PARIS: Holders Barcelona and 2008 finalists Chelsea will look to set up a Champions League semi-final meeting this week when they face AC Milan and Benfica respectively in their quarter-final second-leg matches.
Barcelona go into their second leg at Camp Nou locked at 0-0 with Milan as they bid to become the first side to retain the trophy since it evolved from the European Cup into its present form for the 1992-93 season.
Chelsea have a 1-0 lead over their Portuguese opponents, who will be seeking to improve on a disappointing display in the first leg.
The other two quarter-finals should see nine-time winners Real Madrid and four-time champions Bayern Munich progress, as they host APOEL and Marseille having won 3-0 and 2-0 away respectively last week.
Barcelona will be looking to dominate Milan in the same manner they did at San Siro, where they were left frustrated both by the pitch and some outstanding defending by the Italian side.
The Catalan giants will be boosted by the return of Cesc Fabregas, who sat out the first leg and the league win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday because of a lower back injury.
“We’ve dealt with it and today (Saturday) he was better,” said Barca coach Pep Guardiola.
“So even though we were forced to leave him out against Bilbao, he will be there on Tuesday.”
Barcelona attacker Pedro Rodriguez said that he and his team-mates needed to be especially vigilant against a Milan side that forced a 2-2 draw in injury time of their group-stage game at Camp Nou earlier this season.
“Milan have some great players and there is no doubt that they will make life difficult for us,” he said.
“Even if we dominate the game, we cannot afford to be complacent because they are capable of scoring at any moment.
“They are a tough team to beat but, with the crowd behind us, we are hoping to put in a good performance and get through to the next round.” — AFPFP