Latin powerhouses collide

Latin powerhouses collide

By John Sinnott

Cuper needs a trophy

For a country to have one team in the Champions League quarter-finals is impressive, to have two is bordering on the miraculous, but to have three is just downright greedy.

It is a demonstration of the voracious appetites of Italian and Spanish clubs this season that both countries each have three representatives in the European Cup's last eight.

As well as partly deciding who will progress to the last four, Wednesday's games between Inter Milan and Valencia and Juventus and Barcelona will give some indication as to which Mediterranean country's league is Europe's most competitive.

Recent history suggests Spain will emerge victorious - since the turn of the millennium, three Spanish clubs have always reached the quarter-finals, while in 2000 and 2002, Real Madrid won the competition outright.

Last season no Italian clubs reached the last eight, but the presence of Inter, Juventus, as well as AC Milan this time round, suggests Serie A is regaining its traditional strength.

Inter's game with Valencia has the added ingredient of the Serie A side's coach Hector Cuper facing his old club, who he guided to two European Cup finals.

With Juventus looking likely to reclaim the Serie A title, the Champions League is probably Cuper's last chance of silverware this season.

Cuper has rapidly acquired a reputation as one of life's also-rans, much like Bayer Leverkusen.

Before joining Valencia, he took Mallorca to the last European Cup Winners' Cup final to be staged, which the Spanish club lost to Sven-Goran Eriksson's Lazio.

Valencia lost both those European Cup finals and after arriving in Italy, Cuper's Inter were favourites to take the "scudetto" only to stumble on the last day as Juventus claimed the Serie A title.

Inter did beat Valencia in last season's Uefa Cup quarter-finals, though Cuper's side were then dumped out of the competition at the semi-final stage by Feyenoord.

In a cruel twist of fate, Cuper's successor at Valencia - Rafa Benitez - guided the club to the La Liga crown in his first season in charge.

Valencia have been less impressive this season and after losing for the seventh time this season - 2-0 to Real Betis at the weekend- are languishing in fourth place in La Liga.

However, Valencia's victories over Liverpool and Arsenal at the Mestalla Stadium in the earlier stages of the Champions League suggest Valencia will no pushover, particularly if Argentine playmaker Pablo Aimar is in the mood.

Whoever emerges victorious from this tie, will face the winners of the quarter-final between AC Milan and Ajax.

Barcelona have excelled in Europe, despite struggling domestically

Barcelona's domestic league form has been even grimmer than Valencia's and on Saturday the Catalan club lost again - and for the first time under new coach Radimir Antic - to Villarreal 2-0 on Saturday.

Despite enduring a season of domestic mediocrity, Barcelona are the Champions League's form team having played 14 matches, winning 13 and drawing the other one.

Barcelona's Achilles heel has been in defence, where the Swede Patrick Andersson has been sorely missed.

The Catalans will look to Patrick Kluivert and Javier Saviola to find a chink in the armour of Paolo Montero and Ciro Ferrara, who have helped Juventus become Serie A's meanest defence over the past four seasons.

Having led Juventus to three European Cup finals, coach Marcello Lippi will be facing Barcelona for the first in 20 years as a coach.

The victors of this tie will face the winners of the quarter-final between Real Madrid and Manchester United.

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