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UEFA Cup Quarterfinals set to conclude

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by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

While Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona have all booked their place in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League, they are not the only teams remaining in search of European glory.

Today kicks off the second legs of the UEFA Cup quarterfinals and although eight teams are left, three of them are already in a hole.

Losing 3-1 in the first legs, Manchester City and Udinese need big performances at home in order to eliminate their German foes. The Blues need Robinho and co. to win by two in order to topple Hamburg SV (2:30pm, Fox Soccer Channel), while Udinese will need a similar result.

Marseille needs to erase a two-goal deficit when Shakhtar Donetsk travels to Stade Velodrome today (2:30pm, Fox Sports Espanol). After falling 2-0 in last week's first leg, the French club is hoping that its supporters will fully pack their stadium and that they can help intimidate their Ukranian counterparts.

After a scoreless draw in the first leg, Dynamo Kiev and Paris Saint-Germain's match surprisingly remains as the most intriguing one on today's slate (12:30pm, Setanta USA).

What do you think of today's quarterfinal matchups? Will Dynamo Kiev's home-field advantage help them book a place in the semis? Can Werder Bremen hold on to their lead? Is Marseille capable of stunning Shakhtar Donetsk? Do you see a Manchester City miracle in the making?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Ryan G, I feel the same way about the Champion’s League. There is no doubt that the teams remaining in that tournament play a much higher caliber-level of the game.

    What it lacks is drama / unpredictability. In recent years, you have had the same EPL teams contest the tournament (basically, the top 4 teams in that league). The only variation this year is that you’ve got Barcelona playing well and with a good shot of getting into the final.

    With UEFA Cup, you at least have some unpredictability and a chance to see teams that we otherwise rarely see on TV in the United States. Fair disclosure: I lived first 15 years of my life in Kiev, so I still occasionally follow their progress in Europe.

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  2. It’s amazing how uninterested I am in this year’s UEFA Cup. I just don’t care about any of the 8 (well, now 7) remaining teams. The team I care about the most is Werder Bremen, but… not that much.

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