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Schalke host Manchester United on Tuesday in the last four of the Champions League, with a place in the final at Wembley the prize on offer.Leading the English Premier League by six points, United appear favourites to reach what would be their third final in the past four seasons.

They won their third European Cup after a penalty shootout victory over Chelsea in 2008, before losing 2-0 to Barcelona the following year.

Last season’s challenge came to halt at the quarter-final stage against Bayern Munich.

And another Bundesliga outfit, Schalke, can now become the third German club to get the better of Sir Alex Ferguson’s team at this stage of the Champions League.

A side captained by Eric Cantona lost to eventual winners Borussia Dortmund in 1996/97, before Bayer Leverkusen also reached a final at United’s expense in 2001/02.

Ferguson’s team saw off Premier League rivals Chelsea 3-1 on aggregate in the last round and the Scotsman will now be hoping to make it third time lucky against German opposition in the last four.

For their part, Schalke appeared to be anything but Champions League semi-finalists after enduring a disappointing campaign in the league.

Runners-up to Bayern last season, the team are a distant 10th in the Bundesliga table this time round.

Inconsistent form contributed to the departure of Felix Magath as coach in March, to be replaced by Ralf Rangnick.

Former Hoffenheim boss Rangnick can take the plaudits for booking the tie against United after orchestrating a remarkable 7-3 aggregate victory over defending champions Inter Milan in the last eight.

Schalke go into the first leg of the tie on the back of a 1-0 defeat at home to Kaiserslautern on Saturday, while United beat Everton at Old Trafford by the same scoreline.

After battling an injury crisis for much of the season, United finally have something approaching a clean bill of health.

Striker Dimitar Berbatov did not feature against Everton and is in doubt for the trip to the Ruhr, while midfielder Darren Fletcher is likely to miss out with a virus.

Rangnick is expected to make wholesale changes from the team that lost to Kaiserslautern.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos of Greece, Spaniard Jose Jurado and Germans Joel Matip and Alexander Baumjohann are expected to form an entirely different midfield, while Benedikt Hoewedes is likely to start in defence after missing the defeat on Saturday.

With the appointment of Neil Warnock in February, the current regime at Leeds United signalled that they are purely looking at the future of the club on a short term basis. The former QPR boss has been appointed with just one aim, to get Leeds back into the Premier League, and has been given just one full season in which to do it.

Warnock has admitted that this is his last challenge in a career which has seen him achieve promotions with Scarborough, Notts County, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United as well as taking QPR back to the Premier League in 2011.

However the 18 month contract he has signed gives him no room for failure and also means that he is unlikely to manage Leeds in the top flight, should he get them there. So the big question should not be whether United will be promoted next season, but what will happen in the seasons which follow.

Whilst some supporters will look at the performance of the club on a season by season basis, there are others who are worried about the long term planning of the football side of the business. There are lots of talks of grand plans regarding stadium development, with news breaking recently of the club bidding to be the site of a new super casino to be opened in the city. There is a danger that by chasing further property deals, the club are gambling with their footballing future.

The Academy at Thorp Arch, which has produced such jewels as Paul Robinson, Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Smith, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Fabian Delph and Jonny Howson to name but a few is currently not even owned by the club, sold off as part of the fire sale which followed the relegation from the Premiership all those years ago! Despite claims that it was a priority to be bought back once the club was on a firm financial footing, it still remains outside the club’s ownership.

It is also currently rudderless, with Chris Sulley the academy director relieved of his duties in April. Despite this the U-18’s at the club finished 2nd in their division of the Premier Academy League. Whilst it is always the first team that takes the priority, in the current financial climate it is imperative that Leeds are in a position to continue to produce players of their own, educated in the unique pressures that playing for the Whites brings.

Therefore one of the tasks that the Leeds United board need to be undertaking this close season is not just providing the players needed for Warnock to succeed in the short term objective, but also to begin to think, and quickly, about what is required for the 2013/14 season and beyond.

Identification of a manager who can not only take the first team on in the long term, but who can also oversee the development of a conveyor belt of talent for the future, should be high on the agenda for the board at Elland Road. With there being little chance of a billionaire investor to take Leeds to the next level, United should be following the examples of clubs who can develop their own talent.

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Whilst Chelsea and Manchester City have splashed the cash to take them into the elite, there are others that have developed over a long term, a breed of players educated in the way of their clubs. Ajax, Barcelona and Manchester United are famed for bringing players through their youth systems, all brought up in the ethos and taught the playing style used throughout all levels of the club.

