almost certainly be enough to guarantee passage to the semifinals. With or without Sneijder, there is enough talent in the side to get that goal.

Inter have the momentum of Saturday’s 3-0 Serie A win over Bologna to halt what had been a slump in form domestically. Mario Balotelli scored the second of those goals, and the young Italian offers another weapon off the bench should Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito or Goran Pandev be found lacking Tuesday.

Of course, if Inter doesn’t concede a goal, it won’t matter whether they score one. Mourinho’s side will come to defend every bit as much as it will to attack, and it will do so against a depleted CSKA team, as midfielders Milos Krasic and Evgeni Aldonin are suspended after picking up yellow cards in the first leg.

Girondins Bordeaux vs. Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon leads, 3-1)

Why Bordeaux can advance
To take nothing away from Lyon, all three of its goals in the first leg stemmed from defensive errors by Bordeaux, and Laurent Blanc will be confident that won’t repeat itself. And with Lisandro Lopez – scorer of two of those three goals – suspended for the match, there will be less for the Bordeaux back line to contend with.

Bordeaux isn’t known for its attacking, which it will have to do to overcome a two-goal deficit. But Marouane Chamakh is a constant threat, as he showed in the first leg, scoring a goal and bringing two great saves out of Lyon keeper Hugo Lloris. With Yoann Gourcuff pulling the strings in the middle of the pitch and the dangerous Wendel and Yoann Gouffran on the flanks, there is enough ability to score goals.

Bordeaux will also welcome back midfielder Alou Diarra after he missed the first leg through suspension.

Why Lyon can advance
Quite simply, these are two teams going in two different directions. Lyon is one of the hottest teams in Europe, stemming from its upset of Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 to Saturday’s 2-1 win at Stade Rennes to vault itself to the top of the Ligue 1 table. Lyon has lost just one of its last 13 matches in all competitions.

Bordeaux, meanwhile, has won just twice in its last eight games, including Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to AS Nancy Lorraine.

Lopez may be out of the reckoning for Claude Puel, but Michel Bastos is capable of picking up the slack, having scored six goals in his last six appearances (including Lyon’s second in the first leg win). Lyon also saw the return of central defender Jean-Alain Boumsong Saturday.

Lyon has gotten the results it has needed throughout the competition, with Puel proving to be a shrewd tactician who can conjure up a winning game plan against a variety of opponents. Considering his familiarity with Bordeaux, Lyon supporters will believe he can do it again.

Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich (Bayern leads, 2-1)

Why United can advance
Old Trafford provides one of the biggest homefield advantages in Europe, and a less than fully fit Bayern will have to overcome that to hold onto its slim, albeit deserved, first leg advantage. United isn’t exactly a picture of good health at the moment, either, but the club has thrived on situations like this before.

Whether Wayne Rooney plays or not – United’s medical staff said Monday he has a “40 percent” chance of returning for Wednesday’s match – Sir Alex Ferguson will have faith in his players to score. Antonio Valencia, Saturday’s game against Chelsea notwithstanding, is having a fine season. Nani will be fresh after starting the Chelsea match on the bench, and Dimitar Berbatov is due to score a meaningful goal at some point (isn’t he?).

Bayern has questions of its own in defense, with Daniel van Buyten coming off after just 22 minutes of Saturday’s big 2-1 win at Schalke with a knee injury. And with the unpredictable Martin Demichelis in the running, anything is possible.

And on top of all that, United will have something to prove after its loss at home to Chelsea Saturday.

Why Bayern can advance
The fact that Rooney is being discussed at all as an option for Wednesday can be taken one of two ways. It could be a morale boost for a team that probably needs one. Or, it shows just how desperate the team has become. And even if Rooney does play just one week after an ankle injury that was supposed to keep him out for three, how much can he realistically give them?

One man that is returning with a slightly cleaner bill of health is Arjen Robben, who didn’t factor in Bayern’s 2-1 first leg victory. Louis van Gaal will also have Bastian Schweinsteiger at his disposal after the was suspended for last week’s match. That gives Bayern two more weapons against United defense that has looked slow, sloppy and disorganized lately.

Bayern is also very much the team on form after the weekend’s domestic results. Both teams played matches involving the top two teams in their respective leagues; United lost at home, Bayern won on the road. If that’s anything to go by, the Germans have the momentum to go into Manchester and get the draw they need to move on in the competition.

