CL Semi-Final Predictions

Because sometimes a man has to risk looking like an asshole who has no idea what he’s talking about …

The first leg of the Man U vs. Arsenal Semi-Final and the first of three matches in 18 days between the perennial English powerhouses kicks off at Old Trafford on April 29th, with plenty of question marks on both sides.

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola has enjoyed a dream start to his managerial carrer and put Barca in pole position to win La Liga. Chelsea stuttered under Big Phil, but have seen a revival under Guus Hiddink. Fans of these two giants will expect a pair of explosive meetings, kicking off on April 28th at Camp Nou.

Predictions follow, after the break.

Speaking English talks about old news

We talk about the mid-week Champions League fixtures, Wes and Drew talk about the NHL play-offs, and we talk about Formula 1.

Listen at your peril.

CL Quarter-Final Roundup

And then there were four …

The Champion’s League Semi-Final matchups have been set after the Quarters wrapped yesterday. Here’s a quick recap of the round-of-8 action:

Man U (3) – (2) Porto

Following a tense 2-2 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford, which saw Christian Rodriguez and Mariano nick two crucial away goals off of a shambolic Man U defense, the stage was set for an epic showdown at Porto’s Estadio Dragao. Unfortunately, the anticipated tension failed to materialize as Ronaldo’s stunning 35-yard strike on 6 minutes and the forced withdrawal of Porto’s star midfielder Lucho Gonzalez after half an hour combined to kill off the game in its early stages.

Villarreal (1) – (4) Arsenal

A somewhat drab first-leg was punctuated by stellar goals in the form of Marcos Senna’s 30-yard cracker and Emmanuel Adebayor’s stunning, scissored volley. Arsenal’s away goal gave them a slight edge heading into the second leg, but perhaps a greater advantage came in the form of the injuries that ruled both Senna and Ariel Ibagaza out of Villarreal’s squad. Arsenal made the most of their absences, rolling to a convincing 3-0 win at the Emirates. Theo Walcott latched onto a delightful flick from Fabregas and deftly chipped goalkeeper Diego Lopez to open the scoring on 10 minutes. Adebayor extended the lead on the hour-mark and Van Persie slotted home a penalty shortly afterwards to seal the win. The already-booked Villarreal midfielder Sebastian Eguren saw red for his petulant reaction to the penalty, effectively ending the Spanish side’s comeback hopes.