Four Play

If there was any doubt that the best players in the world ply their trade in the English Premiership, surely it has been erased with this year's Champions League semifinals. Three of the four semifinalists are English sides, with AC Milan being the only continental representation. I rebounded nicely to post a 3-1 record in the Quarterfinals, with Valencia over Chelsea being my only miscue, and my second upset special to be dashed after 180 minutes as Michael Essien's strike pulled the Blues ahead at the stroke of full time. The wins put me at 17-11 on the season, with 6 of those losses coming in a bullshit Round of 16. Let's move onto the Semifinals. The pressure is on like it hasn't been before, with a trip to the Olympic Stadium in Athens for the Final the reward.

In one semifinal, Liverpool FC will take on Chelsea FC in a rematch of the 2005 Champions League Semifinal that saw Liverpool through to Istanbul on a controversial goal which may or may not have completely crossed over the line. Liverpool went on to defeat AC Milan in a dramatic Champions League Final.

Liverpool has done everything domestically they can. Currently in third place in the Premiership, they have already clinched a Champions League place for next season, but cannot earn anything more. The "Big-eared trophy" is the last one they can win this season, and the Reds are currently in a run of form that leaves them undefeated in their last 7 matches in all competitions, including their convincing Champions League Quarterfinal dismissal of Dutch Champions PSV Eindhoven.

Chelsea on the other hand is facing the ghosts of history. Among the other semifinalists, the Blues are the only side to have never won the European Cup. Liverpool has won it 5 times. Manchester United twice, and AC Milan 6 times. Despite a stacked roster, Chelsea has not been able to find a path into the Final the past two seasons, but this year could be the year. However, while Liverpool are able to put all their focus into winning in Athens next month, Chelsea is chasing an unprecedented "Quadruple" of trophies this season, and may be distracted by trying to make up ground on Manchester United in the Premiership. Chelsea was held to a 0-0 draw at Newcastle United last weekend, in doing so, blowing a golden chance to catch Man U. Chelsea waits early and scores late, as evident in their nail-biting escape against Valencia in the Quarterfinals. Chelsea's roster reads like a who's who of international football. If you remember hearing a player's name during the World Cup last summer, odds are they will be wearing blue. Ballack, John Terry, Didier Drogba, Andriy Schevchencko, Michael Essien, Peter Cech, Frank Lampard, the list keeps going. Chelsea and Liverpool split their meetings in the Premiership this season. Leg one kicks off midweek at Stamford Bridge in West London.

My pick: Teams drawn 2-2. Chelsea advances on either away goals or penalty kicks. Liverpool may have Athens as their sole focus, but Chelsea has been proving me wrong all competition, and it feels like their year.

The second semi-final pits Manchester United against AC Milan in the semifinals glamour matchup. Leg one kicks off midweek at Old Trafford, with United looking to gain passage to the Final for the first time since 1999. However, this semifinal could not have come at a worse time for United, as the injury bug has bitten the Red Devils and bitten them hard. Kieran Richardson and Rio Ferdinand went down last weekend in an ugly draw to Middlesbrough at home. Gary Neville, Mikael Silvestre, Nemanja Vidic, Park Ji-Sung, and Louis Saha are also out. The team is essentially Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and the rest of the gang. They may also be distracted by fending off Chelsea in the Premiership and FA Cup Final. For United to have a chance, they MUST deny Milan an away goal midweek. Hopefully that will buy them some time so the walking wounded can get back in time for the second leg at the San Siro in 2 weeks.

Milan appears the darkhorse, but is also seeming everyone's trendy pick to win the entire competition! The Rossoneri have survived their early season point deduction and are in third place in the Italian top flight. Quite a far cry from a team that was actually banned from the Champions League at the start of the season. The three times that Milan and United have faced off in the Champions League, Milan has never lost.

My pick: AC Milan 3-2. Man United is a very talented side, and Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the greatest player in the world...if a serial diver. However, it's hard to win when your all-star side is going to be on the bench.