Both Manchester United and Arsenal lost pivotal players to injury this week during their Champions League quarterfinal clashes.

Wayne Rooney crutched his way out of the Allianz Arena after United’s 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday. The England star twisted his ankle at the end of the match and had to be helped off the pitch by United’s medical staff. He later left the stadium with a protective boot on his foot.

The big fear was that he broke his ankle, but worry not, England supporters – a scan revealed that there was no fracture. But there was “minor ligament damage” according to the club, which will keep Rooney out for a few weeks.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed during a Friday press conference that Rooney will be sidelined for two to three weeks – adding that “the nation can stop praying!” Rooney is ruled out of the six-pointer against Chelsea this weekend, as well as United’s following few fixtures, including the second leg against Bayern Munich next week. With Rooney on the sidelines, Sir Alex Ferguson will be looking to Dimitar Berbatov and possibly 18-year-old Federico Macheda to provide the fireworks up front, though filling Rooney’s shoes is no easy task.

Arsenal had even worse news after their enthralling showdown with defending champs Barcelona. Captain Cesc Fabregas suffered a cracked fibula in his right leg and will now be out for around six weeks. The injury came when he was fouled by Barcelona captain Carles Puyol late in the match, which resulted in a penalty for Arsenal and a red card for Puyol. Fabregas kept his nerve and scored the penalty to level the tie at 2-2, but he was visibly struggling to run and walk afterward.

Fabregas is now essentially ruled out for the rest of the Premier League season, and he faces a fight to get fit in time to make Spain’s provisional World Cup squad, which will be announced by May 12th.

Despite Arsenal’s heroic comeback from 2-0 down, their squad took some big hits that will really stretch manager Arsene Wenger’s resources for the remainder of the season.

Adding to the loss of Fabregas, Andrei Arshavin and William Gallas suffered calf strains during the match, and both players are expected to be out for about three weeks. Defender Gael Clichy picked up a back injury and midfielder Denilson is struggling with a groin problem, so they could potentially be out for a week or so as well. Tackle on the already injured Aaron Ramsey, and Arsenal have a huge chunk of talent on the treatment table (sorry Arsenal fans, this is no April Fools’ joke). Wenger probably summed it up the best on the club website: “At the moment, we are like an army who have come back from a big battle.”

The Gunners are still very much in the title race, though, sitting in third place with a showdown between the top two coming this weekend. Injuries could yet again derail their season, but with Wayne Rooney facing a spell on the sidelines for United and Chelsea facing their own fitness problems, the title race could come down to whichever squad can get healthy.

Not all score draws, however, are created equally.

If a team can carry momentum from one leg of a European tie to the second, Arsenal will have it after battling back from 2-0 second half deficit for the 2-2 result.

How Barcelona didn’t score in the first half remains a mystery, as only Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia and some occasionally poor finishing kept the Catalans off the board in the first 45 minutes. Barcelona made up for it in the first 15 minutes of the second half with two un-Barca like goals – long balls up the center of the pitch to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who lobbed Almunia for the first and fired a rocket past him for the second.

With Ibrahimovic seemingly redeemed – he probably should have scored at least twice in the first half, too – Barcelona was cruising to victory.

And then Theo Walcott came on.

Maxwell, Barcelona’s left back, had been playing a terrific game in the first hour, providing width to his team’s attack and getting in some dangerous crosses. But when forced to defend against Walcott’s pace, the Brazilian left plenty to be desired, as he was left in the dust on Walcott’s goal in the 69th minute.

Barcelona seemed nervy after that goal, and Arsenal made them play when Cesc Fabregas drew a penalty – and red card – from Carles Puyol. Fabregas converted it, breaking his fibula in the process. The Gunners’ skipper is out for the rest of the season, but not before leading his team to an inspired comeback at the Emirates.

Both clubs have some personnel issues to sort out for Tuesday’s second leg at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona is without its two center backs, Puyol and Pique, with the latter picking up a yellow card Wednesday night that earned him a suspension. Gabi Milito, who put in a good display at Mallorca last weekend, is sure to take one of those spots. Does Pep Guardiola give the start to Rafa Marquez, who has had so many uneven performances this season? The only other option is Toure Yaya, who played well there against Chelsea and Manchester United in last season’s semifinal second leg and final, respectively.

Guardiola will also hope to have Andres Iniesta and Eric Abidal fit, with the latter needed to try and contain Walcott, if Arsene Wenger goes that route to replace the injured Andrei Arshavin.