This summer is seen as being a critical one for the future of Leeds United, with the feeling in the city that it promotion is a must for the Whites this season. Whilst that is certainly the case, a successful club should have a long term view. If Leeds are to regain their place at the top table of English football, they should be thinking of who will be the man to help them stay there.

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Another international tournament, another penalty shoot-out heartbreak. I use the term heartbreak loosely of course considering that to describe anything as such suggests that it was as devastating as it was unexpected, in reality it was neither.

Maybe age breeds cynicism, and with that comes a permanent sense of pessimism but, whatever the reason, when Allesandro Diamanti’s penalty sent England home in a frustratingly familiar fashion instead of feeling a keen sense of anguish I, as well as many of the people around me, simply returned to my drink with more of irritated but accepting shrug of the shoulders.

What are we to make of this indifference towards our national squad? It could be put down to a lack of expectation in terms of trophies but my club teams hasn’t won a trophy in years and I still find myself wallowing in self-pity every time we lose a league game. So, how is it then that so many English fans have developed this apathy towards their supposed national heroes, and how is it that, no matter how poor our club’s form may be we never lose interest there?

Yes, we invest far more time, money and emotion in supporting our local clubs and therefore the disappointment is bound to be felt in a stronger form but the counter argument to that is that these international tournaments come so seldom that we should be chomping at the bit for international success.

I’m not saying that the passion and support is not there for the England team, I, like others, bought myself the new England shirt and would never consider missing a game, yet the national team is just far less effective when it comes to inflicting the same level of pain as our local teams.

Debatably, people feel a fonder association with their local area than with their country as a whole. This kind of provincial sentiment is perfectly understandable yet to cite it as the reason for the dwindling emotional ties with national football is to ignore the globalisation of football.

There are undoubtedly millions of fans outside of England who care far more about the success of Manchester United or Liverpool or Arsenal than they do about that of their own country. Is it that the incessant bombardment of Sky Sports style montages set to classical music have convinced us that football, and, in particular, our own club really is the most important thing in the world?

If you take away the unsavoury fascist and racist elements of eastern European football, the nationalistic pride expressed by many of their fans is demonstrative of everything that is dwindling in England’s support.

I know this is not the case nationwide and that there are many supporters around the country for whom international football still is the most important aspect of the game. Yet, when posed with the question: what would you rather see happen – England win the World Cup or your team win the Champions League, an increasing number of people would choose the Champions League.

Personally I tend to dither between the two answers. The World Cup seems more unattainable and there are fewer chances throughout your lifetime to win it but personally I’m of the opinion that the more times you experience failure and defeat the sweeter that victory tastes.

Subsequently, even though England’s opportunities to win an international tournament might be far fewer and therefore, in theory, more likely to perpetuate delirium the fact that my club team has caused me so much consistent pain over the course of my life means that were they to achieve the ultimate goal in club football I would inevitably enjoy it more.

We’ve already begun to accept that the highest quality of football is played by those at club level, are we now starting to accept that this has caused us to care less about national side?

So what matters most in football – club or country? It’s a simple question isn’t it, but there are so many ways of interpreting it, and any number of ways of answering it. Samsung have asked football fans ‘what matters most’ to them. I have added my thoughts to the process and I suggest you do the same by clicking here to be in with a chance to win a whole host of goodies, including a Samsung Smart ES8000 55” TV. Why not join the debate…

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Click here to let Samsung know what matters most to you in football…

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Carlo Ancelotti is ready to rotate his Chelsea players following Sunday's 4-0 rout of Blackpool.

The Blues maintained their 100 per cent record at the top of the Premier League table by seeing off the newly-promoted Seasiders with ease at Stamford Bridge.

Two goals from Florent Malouda and further strikes from Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba wrapped up three comfortable points for the champions.

Speaking afterwards, Ancelotti revealed he is ready to rotate his squad in a bid to keep them fresh for the remainder of the season.

John Terry and Frank Lampard both sat out Sunday's game alongside Nicolas Anelka but all three are expected to return against Manchester City next weekend.

"We will need to use all of our players," said Ancelotti."The squad is so strong that we can change players to offer something different to the team or change the shape if we want to.

"We want to show, during this season, that we can adapt to any game – this can be our strength."

Speaking about upcoming challenges, he added:"We know the next game in the league will be more difficult.

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"It is an important test for us next week but it is also an important test for them.

