1/2 the Final Four - Tuesday edition

By: Nathan | April 10th, 2007

Today is the day 2 teams punch their tickets into the Semi-Finals of the Champions league. Right off the bat if you want to see how the natives are holding up, check the nerves at these Offside sister sites:
Valencia - be sure to check out the South Park line-up.
Italy - we should all take a few moments in these tense times to enjoy the finer things…cheers Martha.
ManU - taking a little time for Georgie……without much reference I can certainly say that goal is amaaaaazing.
Chelsea - in case you didn’t know, they have Jose….
Liverpool - things are so sanguine up North they are taking time to reflect on Smicer…
no PSV representative, but since they are the only team all but out, that’s OK.

On to Tuesdays match-ups..
Roma vs. Manchester United @ Old Trafford - Live on ESPN2 2:30pm ET
First the missing men - No Scholes countered with Darren Fletcher….No Perrotta filled in by Pizzarro, if the subs are any measure ManU is in trouble. The glaring issue for and against ManU in Rome was speed. When Ronaldo and Rooney had the ball attacking they were a handful, even at 10 men. Conversely, the ManU back line was pedestrian at best in holding on the revolving Tridente of Rome. Now add Pizzaro’s passing into the mix and it will be a tall order to hold Rome off the scoreboard. The question remains, can ManU put a minimum 2 goals on the board? I’m not convinced. Not that Mexes is a pillar of stability, but outside the young dynamic duo there aren’t many threats available to Fergie - Ole ain’t cuttin it. Random thought how about Richardson out there for some complementary wheels to Roon and Ron????
Other items of note:
*Totti was held out at the weekend to give his legs some rest. Anyone figured out why UEFA insists on switching matchdays - giving half the teams 8 days off and the others return after 6 days? Crazy…
*Plenty of calls for calm, let’s hope so…I think we all realize the days of travelling fans in Europe is coming to an end, yes? Here is an interesting look at how fans interact with rivals, as broken down by region, err culture.
*Rooney, Ronaldo and professional man love. I tell you what, if Ronaldo decides to bolt for Spain this summer he better leave under the cover of night because WayneR would beat his ass if he left. He has gone out of his way to shower the Portuguese starlet with praise over and over, and I assume it is all in hopes of the 2 teamming up long term at Old Trafford.
*Late news Saha is out…when did he even find time to get hurt?
*Fergie believes Rome is to blame for Portsmouth..so then will Portsmouth be to blame for Rome?

Ahh enough talk already, this game is gonna be great. I am sticking with a return the same as the first. 2-1 Roma

Valencia vs. Chelsea @ Mestalla Stadium - Live on Setanta Sports 2:30pm ET - replay on ESPN Classic @ 5pm ET.
If last round is any gauge of how Valencia plan to play at home, then oh boy. The combo of a 0-0 game and then a post game fight, well not exactly a night of European dreams. This time around in the crazy confines of the Mestalla they need to unleash their inner beast and attack! Last weeks amazing goal by David Silva was about the only assault on Cech throughout the afternoon. Chelsea is coming to score and Flores knows he must as well. David Villa cruised through his trip to London, here’s hoping he flashes his brilliance today. But to me, more than anything…..Essien is back, I think he will be anyway. News and Notes:
*Morientes is back and ready for action.
*Careful what you wish for, Morretti hopes Chelsea comes and attacks today
*Icky Ashley thinks Chelsea can continue where Arsenal failed. Like children, ahsley is better seen and not heard.
*Jose is looking for goals.
For the neutrals let’s hope Valencia can again put one on the board early. It would open up the game tremendously and provide for a great last 45.

At the end of the day Chelsea have too many horses, they have shown they can win on the road, and Valencia just doesn’t seem to have a killer instinct in their style.

Chelsea go through with a 1-0 win at the Mestalla - sticking with Sheva, unless of course the brothers David decide to go world class on Chelsea’s ass!