PREVIEW: Barcelona and Real aim for Champions League showdown

Barcelona and Real Madrid are close to setting up a classic Champions League semi-final clash, while Manchester United will be looking to build on last week's win at Chelsea in the quarter-final second-leg matches on Tuesday and Wednesday.

   Meanwhile surprise German side Schalke are expected to eliminate holders Inter Milan following their 5-2 win in Italy last week for a meeting with the winners of the all-England battle.

   Barcelona and Real Madrid should progress after handsome wins at home, Barca thrashing Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 and Real trouncing Tottenham Hotspur 4-0.

   With a two-legged semi-final looming, the Spanish giants are heading for four matches against each other within 18 days. Barca visit Real in La Liga on April 16, then the big two face off in the King's Cup final on April 20.

   Barca coach Pep Guardiola is considering leaving out right-back Dani Alves, playmaker Xavi and striker Lionel Messi for Tuesday's trip to Donetsk. However, his options are limited because of injuries to veteran defenders Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal plus young forward Bojan, while Andres Iniesta is suspended.

   Meanwhile Real - for the first time this season - have no injury worries, now that Kaka, Karim Benzema, Marcelo, Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo have all recovered fitness.

   Although coach Jose Mourinho may rest several regulars, one man likely to start at White Hart Lane on Wednesday is Kaka, who proved his fitness on Saturday by converting two penalties in a 3-0 romp in Bilbao.

   "It is never easy playing against an English club, especially away from home. Their fans always make a lot of noise and really get behind their team," said Kaka.

Tottenham will be minus Peter Crouch, who is suspended after being sent off 15 minutes into the first leg, leaving manager Harry Redknapp to choose between Roman Pavlyuchenko or Jermain Defoe up front.

Aaron Lennon, a late withdrawal from last week's game with illness, should return on the right, but the defensive injury problems go on with Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate both out.

Edwin van der Sar, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Park Ji Sung should all return for Manchester United's game against Chelsea Tuesday, after being rested - or in Rooney's cases suspended - for the 2-0 Premier League win over Fulham on Saturday.

   United lead 1-0 from the first leg, and are confident of maintaining their record of never having gone out of a European tie when they've won away in the first leg.

   "Chelsea have played a lot of games at Old Trafford and they won here in the league last season, so perhaps they are better than any other team," said Park.

   "But we know Chelsea as well. We can't think about what happened last week. The second leg is totally different and could be a different result, so we are focused on what we can do."

Fernando Torres is expected to start for Chelsea, despite having gone 817 minutes without a goal since his 50-million-pound move from Liverpool.

   Unless Didier Drogba is omitted that means Chelsea playing 4-4-2. With David Luiz cup-tied, Branislav Ivanovic is likely to move into the middle, with Jose Bosingwa at right back. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has a decision to make between Yuri Zhirkov and Florent Malouda on the left.

Schalke have chalked up three successive wins under new coach Ralf Rangnick and are confident of reaching the last four for the first time.

   Inter, however, have not given up hope as they travel to Gelsenkirchen Wednesday needing to overturn a 5-2 home defeat.

   "Many thought that the last two games (lost to AC Milan and Schalke) were the end of the world," said Argentine midfielder Esteban Cambiasso.

   "But we know that there is still a lot to do. (Our) fans are fantastic. In the past years this team has made them dream. My forecast for the game in Germany is that we do not go there to cut a good figure, but to qualify."

   Midfielders Wesley Sneijder and Houssine Kharja, who have skipped training with flu, should be available. Dejan Stankovic is also expected to recover from an injury in Saturday 2-0 defeat of Chievo.