Congrats to Barcelona, 2008-09 Champions League winners! Scott and Bill discuss the final from Rome, and chances for each finalist to get back there next season.

Plus a look and which teams from major European domestic leagues have qualified for European play next season, and who might make a run in next years Champions League, and the first iteration of the Europa League (formerly UEFA Cup).

Enjoy the summer and stay tuned to Soccer Champions!

Scott and Bill look back on the Champions League semifinals. Plus, it's all come down to this. Who will win in Rome? Scott and Bill give their thoughts, and what to expect from Barcelona and Manchester United.

Also a look ahead to the UEFA Cup final in Istanbul, and domestic leagues you might want to check out as the season winds down.

As always, e-mail us at scpodcast@gmail.com with questions and/or comments!

Barcelona-Chelsea
1st leg result (@Barcelona): 0-0
Can anyone slow down Barca’s lethal offensive attack? This was the big question coming into this tie and before the 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp I thought the answer was “not likely.” But Chelsea proved me wrong, shutting down Barca’s sharpshooters and holding on for a crucial away draw. Was Chelsea’s play too conservative? Was it dull to watch? Maybe and probably, but they got the result they wanted.

2nd leg preview (@Chelsea)
Iniesta is a key architect for Barca in midfield, and he must do better in the second leg for his team to succeed. Chelsea was (somehow) able to contain Messi for most of the first leg, and the Blaugrana will need a better performance from him next time as well.

Chelsea’s defensive performance from leg 1 is to be praised for sure, but can they do it twice in a row? It’s hard to believe they can, which means Chelsea’s offense will need to step it up. I wonder if Hiddink will consider putting Nicolas Anelka into the starting lineup. He seemed to energize the Blues after coming on in the quarterfinals against Liverpool, and teaming him with Drogba upfront seems like the recipe for success.

Barca’s defense, widely considered the team’s Achilles heel on a good day, suffered a double blow in leg 1 when they lost Rafa Marquez to an injury and then his replacement Carlos Puyol picked up a yellow card and a suspension for leg 2.

Prediction
I would not have said this before the first leg, but with Barca’s battered backfield and Chelsea only needing a win at home (any draw would give Barca the edge on away goals) I’m going with Chelsea to advance.

Man United-Arsenal
1st leg result (@Man U): 1-0 win for Man U
Arsenal fans should be thanking their lucky stars—and keeper Manuel Almunia—that their team is only down by a goal. Man U dominated for virtually the entire game, and only some spectacular saves from the Arsenal keeper prevented a larger deficit for the Gunners.

2nd leg preview (@Arsenal)
In my opinion great move by Sir Alex starting the dangerous Carlos Tevez. He gives United yet another weapon that needs to be closely monitored, which may end up freeing Rooney or C. Ronaldo. Tevez ran all over the Arsenal defense—especially Kieran Gibbs on the left, and Nasri looked lost in midfield; both will need to do better in leg 2 if Arsenal are to have any chance—and I think it would be foolish to leave him on the bench. Though Berbatov did well coming on as a sub, so swapping him for Tevez isn’t a bad option to have.

The Man U defense did well to contain Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Cesc Fabregas. If those three don’t make something happen at the Emirates, Man U will ease into the final.

Prediction
Pardon the pun, but I think Arsenal is outgunned in this tie. Without an away goal in the bank, they would need to win by 2 goals to advance outright (a 1-0 Arsenal win would force extra time). Given this difficult task and Man U’s dominance in leg 1, I’m going with Man U to move on to the final.

Champions League Final Forecast
Chelsea-Man United in Rome
Another all-English final, and a rematch of last year’s championship! Chelsea will likely be smarting after last year’s penalty shootout loss (and John Terry’s breakdown), while United is still on a quest for a quadruple.

Early prediction: Chelsea gets revenge and wins its first Champions League title. Regardless of the state of the oil market, Roman Abramovich is all smiles. Enjoy the second legs!

Scott and Bill discuss the Elite 8 in the Champions League, including Liverpool's resurgence and Bayern Munich's big test. In the UEFA Cup's last 8, will Man City survive, and is Udinese movin' on up?

Plus World Cup 2010 qualifying discussion of UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF (N. America), and CONMEBOL (S. America) regions.

Also check out Dan on Tap's podcast, Life on Tap! And write to us at scpodcast@gmail.com

Soccer Champions is back! We review the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, and the UEFA Cup Round of 32, and who we think might advance in each tournament.

Questions or comments? E-mail us at scpodcast@gmail.com

Scott and Bill are back with their 50th episode! We get you ready for Matchday 5 in the Champions League, and update you on the surprising form of underdog teams in the group stage, the balance between talent and team cohesiveness, and Landon Donovan's move to Bayern Munich: pro or con?

E-mail scpodcast@gmail.com with any questions or comments, and if you're in the U.S., have a happy Thanksgiving!

No episode before MD4, but here are Bill and Scott's picks! Same matchups as MD3, but with home and visiting teams flipped (home team listed first). Our picks for UEFA Cup games to watch also included. Enjoy!

