The Final Four - Who will be crowned Champions of Europe?

The Road To Wembley 2013

    With the Champions League Semi-Final draw being held tomorrow in Nyon, Switzerland, it seems sensible to weigh up the remaining four clubs' chances of European glory. The 'Final Four' are made up of two fierce rivals from Spain's Primera Division, Real Madrid and Barcelona; and two delegates of Germany's Bundesliga, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. This semi-final makeup highlights the strength of these two leagues compared to the rest of Europe. I would currently consider the top three leagues in Europe to be: The Premier League, the Primera Division and the Bundesliga. However, the absence of any Premier League club from the quarter-final stage onwards would suggest that they have not been able to go toe-to-toe with their Spanish and German counterparts during this campaign. 

Borussia Dortmund

Having relinquished their Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich with still six league games remaining, its fair to say that Dortmund would not consider their domestic season to have been a magnificent success. On the other hand, their journey in this years Champions League has been one that has reminded us all of the Borussia Dortmund of years gone by. After being drawn in the so-called 'Group of Champions' along with Manchester City (Premier League winners), Real Madrid (La Liga winners) and Ajax (Dutch Eredivisie winners), it was always going to be a tall task to even make it to the last sixteen of the competition. But this did not phase the team from Dortmund, easing through as group winners and sending out a strong message to the rest of the competition. Following on from their group stage success they swept aside Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, setting up a quarter final meeting with Champions League new boys, Malaga. Dortmund wasted a host of clear-cut chances in the first leg at La Rosaleda, resulting in a 0-0 draw. The second leg in Germany was a much more even affair, with Dortmund snatching victory in the dying seconds in fairly controversial circumstances. Nevertheless, Borussia Dortmund remain the only team left in the competition to remain unbeaten. They have a contingent of extremely gifted players in the form of Robert Lewandowski, Mario Goetze, Marco Reus and Mats Hummels. But do they have what it takes to go all the way and revel in Champions League glory?

Real Madrid

Its been a number of years now since Real Madrid last tasted Champions League success. Not since 2002, when they faced Bayer Leverkusen at Hampden Park, Glasgow. It was on this night that Zinedine Zidane scored arguably one of the greatest goals in Champions League history to make sure the trophy would be coming back to Madrid. Real have had a similar domestic campaign to that of Dortmund's, in the sense that they are a long way off challenging for the La Liga title. So when they too emerged from the 'Group of Champions' it became clear that the trophy with the big ears was to be their main priority. After finishing as Group D runners-up, they were drawn against Manchester United in the round of sixteen. Many, including myself, thought that Fergie's force would brush Mourinho's men aside, but this was not to be the case. Following on from a 1-1 draw at the  Santiago Bernebeu, Madrid came from behind to beat United 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate. For their triumph over Manchester United, they were rewarded with a quarter-final clash against Galatasaray. Apart from a spirited Galatasaray fightback late on in the second leg, Madrid progressed to the last four fairly comfortably and with no real concerns. Jose Mourinho is looking to become the first manager to win the Champions League with three different clubs, having already won it with FC Porto and Inter Milan. I certainly wouldn't bet against the 'Special One' in doing this as he has a strong squad made up of global superstars. When you've got a player of Ronaldo's calibre on your side and Mourinho at the helm, anything's possible. 

Bayern Munich

   After last years penalty shootout heartbreak in the Champions League final, Bayern Munich will certainly be hoping to make amends. The fact that this years final won't be held in Bayern's own back yard, may take the pressure off them that they clearly felt last year. Since that night of disappointment, the Bavarian team have strengthened their squad with signings such as Javi Martinez, Mario Mandzukic and Brazilian centre-back, Dante. Having already wrapped up the Bundesliga, Bayern will be focusing all their concentration on winning this seasons Champions League. Their journey to the semi-finals has certainly not an easy one. After coming through the group-stages fairly unscathed, they came up against Arsenal in the last sixteen. It was clear after the first leg at the Emirates stadium that the Gunners were no match for the might of Munich, the German team winning 3-1. However, the return leg at the Allianz Arena saw a very different Arsenal side turn up, one that was able to inflict Bayern's first defeat of 2013 with a 2-0 victory. Overall, this was not enough for Arsene Wenger's men as Bayern progressed on the 'away goals' rule. The quarter-finals was to be no easier for Bayern Munich as they faced an in-form Juventus. Unfortunately, this tie didn't really live up to the billing as Bayern were on the right side of a 4-0 aggregate scoreline. With the imminent arrival of a certain Pep Guardiola next season, this is a real chance for Bayern to show the Spaniard what the team are made of. A Champions League title will certainly top off what has been a truly incredible season for Bayern Munich so far. 