"We have not played against the top teams but we are playing well. It is necessary for us to do it against the top teams."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

As the end of the transfer window drew nearer on Tuesday, Arsenal fans were becoming increasingly forlorn as their hopes of signing a goalkeeper dwindled by the minute. It became clear early on that Arsene Wenger would not be conducting any business on the final day of the transfer window, but some fans still had a faint hope that the manager would rectify what is a glaringly obvious weak point in his side.

At the start of the summer their were two priority positions that needed strengthening; central defence and goalkeeper. The former was solved, with Wenger bringing in French defenders Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci. It seemed for a long time that the goalkeeping problem would also be solved, with Mark Schwarzer being heavily linked with the club and the Australian himself announcing his desire to move to the Emirates. As the deadline grew closer though, no moves were made and Gunners fans grew more and more concerned at the lack of a signing. Their fears were well founded, and Wenger has taken a huge gamble this season by not signing a new goalkeeper, and it may well be one that comes back to haunt him.

Manuel Almunia has never been a fans favourite, and for a number of years now the vast majority have concluded that he is simply not good enough for a team that should be challenging for the top honours. If his poor form in previous seasons was not enough to convince Wenger, one only had to look at his abject display against Liverpool to be satisfied that the Spaniard should be replaced. Almunia’s immediate understudy Lukasz Fabianski has also failed to impress in his Arsenal career to date, picking up the unfortunate nickname ‘Flapianski’ for his entirely unconvincing performances. Arsenal’s other goalkeepers, Vito Mannone and especially Wojciech Szceszny are tipped for big futures but are still very young, and Wenger obviously does not think they are ready for a season of first team action.

The signing of a goalkeeper was seen by many as a given, surely Wenger could not ignore his current crop of goalkeepers’ shortcomings any longer? Apparently he could. Though for some time it did look like Arsenal fans wishes would come true, with the club being linked to moves for Mark Schwarzer and Shay Given. Given especially would have been a fantastic signing, no longer first choice at Eastlands surely a solid bid would have been considered by Roberto Mancini. Schwarzer is not getting any younger but his performances for Fulham last season were excellent, and he would have been a definite improvement on Almunia. The transfer of a goalkeeper never materialised however, and now Arsenal fans will be desperately hoping Almunia can show some better form than he has done previously.

Arsene Wenger is much loved and rightly so by Arsenal fans, but even his most ardent admirers will be questioning the Frenchman’s decision not to sign a keeper come the end of the season if Arsenal have gone another year without a trophy. Wenger obviously has faith in Almunia, but the Spaniard will have to show a real turn-around in form if he is to justify this. Fabianski and Mannone will have chances to impress this season, but maybe Arsenal’s hottest goalkeeping prospect should be given a chance; Wojciech Szczesny is very highly rated but is only 20 years old. However, Spain number one Iker Casillas started playing regularly for Real Madrid at the age of 18 and if a player is good enough, it does not matter how old they are. In the absence of a top-quality senior goalkeeper, giving Szczesny a chance may be the best way forward for Arsenal this season.

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A welcome addition to the Premier League’s Wag arena – Click on image below to view gallery

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Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen has admitted that Sir Alex Ferguson has been keeping tabs on Lille playmaker Eden Hazard, with a summer transfer move being considered.

The Belgium international is widely acknowledged as one of the most exciting prospects in European football, with the likes of Real Madrid, Inter and Arsenal also interested in signing the attacking midfielder.

With the summer transfer window approaching, the Dutch coach has admitted that the Premier League champions are weighing up a move for Hazard.

“The manager wanted to see [Eden] Hazard by himself. That’s a sign he thinks it’s an interesting player. We talked a lot about him,” he told Voetbal International, translated to English by Mirror Football.

“For a club it’s important that you keep refreshing your squad.

“Hazard is a special talent, but it always takes a while. As example, we followed David de Gea for a long time before we got him.

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“Ferguson wants to know the character of the player. Because of that he’s going to look by himself for players. Hazard is ‘the man’ at Lille. Ferguson wanted to see if that had an influence on him,” he confessed.

By Gareth McKnight

Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano says winning the Europa League would help salvage the club’s season.

The Andalusian club have not enjoyed a successful season and lie eighth in La Liga, a whopping 31 points behind table-toppers Barcelona.

More concerning for manager Gregorio Manzano is that Sevilla – who finished fourth last campaign – are 14 points away from a Champions League spot.

But the season can be saved according to Brazil striker Fabiano, if Sevilla can succeed in Europe.

“Sevilla aren’t having the season that we all expected, and it is difficult,” Luis Fabiano said.

“But people need to overcome the pressure, and realise that the only thing left is the Europa League.”

