Barcelona and Manchester United have it in their hands to make a Champions League dream final come true.
But before the two clubs can meet at Wembley in May, they need to get rid of some opposition: United has to oust high-flying and surprising semi-finalists Schalke 04, while Barcelona face their local rivals Real Madrid for a place in the championship match.
On paper, certainly, United have the easier task. They face Schalke in Germany in the first leg on Tuesday.
Schalke is the only club in the last-four never to have made it to the final of the Champions League or its predecessor the European Champions' Cup.
And on the weekend they slumped to a 1-0 home defeat to struggling Kaiserslautern - albeit with a side featuring several fringe players.
But if they go into the game against United as underdogs, it is a role they can obviously live with comfortably as they already knocked out cup holders Inter in the quarters when everybody thought they had no chance.
Schalke's Spanish striker Raul is aware that they are facing a monumental task. "We are taking on a great team like Manchester United and have to try to beat them.
"Making the final would be like winning a title. We should even get a cup for that, a small cup," he said.
For Manchester United going through to the final could potentially crown manager Sir Alex Ferguson's illustrious career: Winning a third Champions League - putting him level with Bob Paisley as the most successful manager in the competition's history - and to do it at Wembley where, 10 years after the tragedy of the Munich air crash, Matt Busby's side won their first European Cup.
And to do it in the season that United won their 19th league title - they are six points clear at the top of the table - and so became the most successful side in English league history; it's hard to imagine a more perfect set of circumstances for Ferguson.
Traditionally though, United struggle against German sides in the knock-out stages and last year Bayern beat them in the quarter- finals.
Wednesday's second semi-final in the Estadio Bernabeu sees two giants of Spanish and European football compete with improvised, makeshift defences, because of injuries and suspension.
Real coach Jose Mourinho will have to cover for his faithful follower Ricardo Carvalho, suspended for one match. He will be tempted to bring Pepe back into defence, but the Brazil-born utility man has done well in recent weeks in defensive midfield.
Mourinho will probably opt for a defence of Alvaro Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol and Marcelo, with Pepe covering in midfield for the injured Sami Khedira.
He will then have to decide whether to continue with the three defensive midfielders plan which worked so well against Barca in the April 20 cup final (won 1-0 by Real).
If so, then he will draft in either Esteban Granero or Lassana Diarra to play alongside Pepe and Xabi Alonso, with Mesut Oezil and Angel Di Maria on the flanks and Cristiano Ronaldo as the lone striker.
The hard work for Barca coach Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, will be to improvise a scratch defence.
Left-backs Eric Abidal and Adriano are both out for the season. To add insult to injury, Maxwell - the squad's other left-back - pulled a muscle in Saturday's 2-0 home defeat of Osasuna.
Gabriel Milito also pulled a muscle on Saturday and, the same as Maxwell, is doubtful for Wednesday.
Veteran captain Carles Puyol might have to fill in at left-back, despite having played only one match in three months and not being fully fit himself.
Guardiola will have to decide between midfielders Javier Mascherano or Sergio Busquets to accompany Gerard Pique in the centre of defence.
On Sunday Busquets said: "The tie is 50-50. It will be a difficult game, Real is the worst rival that we could face at this moment. They know us well."
But before the two clubs can meet at Wembley in May, they need to get rid of some opposition: United has to oust high-flying and surprising semi-finalists Schalke 04, while Barcelona face their local rivals Real Madrid for a place in the championship match.
On paper, certainly, United have the easier task. They face Schalke in Germany in the first leg on Tuesday.
Schalke is the only club in the last-four never to have made it to the final of the Champions League or its predecessor the European Champions' Cup.
And on the weekend they slumped to a 1-0 home defeat to struggling Kaiserslautern - albeit with a side featuring several fringe players.
But if they go into the game against United as underdogs, it is a role they can obviously live with comfortably as they already knocked out cup holders Inter in the quarters when everybody thought they had no chance.
Schalke's Spanish striker Raul is aware that they are facing a monumental task. "We are taking on a great team like Manchester United and have to try to beat them.
"Making the final would be like winning a title. We should even get a cup for that, a small cup," he said.
For Manchester United going through to the final could potentially crown manager Sir Alex Ferguson's illustrious career: Winning a third Champions League - putting him level with Bob Paisley as the most successful manager in the competition's history - and to do it at Wembley where, 10 years after the tragedy of the Munich air crash, Matt Busby's side won their first European Cup.
And to do it in the season that United won their 19th league title - they are six points clear at the top of the table - and so became the most successful side in English league history; it's hard to imagine a more perfect set of circumstances for Ferguson.
Traditionally though, United struggle against German sides in the knock-out stages and last year Bayern beat them in the quarter- finals.
Wednesday's second semi-final in the Estadio Bernabeu sees two giants of Spanish and European football compete with improvised, makeshift defences, because of injuries and suspension.
Real coach Jose Mourinho will have to cover for his faithful follower Ricardo Carvalho, suspended for one match. He will be tempted to bring Pepe back into defence, but the Brazil-born utility man has done well in recent weeks in defensive midfield.
Mourinho will probably opt for a defence of Alvaro Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol and Marcelo, with Pepe covering in midfield for the injured Sami Khedira.
He will then have to decide whether to continue with the three defensive midfielders plan which worked so well against Barca in the April 20 cup final (won 1-0 by Real).
If so, then he will draft in either Esteban Granero or Lassana Diarra to play alongside Pepe and Xabi Alonso, with Mesut Oezil and Angel Di Maria on the flanks and Cristiano Ronaldo as the lone striker.
The hard work for Barca coach Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, will be to improvise a scratch defence.
Left-backs Eric Abidal and Adriano are both out for the season. To add insult to injury, Maxwell - the squad's other left-back - pulled a muscle in Saturday's 2-0 home defeat of Osasuna.
Gabriel Milito also pulled a muscle on Saturday and, the same as Maxwell, is doubtful for Wednesday.
Veteran captain Carles Puyol might have to fill in at left-back, despite having played only one match in three months and not being fully fit himself.
Guardiola will have to decide between midfielders Javier Mascherano or Sergio Busquets to accompany Gerard Pique in the centre of defence.
On Sunday Busquets said: "The tie is 50-50. It will be a difficult game, Real is the worst rival that we could face at this moment. They know us well."
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