Barcelona

During this Champions League campaign, Barcelona have definitely not been the usual side that everybody fears to play against. A shock 2-1 defeat against a passionate Celtic was not something that Barcelona fans have grown accustomed to in recent years. Still, they progressed as group winners and faced a difficult last sixteen tie against seven-time European Cup winners, AC Milan. The Rossineri outplayed the Catalonians in the first leg at the San Siro, convincingly winning 2-0. If Barcelona were to progress it would be the first time any team had come back from a two goal deficit without an away goal to aid them. For most other teams this would be a mountain far too high to climb but this is Barcelona we're talking about. They won 4-0 on the night, adding to record-breaking list of achievements. A cash-rich Paris Saint Germain was to be Barcelona's next opponents. PSG have recently invested heavily in the transfer market, bringing top players such as Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Pastore and Lavezzi into their ranks. The first leg saw a rare start for David Beckham, pleasing many English television viewers, but he was unable to seal a home victory, the match ending two goals apiece. Barcelona suffered a temporary scare in the second leg when Javier Pastore put the visitors ahead in the tie for the first time, but this was short-lived as Pedro bagged the equaliser and earned Barcelona their sixth Champions League semi-final in as many years. This Barcelona squad absolutely have what it takes to win themselves another European trophy, especially with Lionel Messi on their side. However, it must be said that they do not appear to be the ruthless force that won them their last two Champions League titles. 

Having weighed up the winning chances of all four teams, it is obvious that each one of them has an extremely good chance. Personally, I would love to see Borussia Dortmund win the coveted trophy, as I think their attractive playing style during this years campaign has been something to savour and frankly what the Champions League is all about. However, if I was to pick the team that I think is most likely to win the competition, then my money would have to be on Bayern Munich. They have a score to settle after last years fall at the last hurdle and this time I think they will take the gold. 

Injuries, Injuries and More Injuries - Abou Diaby's Struggle For Fitness

   

Abou Diaby

   Everyone who plays sport knows that injuries are something that can happen at any moment. Whether it be whilst you're competing, training for your next event or simply going about your day minding your own business. Bayern Munich defender, Jerome Boateng, fell victim to a rather unlucky injury during an aeroplane flight, when a drinks trolley aggravated a knee injury that he had recently picked up. Some would say this is a terribly unlucky injury, but I would say he shouldn't have had his knee in the aisle. However, for current Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby, injuries have plagued his professional career thus far,  and have ultimately prevented him from fulfilling his footballing talent. 

    Abou Diaby is a player that has been compared on numerous occasions to the legendary ex-Gunner and fellow Frenchman, Patrick Vieira. Many have pointed out that Diaby has the potential to be the strong, dominant box-to-box midfielder that Vieira was during his time at Arsenal. 

   Abou Diaby joined Arsenal in 2006 and has made 178 appearances scoring 19 goals. He started his senior playing career at Auxerre, a club that has nurtured talented individuals such as Eric Cantona and Laurent Blanc to name just a few. Since transferring to Arsenal, Diaby has constantly been on and off the injury table. The Paris-born Frenchman managed 40 appearances in the 2010-11 season. However, ankle and calf problems have prevented Diaby from having any other injury-free campaigns. 

   In the last couple of weeks, Arsenal have confirmed that Abou Diaby will be out of action for a further eight or nine months, after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. According to The Sun it will be his 36th injury in just seven years (The Sun Online). With absolutely no chance of playing again this season, Diaby is unlikely to play again until 2014. For any footballer this time away from the game is a hard pill to swallow, especially a player of Diaby's calibre, who has been lauded time and again by the Gunners manager, Arsene Wenger. Such praise and belief from 'the boss' must surely provide a huge amount of motivation for Abou Diaby to bounce back and repay the faith that Mr. Wenger has shown in him. 

   The fact of the matter is, that some players will go through their whole professional careers without picking up one serious injury. However, at the opposite end of the spectrum there are players, like Abou Diaby, who are labelled as 'injury prone.' The reason for this is difficult to pinpoint. It could be down to the competence of a club's medical team, the injury-risk of the position they play in or just simply pot-luck. Nevertheless, for the sake of Diaby's future at Arsenal, it is of paramount importance that he is able to stay fit for two or three successive seasons. Otherwise, he might find himself plying his trade somewhere other than the Emirates Stadium.