And that’s not the only decision Wenger has to make, either. William Gallas went down 40 minutes in Wednesday with a calf injury that has dogged him the last couple months, and appears likely to keep him out the rest of this season. Will Wenger go with Alex Song – depleting his midfield in the process – or the veteran, Sol Campbell?

Samir Nasri – who was excellent Wednesday – could drop back into Fabregas’ spot in midfield, or Tomas Rosicky could get the call. And does Walcott start in Barcelona, or is he saved as an impact sub?

There are so many questions, and a cracking game surely to come. Tuesday could not come fast enough.

A few thoughts on the other matches
Inter Milan 1-0 CSKA Moscow – This was a typical Jose Mourinho European performance – play well enough to win, keep a clean sheet at home, put yourself in a position where one goal on the road gets you into the next round.

Diego Milito finally broke through for Inter in the 65th minute, but Igor Akinfeev otherwise kept the nerazzauri at bay with several fine saves. CSKA had a few decent chances in the second half, but never put Julio Cesar under any real duress.

A draw would have made things interesting heading into Tuesday’s second leg in Moscow, but you have to figure Inter as the favorites to get through to the semifinals.

Lyon 3-1 Bordeaux – Surprisingly, this was one of the more entertaining matches of the entire tournament.

The first half resembled a Premier League-type match – up, down, up, down, at a frantic pace. A couple uncharacteristic mistakes in the Bordeaux end gave Lyon a 2-1 halftime lead, and Lisandro Lopez added to that with a penalty in the second half.

Bordeaux has a task at hand in Wednesday’s match at home, but it will be confident for two reasons: 1) its defending can’t possibly be worse, and 2) Lopez is suspended after picking up a yellow card late in the game. He and his Bordeaux counterpart, Marouane Chamakh, were both terrific in Tuesday’s first leg. Chamakh could be the difference for Bordeaux, who will also have Alou Diarra returning from suspension to help solidify the middle of the pitch.

Bayern Munich 2-1 Manchester United – United’s European philosophy of conceding one fewer, rather than scoring one more, came back to haunt the team Tuesday.

Wayne Rooney scored less than two minutes in, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s men became complacent as the match wore on, and Bayern eventually took advantage. Franck Ribery’s free kick deflected off Rooney was a bit of a fluke, but a deserved goal, given how the Germans had dominated the prior 20 minutes. And full credit to Ivica Olic, pouncing on some lazy ball control in the United box by Patrice Evra and putting a good finish past Edwin van der Sar, giving Bayern a vital advantage going into Wednesday’s second leg at Old Trafford.

United will be without Rooney, but there’s more than enough quality in the squad to find a way to score. The question is, will United’s defense shape up against an attack that figures to see the return of Arjen Robben. A good place for Ferguson to start would be to bench Gary Neville, whom Ribery simply owned for 90 minutes.

Bayern will go to Manchester believing it can nick a goal and get to the semifinals.

The return legs are April 6.

Below is a preview of the action, starting with the match in Germany.

Bayern Munich-Manchester United (Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. EST)

A lot of talk surrounding these matches concerns personnel and tactics, and the match in Munich today is no different.

Winger Arjen Robben – the catalyst behind Bayern’s turnaround this season – is likely out today with a calf injury picked up in the weekend’s 2-1 home loss to Stuttgart. It’s a tough blow for manager Louis Van Gaal, who, with Franck Ribery getting back to fitness with two substitute appearances in the last two matches, was hoping to have both of his biggest stars available to get at United down the wings.

Van Gaal started Danijel Pranjic and Thomas Muller, a natural striker, on the flanks against Stuttgart. Ribery is likely to take one of their places, with Ivica Olic and Miroslav Klose getting the nod up front. United will hope to keep Ribery out of the game to help nullify a Bayern attack that is also without the suspended Bastian Schweinsteiger, the Bavarians’ more creative central midfielder alongside the combative Mark Van Bommel.

Bayern may have Martin Demichelis start in central defense, with the Argentine getting a brief cameo against Stuttgart after missing several games with a serious facial injury. Is that enough, though, to stop a United attack that is in fine form?

