With four Premier League clubs through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League the question today is: Will two English teams attend the Final in Moscow next May? The prospect of Liverpool meeting Manchester United or a London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea, as in the last eight in 2003/04, is one for which the players would rather wait. Save it for the semis or Moscow is the general consensus.
It is the first time four sides from one country have reached the last eight and it is a measure of the Premier League’s dominance that two sides were able to win in San Siro to advance. No English side had ever beaten Milan there before Arsenal knocked out them last week and Liverpool’s victory against Inter was their first in the famous stadium, albeit at only the second attempt.
In 2003 three Italian teams reached the semi-finals, with Juventus and Milan ultimately contesting the final in Manchester. With the financial riches on offer, packed stadiums and the lure of European success, there is no doubting why the Premier League attracts the world’s top players. But there is a downside to this success. In the second legs only two English players started in Liverpool’s win at Inter, four in Chelsea’s victory against Olympiacos, none in Arsenal’s San Siro triumph and four in United’s defeat of Olympique Lyonnais.
That, though, is a matter for another day. For the moment, one man at least is looking forward to the possibility of facing off with the likes of Arsène Wenger and Rafael Benítez on an even bigger stage. “We will relish the chance to face another English team in the quarter-finals if that happens,” United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said. “But it doesn’t really matter who you play in the quarter-finals, they’re all going
