Can English clubs stop Barca?

For the second time running three English clubs have made it to the Champions League semi-finals and the only non-English club in the semis is Barcelona. The Catalans are playing impressive attacking football but we are yet to see if they will be able to pip English result-oriented teams to the Champions League trophy. Barca hammered Bayern in the quarter-finals and that should serve as a warning to Manchester, Chelsea and Arsenal as they will have to be at their very best in order to eliminate Pep Guardiola’s team.

Barcelona have been in outstanding form throughout the season and they have to be considered favourites for the trophy. Pep Guardiola’s team have attracted a lot of attention with their eye-catching performances, while at the same time the results are very impressive. They are closing in on another Primera title, but they face a stiff contest in the strongest European competition. First obstacle on their road to Istanbul is Chelsea, the team that have been revived under Guus Hiddink. You probably remember that Barca were eliminated from Manchester United last season, having failed to score a goal in two games, but Barca are playing much better this season, whereas Chelsea defence are nowhere near as solid as they used to be. I believe that the Catalans will not have big problems against Chelsea as the Blues are not the team they once were, especially in defence.

Manchester United should be able to eliminate Arsenal, although anything is possible in this semi-final clash. If Arsenal were to go through to the final, they will surely stand no chance against Barcelona as in order to eliminate the Spaniards a team need to have a rock-solid defence and a very good midfield to match Xavi, Toure and Iniesta. Liverpool are probably the only team in Europe who meet these requirements but there is no point talking about them as they are already out of the competition. Should Manchester go through, they will definitely be a tough nut to crack for Barca but United’s form seems to be on the downtrend lately and that could be a big problem. Manchester have had a lot of problems this season and I don’t believe that they will be able to match Barca, who are always at their best. Barcelona have failed last season when they were up against three English teams but they are looking much better this season and I believe that they will go all the way.

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