Sir Alex Ferguson will hope not, particularly with a rested Wayne Rooney ready to lead the line. Rooney wasn’t in the squad for United’s match at Bolton Saturday, and the visitors still came away with a 4-0 win, a testament to the fact that United is not a one-man team. Dimitar Berbatov scored a second half brace to continue his recent run of goals, and Antonio Valencia and Nani have been a lot for opponents to handle on the outside.

Whomever Ferguson opts for in central midfield – Paul Scholes, Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs being the options – will look to provide balance and expose a Bayern defense that has looked leaky at times lately, particularly in its last Champions League match at Fiorentina.

Bayern will need to win this game to have hope of progressing to the semifinals. Without Robben – or even with a less than fit Robben - that looks to be a difficult task.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 1-2 Manchester United

Lyon-Bordeaux (Tuesday)

The scheduling deities were much kinder to Lyon, as its home match Saturday against Grenoble – Ligue 1’s bottom team – allowed manager Claude Puel to rest a few key players ahead of today’s quarterfinal against domestic rival Bordeaux.

Lisandro Lopez and Miralem Pjanic – scorer of the goal that eliminated Real Madrid in the round of 16 – both came off the bench Saturday. Kim Kallstrom and Sidney Govou didn’t play.

Bordeaux, meanwhile, fielded a mostly full-strength squad (minus keeper Cedrid Carrasso) in Saturday’s League Cup final. Marseille won it, 3-1, and now Laurent Blanc has to find a way to get his team over that disappointment.

Bordeaux has shown an ability to grind out results on the road this season, both domestically and in Europe. It won 1-0 at Olympiacos in the round of 16 first leg, thanks to a Bordeaux specialty – a set piece goal, with Michael Ciani scoring off a free kick. Otherwise, the match wasn’t exactly a spectacle, and that’s how Blanc wants to keep it.

Bordeaux won 1-0 at Lyon in December, but Puel’s team is a different one now, with the upset over Madrid in the last round giving it plenty of confidence. In Lopez, Pjanic and Govou, he has the players to unlock a pragmatic Bordeaux, who are without midfield enforcer Alou Diarra, who is suspended for the match.

Lyon is without the injured Jean-Alain Boumsong, leaving Puel to call on Kallstrom, Jeremy Toulalan or Mathieu Bodmer – who started in the back line against Grenoble – to pair up with Cris in central defense.

Lyon will want to make the most of its home match, particularly with four key players – Lopez, Govou, Cris and Pjanic – all one booking away from missing their next European match.

Expect a tense encounter with not a lot of goals in it.

Prediction: Lyon 1-0 Bordeaux

It didn’t disappoint, either, giving fans some interesting match-ups.

The tie drawing the most attention is Barcelona-Arsenal, but the others – Manchester United-Bayern Munich, Lyon-Bordeaux and Inter Milan-CKSA Moscow – offer plenty in their own right.

But we’ll start with Barcelona and Arsenal, a rematch of the 2006 final in Paris. The names are quite different – at most, seven of the 22 starters from the final four years ago will see playing time in these matches. One of them would be doing so for another team – Thierry Henry.

Henry has said ever since transferring to Barca how difficult it would be for him to face his former team. With the Frenchman regaining some of his form over the last two weeks, he figures to play some role in the tie.

The match-up offers two teams that play similar, possession-minded styles, and Arsenal’s ability to continue doing that will go a long way in determining who goes to the semifinals. As Stuttgart showed in the first leg of its round of 16 tie, and as Valencia re-affirmed last weekend, teams that keep the ball and go at Barcelona can cause trouble. Stuttgart led at halftime of that match, and Valencia were a bit unlucky to not be in the same position.

Conversely, will Arsenal be able to handle Barcelona’s pressing game? Most Premier League teams will sit back and soak up the pressure against Arsenal, but Barca stops at nothing to get the ball back when it does lose it. How Arsenal’s back line – which may include Sol Campbell, if William Gallas doesn’t come back from a nagging calf injury – copes with that pressure from Lionel Messi, Pedro, Andres Iniesta, et al, is another major factor.

All told, it figures to be the most exciting tie of the round, with the winner advancing to take on either Inter or CSKA Moscow.

Fixtures: Arsenal-Barcelona, March 31; Barcelona-Arsenal, April 6.

Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich
Predictably, the English press is already saying how easy United have it in this draw.

While avoiding Barcelona, Arsenal and Inter will certainly delight Sir Alex Ferguson, he’ll know he still has a challenge on his hands with Bayern.

