Assault on Champions League to roll on

By Mitch Phillips

LONDON (Reuters) - The English Premier League is odds-on to provide three of the four Champions League semi-finalists for the second successive season this week, with Barcelona on course to complete the quartet.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool made it through a year ago and all are well-placed to return, with Arsenal also hoping to have a say.

United's hugely impressive 2-0 win at AS Roma had left the Italians with a mountain to climb as, in 67 Champions League home games, the English champions have never lost by two goals and as they are currently in hot form, look extremely unlikely to buck that trend on Wednesday.

Liverpool, beaten in the final by AC Milan last season, have earned the advantage in the all-English quarter-final after their 1-1 draw at Arsenal - a result the two repeated on Saturday in a Premier League game when both sides made several changes.

Chelsea should also go through despite their unexpected 2-1 defeat by Fenerbahce in Istanbul.

The Turks, in the last eight for the first time, celebrated that victory as if they had won the trophy but though they need only a goalless draw to progress the cold reality of their away form, where they have lost 11 of their 16 away games in the Champions League, still means the tie is weighted strongly in Chelsea's favour.

Schalke 04 will not be totally without hope when they travel to Barcelona having created a series of chances in their first-leg 1-0 home defeat but the experienced Spaniards, unbeaten in their last 10 Champions League games, will expect to advance to a mouth-watering last-four meeting with United.

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