Manchester United made their way into the semi-finals of the Champions League this week and had a fairly easy go of things with their 2-1 win over Chelsea.You have to take your hat off to them for getting the job done at Stamford Bridge and then going home and finishing them off.I always thought the penalty claim by Chelsea in the first leg would be a deciding factor but, nevertheless, United went about their business.They play superbly and for all the United fans out there who were doubting the talent and character of Rio Ferdinand, they need to take a step back and analyse things because he did a superb job.They will advance to play Schalke who knocked out champions Inter Milan 7-3 on aggregate and this will be great semi and with Raul taking the lead role it won’t be easy for United.Schalke won’t lay downand be a door mat for United. They are a good team and United will have to do their homework, something that Sir Alex Ferguson did when he was seen in the stands watching the second leg in Germany.I can tell him that they are a good teamand have been for quite some time with the new players they have from around the world.They are capable of putting on a good show.On the other side of the draw, it is the battle of old foes Real Madrid and Barcelona.However, Madrid will need to be special to beat Barca who have been in outstanding form all season.Real will need to come with their ‘A’ game if they are to stop them. Barca’s main player, of course, is Lionel Messi and I don’t know how Real will stop him. It will be interesting to see.I’m glad I don’t have to mark him because he has scored over 40 goals already this year and he’s a pleasure to watch. You know exactly what you are going to get every time he is on the pitch.I know there are a lot of Madrid fans around here but I have to go with Barca.United have a big game against city rivals Manchester City today and I think that Carlso Tevez’ injury will make City’s task so much harder. It would have been nice to see him out there against his old club.It would be something if City could get the win but Tevez means so much to them and without him for the foreseeable future I think it will be very tough for City to get a result.With Wayne Rooney suspended, United can slot Dimitar Berbatov into that position and be OK.City’s Mario Balotelli is a good player but a very young player and Wembley Stadium is not a place for the weak hearted. It can take you back if you’re not careful.If you looked at City’s loss to Liverpool this week, he was non-existent. Most of the team failed to play to their potential. They now need to pick themselves up, dust themsleves off and put in a performance good enough to beat United. But it’s unlikely.West Ham are putting themselves in a big hole and I’m not sure if they are capable of avoiding relegation. We have six games to go and three wins are needed if we are to stay up.I hope they go out and play because they can play and have shown grit and determination. I just hope they can get a result against Aston Villa.Arsenal don’t have a chance to catch United. You may as well say congratulations to the Manchester team and hand over the trophy right now.