The Quarters are Upon Us

The Champions League has returned quickly and the first batch of Quarter Final matches are tomorrow. The last eight teams are a collection of super-powers featuring the last three champions plus Chelsea and Real Madrid. Although it may seem like the a consolidation of the powerful there will be good matches and interesting storylines. Here is my opinion on what we will see tomorrow: Real Madrid vs. Tottenham Hotspur- Whoever they play Real Madrid will always be a big story and with Jose Mourinho at the helm that is even more true. This particular match-up features the return of Rafael van der Vaart and (surprisingly) Jonathon Woodgate to the place they once called home. If there is a possible "right time" to catch Real Madrid in Europe this may well be it for Spurs. A team loaded with internationals is coming off a FIFA break which may have disrupted their training schedule, they lost their first home game of the season over the weekend to the humble Sporting Gijon, and injuries will keep Benzema out of the game and make Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo game time decisions. That said all signs still point to Real Madrid taking a win in the first leg. They have better players with more experience at this stage, a coach who is safely better than his counterpart, they are playing at home, and most importantly when comparing the strengths and weaknesses of both clubs Madrid come out on top. The Spurs central defense is not very mobile and although I believe Basong and Dawson can probably neutralize the Madrid target man (most likely Higuain) the diversity of options Madrid have in attack will be too much to handle. CR7 and Di Maria will exploit the space created by Higuain. Real Madrid's 4-2-3-1 formation will allow them to defend against Spurs' two biggest strengths: creativity in the attacking midfield and Gareth Bale's run up the flank. The two holding midfielders should be enough of a shield to prevent van der Vaart and the Croats from creating the kind of opportunities they have against most teams. Having two players in there will also permit one to drift out and support Sergio Ramos when Bale comes tearing up the field. Of course Spurs could come in and shock the Bernabeu but looking at tomorrow's game I see a 2-0 win for los blancos. Inter Milan vs. Schalke 04- In some ways this looks like a huge mismatch, the defending champion against a team mired in the middle of the German table. But given how much turmoil both of these teams have gone through this season maybe that doesn't matter. I will admit I've only seen Schalke play a handful of times and don't have a great grasp of their identity. With a coach who has only been in charge for a week and a half I would venture to say not many people know what we will see when the Germans take the field at the San Siro tomorrow. To this point they have been a modest team that works hard in the midfield and has some individuals up front who can make magic. Raul and Jefferson Farfan can change a game in an instant. Inter are coming of a derby loss but made clear in the last round that they have championship pedigree requisite for big moments on the big stage. Diego Milito looks to be a last minute decision and I suspect he will start on the bench. With Pazzini cup-tied this is likely to leave Eto'o with a lot to shoulder up front. I think this will result in Schalke being comfortable in sitting back and making Inter take the game to them. At first glance that might look promising for the visitors, but if it plays out that way Inter have a lot of weapons in the midfield that can be dangerous if they are given space to come forward. Sneijder is well known for his attacking abilities but he will not be alone. I think Inter will win a not-too-exciting first leg 1-0.