Even if towering striker Mario Gomez doesn’t recover from the calf injury suffered March 10 against Fiorentina, the Bavarians boast a very attacking lineup, starting with Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery on the wings. Robben has been at the heart of Bayern’s recent surge to the top of the Bundesliga standings, and scored one of the best goals of the Champions League so far to put his team through against Fiorentina.

Ribery is once again bothered by a persistent ankle injury, but if he’s able to go against United and link up with a strike partnership of Miroslav Klose and Ivica Olic (if Gomez can’t go), there’s plenty to worry about for a United back four that hasn’t always been as tight this season as in years past.

The first leg of the tie is in Germany, and Bayern will probably need to win that match to have a chance of advancing. In order to do that, it will need to find a way to stifle a United attack that is more than just Wayne Rooney (yes, it’s true).

Rooney has been in terrific form lately, and has racked up 32 goals in 36 competitive matches for United this season. He’s scored in every which way this season, but much has been made recently of his aerial prowess to head in goals.

Well, those crosses don’t come out of nowhere. Antonio Valencia has been awfully good lately, and the re-emergence of Nani has given United’s attack some needed width. Even Dimitar Berbatov has looked useful lately.

With Martin Demichelis out, the central defense partnership of Daniel van Buyten and Holger Badstuber will have to do a lot better than it did in the second leg against Fiorentina to keep United within distance.

Fixtures: Bayern-United, March 30; United-Bayern, April 7

Bordeaux vs. Lyon
If nothing else, a French side will qualify for the semifinals of this competition for the first time since Monaco’s run to the final in 2004.

That was the bright side being presented by officials of both clubs after Friday’s draw.

“I’m a little bit disappointed,” Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud told Eurosport. “But we have to take what we take and we just have to get on with it and deal with it. It’s going to be a great night and means there will be a French team in the semi-finals and that’s something for French football to celebrate.”

Said Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas, “We did think it could happen, we were hoping it wouldn’t. Now we have to hope we qualify but we are going to see a French team in the semifinals, and let’s hope we see one in the final.”

In the clubs’ only meeting this season, Bordeaux scored a 1-0 road win at Stade Gerland on Dec. 13. But this is a different Lyon team, one that hasn’t lost in the league since a 2-1 home defeat to Montpellier two days before Christmas. Lyon is fifth in the league, but just two points behind the leaders, Bordeaux.

Lyon wasn’t even supposed to be here after drawing Real Madrid in the round of 16, but two inspired performances earned the club the upset victory. The Lyon teams of recent years may have been better overall, but this could be its best chance for the Champions League semifinals.

Fixtures: Lyon-Bordeaux, March 30; Bordeaux-Lyon, April 7.

Inter Milan vs. CKSA Moscow
The Russians are the party crashers of the tournament. Few would have expected CSKA to get out of a group that included Manchester United and Wolfsburg, much less knock out a Sevilla team that has beaten Barcelona and Real Madrid this season.

Done, and done.

But Inter is no Sevilla or Wolfsburg.

After beating Chelsea in both legs last round, Inter is now the chic pick to advance to the final for two main reasons: Wesley Sneijder’s brilliance on the pitch and Jose Mourinho’s genius off it.

Both were on full display at Stamford Bridge Tuesday. Mourinho surprised many with a 4-3-3 formation, but Sneijder made it work by pulling the strings in the middle, eventually unlocking Chelsea’s defense to find Samuel Eto’o for the tie-clinching goal 12 minutes from time.

In defense, Lucio and Walter Samuel did a number on Didier Drogba (sometimes by questionable means), and Tomas Necid certainly doesn’t come up to Drogba’s level. CSKA is here in part thanks to a pair of long-range goals from midfielders Mark Gonzalez and Keisuke Honda against Sevilla – it may need similar efforts to pull off an even bigger upset.

Fixtures: Inter-CSKA, March 31; CSKA-Inter, April 6

There are two months between the draw and the first legs, and a lot of things can change. What looks like a walk for Team X in December could prove to be a challenge in February, and Team Y’s seemingly tough draw with Team Z can turn out to be simpler than originally thought.

Today’s first legs – Bayern Munich-Fiorentina and Porto-Arsenal – can each fall into one of those categories.

The return matches will be played Tuesday, March 9.

Bayern Munich v. Fiorentina
This figured to be one of the more intriguing, evenly matched ties when the draw was made two months ago.

