Only Bayern, Real can stop Barca progress

With the quarter final return leg matches just in a few days, many fans that have closely followed the 2013 UEFA champions League are anxious about who will win this season’s European elite competition.German giants Bayern Munich registered an emphatic 2-0 win over Italian champions Juventus in their first leg encounter and travel to Turin for the return leg in high mood.Real Madrid also thumped Turkish outfit Galatasary 3-0 to boost their chances of semi-final progression. Both Bayern and Real Madrid have got rich experience in the competition.Real Madrid has won the trophy a record 9 times and Bayern are seeking to win their 5th title.Every team, capable of beating Barcelona, is normally placed high to win the Champions League. Real Madrid have already showed strength to overcome their archrivals, especially in the recent El Clasico encounters. Real Madrid have got a solid defence, a world class midfield and attack, but probably have not been performing well in this competition due to lack of stability because of changing coaches almost every other season.Based on recent El Clasico encounters, Jose Mourinho seems to have found the password to beating Barcelona. They could even face each other in the semi-final stage of this competition if the Catalans manage to overcome Paris St-Germain in the return leg at Nou Camp on Wednesday.The Catalans will have to work very hard to beat PSG and their chances will depend on the fitness of Lionel Messi, who suffered a hamstring injury in the first leg. A 2-all draw means anything can happen on Spain, especially if Messi does not recover on time to face the French side. Barcelona become too easy to beat without the Argentine star and team strength diminishes considerably.At Nou Camp, there is Spanish dynamos Andreas Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez but Catalans become headless without a top finisher like Messi. Messi’s presence in Barcelona has mimicked the potential of David Villa and Chilean Alexis Sachez as both do not give hard time to defenders like the Argentine skipper does. The Catalans, attack is built on Messi and their star midfielders.However, PSG will struggle to get a result in Spain if Messi is passed fit to play and we could see a result that was produced a few weeks ago against AC Milan at Nou Camp. Another tricky side in the competition is Bayern Munich. They are very strong in all departments.Wingers Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben have regained their top form and are capable of beating any side in Europe. Bayern have been at the final of this competition in two successive seasons. They narrowly lost to Chelsea in the penalty shoot-out last year and have re-ignited their search for this trophy again. They are tactically very strong and managed to beat the high flying Italian side Juventus 2-0.Despite the fact that the Bavarian club will be playing away from home, they will approach this game very strongly and Juventus might not expect to be eliminated in the Arsenal manner.Bayern have twice beaten Dortmund this season in the Bundesliga and German Cup, and resistance to their Champions League ambitions might come from a Spanish opposition.