“We have to give everything in the Europa League. We’ve won it twice and it is a good competition, and Porto will be a tough opponent. We have to stick together, because winning the Europa League would salvage our season.”

Sevilla host Porto on Thursday in the first leg of their round of 32 tie and Manzano is grateful his side are at home first.

“It is better to play the first leg here in Sevilla. I think that it may help us to get a good result, and demand that Porto have to make a big effort in the second leg,” Manzano said.

The Sevilla boss is also wary of the threat Porto pose, with Andre Villas-Boas’ side sitting 11 points clear at the top of Liga Sagres after a hugely successful campaign so far.

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“I’m sure that everyone is backing Porto. We are talking about one of the best teams that we could have drawn,” he said.

“But I also think that they will see us as an opponent who, despite not being in the best of form in the league, are capable of being competitive. When we have found that spark, especially at home in front of our fans, then games like tomorrow’s are in our favour.”

“We want to take a good result to Porto.”

Liverpool moved up to fifth place with a 3-0 win over Wolves at Molineux on Tuesday night.

Second half goals from attacking trio Andy Carroll, Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt sealed the victory for the Merseysiders, and lifted them above Arsenal in the table for the time being.

Reds manager Kenny Dalglish was delighted with the performance and paid tribute to the players: “It was an eventful night’s work. Great credit to the players, they didn’t get carried away with what they had done by getting to Wembley and beating Manchester United.

“This was a thoroughly professional, high quality performance and we thoroughly deserved the victory.

“The attitude and the work-rate was key to the win tonight.

“I thought we had the better chances of the first half, but then once we got the first goal it changes things, but up until then I think we had been playing well enough.

“(Bellamy) scored a great second goal and Dirk Kuyt got his 51st goal for the club so it’s been a good night for us, and great credit to the players.” Sky Sports

Liverpool host Tottenham next at Anfield on Monday night, and will look for another victory to push them towards the top four.

By Gareth McKnight

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Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has stated that the London club are not as strong now as when he played for them, and that the team lack mental strength.

Andre Villas Boas’ men have struggled with inconsistency of late, are 12 points behind league leaders Manchester City and face a struggle to progress to the Champions League knockout stages.

Ballack faced his former employers for Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night in a 2-1 victory for the Bundesliga outfit, and felt that their lack of confidence was evident.

“We knew before the game they were in a difficult moment. But it’s only when you play against a team on the pitch that you see what is really happening and get a clearer picture,” he told Mirror Football.

“We could feel it on the pitch every minute – especially at the beginning of the match – that they were not as strong as they normally are.

“Even when they were 1-0 up, we could sense that – that they didn’t have the strength mentally that they normally have,” he stated.

The German midfielder has admitted that the senior players must guide the Stamford Bridge club through this tricky period, and feels they must work hard to achieve their ambitions.

“I don’t know what is going on in the dressing room. When I was there, I was one of the strong characters, but I think there are enough big players, experienced players, still in the dressing room. It wasn’t just me.

“They have to do it now. You can’t just look at the young players and criticise them. This has to come from the older, experienced players – especially now.

“I played four years for Chelsea and I know how quickly it can go. I had a few managers in that short time!

“So I know it is always difficult for the coach. I know he [Villas-Boas] is young and has ambitions and is a good guy. He had success at his last team.

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“At the moment, it is not that easy for them. But that is not just about the coach, it is about the players too. They have to get out of this situation.

“You have to get back to your roots, to square one. But with the ambitions they have of course it is harder and they are not matching them,” the veteran concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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Manchester United are prepared to enter the race for Brazilian star Ganso according to talkSPORT.

Sir Alex Ferguson has turned his attention to the Sao Paulo midfielder in case he is unsuccessful in his attempts to sign Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder.

The Dutchman’s move to Old Trafford is far from certain and Ganso is being lined up as a back-up plan.

It was thought that the samba star was heading to AC Milan but now it seems the Red Devils and French side Paris Saint-Germain are lining up moves.

Milan were hoping to quickly tie up a £26 million deal for the 21-year-old that would bring him to Italy.

But the news that United are preparing a bid could sway Ganso into moving to England.

PSG are also in the running and could outbid both clubs with the backing of Qatar Sports investments supplying their funds although the choice between Milan and Manchester should be a no brainer.

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Ferguson is keen to strengthen his midfield options after the retirement of Paul Scholes and failed emergence of Darron Gibson. It has left the United boss worried about the strength in depth as he looks to defend the Premier League title in the coming season.