Bill's picks
Tuesday
Cluj-Bordeaux: Cluj
Roma-Chelsea: Chelsea
Anorthosis-Inter: Inter
Werder Bremen-Panathinaikos: Bremen
Sporting Lisbon-Shakhtar: Sporting
Liverpool-Atletico Madrid: Draw
Marseille-PSV: Draw
Barcelona-Basel: Barca

Wednesday
Aalborg-Villareal: Villareal
Celtic-Manchester Utd: Man U
Fiorentina-Bayern Munich: Draw
Lyon-Steaua Bucharest: Lyon
Arsenal-Fenerbache: Arsenal
Dynamo Kiev-Porto: Draw
Real Madrid-Juventus: Real
BATE Borisov-Zenit St. Pete: Draw

Marquis Mactchups for UEFA Cup Thursday
Manchester City-Twente: Steve McLaren leads Dutch side Twente into his home country.
Standard Liege-Sevilla: Belgian league champions Liege took Liverpool to the wire in Champs League qualifying and took out another Merseyside team, Everton, in the UEFA Cup first round. Can they continue their rousing start to the European campaign against the Spanish giants?

Scott's picks
Tuesday
Cluj-Bordeaux: Cluj
Roma-Chelsea: Draw
Anorthosis-Inter: Inter
Werder Bremen-Panathinaikos: Bremen
Sporting Lisbon-Shakhtar: Sporting
Liverpool-Atletico Madrid: Liverpool
Marseille-PSV: Draw
Barcelona-Basel: Barca

Wednesday
Aalborg-Villareal: Villareal
Celtic-Manchester Utd: Man U
Fiorentina-Bayern Munich: Bayern
Lyon-Steaua Bucharest: Lyon
Arsenal-Fenerbache: Draw
Dynamo Kiev-Porto: Kiev
Real Madrid-Juventus: Draw
BATE Borisov-Zenit St. Pete: Draw

Marquis Mactchups for UEFA Cup Thursday
AC Milan-Braga: Portuguese entrants Braga are coming off a group stage win over Portsmouth. Facing Milan in the San Siro will be their toughest challenge thus far, but if Milan's hearts (and heads) aren't really in it, Braga could pull the upset.
Tottenham-Dinamo Zagreb: Juande Ramos is out, Harry Redknapp is in, and Spurs are turning things around. After taking out first-place Liverpool in the EPL, Spurs welcome Croatia's Zagreb to White Hart Lane.

Scott and Bill review the controversial Barca goal against Shaktar from Matchday 2, and explore the issue of home field advantage. Also, a Matchday 3 preview and introduction to the group stage of the UEFA Cup.

?s or comments? E-mail scpodcast@gmail.com

Link:
Unshakable Home-Field Advantage in Soccer World

Due to scheduling conflicts, we will not be able to record an episode previewing Matchday 2, we're doing the next best thing: giving you our predictions for the matchups right now! We also tell you our suggestions for games to watch if you can. So here you go (home team listed first):

Bill's Picks
Tues. 9/30
Zenit St. Petersburg-Real Madrid: Draw
Aalborg-Manchester United: Man U
Villareal-Celtic: Villareal
Fiorentina-Steaua Bucharest: Fiorentina
Bayern Munich-Lyon: Draw
Arsenal-FC Porto: Arsenal
Fenerbache-Dynamo Kiev: Fenerbache
BATE Borisov-Juventus: Juventus

Wed. 10/1
CFR Cluj-Chelsea: Chelsea
Bordeaux-Roma: Draw
Anorthosis-Panathinaikos: Draw
Inter Milan-Werder Bremen: Inter
Shaktar Donetsk-Barcelona: Barcelona
Liverpool-PSV Eindhoven: Liverpool
Atletico Madrid-Marseille: Atletico
Sporting Lisbon-FC Basel: Sporting

Bill's Games to Watch: Zenit-Real Madrid, Bayern-Lyon, Atletico Madrid-Marseilles

Scott's Picks
Tues. 9/30
Zenit St. Petersburg-Real Madrid: Zenit
Aalborg-Manchester United: Man U
Villareal-Celtic: Villareal
Fiorentina-Steaua Bucharest: Fiorentina
Bayern Munich-Lyon: Lyon
Arsenal-FC Porto: Arsenal
Fenerbache-Dynamo Kiev: Fenerbache
BATE Borisov-Juventus: Juventus

Wed. 10/1
CFR Cluj-Chelsea: Chelsea
Bordeaux-Roma: Draw
Anorthosis-Panathinaikos: Panathinaikos
Inter Milan-Werder Bremen: Draw
Shaktar Donetsk-Barcelona: Barcelona
Liverpool-PSV Eindhoven: Draw
Atletico Madrid-Marseille: Atletico
Sporting Lisbon-FC Basel: Sporting

Scott's Games to Watch: Bayern-Lyon, Inter-Werder Bremen, Anorthosis-Panathinaikos (the Cyprus-Greece showdown!)

We'll try to recap MD2 with the MD3 preview!

 Fall is upon us, and it's time for Champions League! Scott and Bill review all eight groups and who we think will advance to the next round, plus Matchday 1 showdowns you should see.

E-mail us with questions or comments at scpodcast@gmail.com