Bayern was just starting to round into form in the Bundlesliga, and were coming off a dominant 4-1 win at Juventus in group stage play to qualify for the round of 16. Fiorentina was right in the hunt for a top-four spot in Serie A and topped a Champions League group that featured Lyon and Liverpool.

And while this may still prove to be a close encounter – as yesterday’s result in Stade de Gerland shows, anything can happen – Bayern are now unquestionable favorites to advance to the quarterfinals.

Since drawing at home to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen Nov. 22, the Bavarians have won nine league games on the trot to tie Bayer atop the table. And many of those games haven’t been close. Louis van Gaal was drawing criticism earlier in the year for keeping the shackles on his attacking personalities, but any such talk has been quashed, as Bayern have scored 29 goals in those nine matches.

Mario Gomez has largely proven to be worth the near-30 million euros it took to sign him from Stuttgart, scoring 10 goals in 22 Bundesliga matches this season and adding a critical insurance goal in the Juventus win. Surround the towering Gomez with the very much in-form Arjen Robben and a now healthy Franck Ribery, and Bayern boasts one of the finest attacks in Europe.

And that’s before we even get to two more talented forwards in Ivica Olic and Thomas Muller, scorers of seven and six goals, respectively, in the Bundesliga to date.

The attack is supplemented by a strong spine down the middle of the field, with Mark von Bommel making a nuisance of himself in midfield in front of central defenders Daniel van Buyten and Martin Demichelis. The keeper, Hans-Jorg Butt, is in the midst of a very good season that could very well earn him the role of Germany’s No. 1 keeper in South Africa this summer.

So, what can Fiorentina do to combat all of these weapons?

It could start by arresting its recent form. The Viola has slipped to 11th in the Serie A table, having taken just one point from its last five matches. And as if that weren’t bad enough, first-choice defender Alessandro Gamberini is out until May after injuring his shoulder in a 2-0 loss at Sampdoria Saturday.

Fiorentina manager Cesare Prandelli is hoping for a decent result today to help turn things around.

“It’s not the right time to focus on our poor recent results in Serie A,” Prandelli told reporters Tuesday. “I’ve received a lot of positive signals from the players, and, who knows, perhaps the game against Bayern will be the turning point.”

It will be up to center forward Alberto Gilardino to help make this happen. The big man up front has scored nine goals in Serie A this season, but he will be without the service of midfielder Mario Santana, who was also injured early in the Sampdoria match.

Fiorentina is a team in poor form and battling injuries. Bayern is almost fully healthy and playing outstanding football. It doesn’t look good for the Italians.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 3-1 Fiorentina

Porto v. Arsenal
Arsenal was already looking a little ropey for this one based on its recent results in big matches – a 3-1 home loss to Manchester United, a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, and an unconvincing 1-0 home win over Liverpool last Wednesday.

And then came the news earlier this week that forwards Andrei Arshavin and Eduardo, midfielder Alex Song, defender William Gallas and keeper Manuel Almunia are all out for today’s game. Add in striker Robin van Persie – who’s out with a long-term ankle injury – and that’s quite a loss of talent for Arsene Wenger to call on.

There’s still a lot of talent left, as Carlos Vela, Theo Walcott and Denilson could all step in to help fill those holes. But so, too, could Sol Campbell in place of Gallas, which could create some trouble when going up against Porto’s talented striker, Falcao.

Of course, Porto still has to deal with Cesc Fabregas, something that team captain and defender Bruno Alves is more than aware of.

“Fabregas is the most important player in Arsenal’s attacking play,” Alves told UEFA.com. “He organizes the game and we have to be prepared for him.”

Jesualdo Ferreira confirmed Tuesday he will have Raul Meireles available in his midfield in an attempt to control Fabregas. Meireles hasn’t played in a month, but provides the type of presence necessary to go up against Arsenal’s possession game.

Porto has won three and drawn two since the holiday break. The three-time defending Portuguese Liga champion is currently nine points behind Benfica, and may have been looking past its opponent at the weekend, Leioxes. On the road against a team in 15th place (out of 16 teams), Porto was held to a 0-0 draw.

Porto will certainly be up for this one. It’s proven as recently as last year it can hang with England’s best teams, having played Manchester United to a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford in the Champions League quarterfinals first leg (with United going through after a 1-0 win in the return at Portugal).

Expect a result that will leave it all to play for at the Emirates next month.

Prediction: Porto 2-1 Arsenal