Hamburg - Holders Barcelona travel to Liverpool for Tuesday's Champions League showdown in good heart - but in poor form, and needing to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg in Spain. The good news for coach Frank Rijkaard is that - after six months of injury problems - he now has a fully fit squad and no suspensions.
The bad news is that is team is in poor form, without their usual sparkle and leaking goals alarmingly.
The experiment of playing with three central defenders and two wing-backs away to Sevilla on Saturday was rewarded with a 2-1 defeat, which knocks Barca off the top of the Spanish table.
Neither was the experiment of playing Argentine teenager Lionel Messi out on the left wing a success. In fact it was a terrible evening for the Spanish Champions, who finished the match with nine men following the dismissals of Ludovic Giuly and Gianluca Zambrotta.
Messi will probably be on the bench on Tuesday, with Giuly, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o starting up front.
Eto'o is still not a hundred per fit after being out for four months following a cartilage operation.
Even so, Rijkaard is hoping that his pace and determination will upset the Liverpool defence.
On Sunday evening Rijkaard announced his Liverpool squad and raised eyebrows by leaving out Giovanni Van Bronkchorst, his usual first-choice at left-back.
The other players left out are Brazilians Thiago Motta and Juliano Belletti, hero in last year's triumph.
The other three ties Tuesday are finely balanced after all three first-leg ties finished in draws.
Valencia will be trying to overcome in-form Inter having played out a 2-2 draw in Milan but will be without suspended captain David Albelda.
However, keeper Santiago Canizares and winger Vicente Rodriguez are fit again.
On Sunday Vicente - who will probably be sub on Tuesday - said that "we should not be afraid of Inter, though they are a strong team."
Fellow striker Fernando Morientes claimed that "Inter are the team in the best form throughout Europe...but they are not unbeatable, and they do have defects."
This will be Inter's fourth visit to Mestalla within five years but the Serie A leaders will be weakened by the absences of injured Frenchman Patrick Vieira and Argentina's Esteban Cambiasso.
Coach Roberto Mancini will will have Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Argentinian Hernan Crespo up front while Brazilian Adriano should be on the bench despite a pulled muscle.
Mancini, however, can count on the always reliable Argentinian Julio Cruz as substitute striker and on the finally fit Uruguayan Alvaro Recoba.
Serb midfield mainstay Dejan Stankovic is also injured, but will do his best to at least start the game despite a swollen ankle.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho welcomes his former club Porto to Stamford Bridge with the tie finely poised at 1-1.
Blues captain John Terry is still recovering from the head injury he suffered in the Carling Cup final victory over Arsenal while Khalid Boulahrouz is fit again after missing three weeks due to a dislocated shoulder.
AS Roma travel to French side Olympique Lyon with all to play for after the first leg in the Italian capital finished scoreless.
Roma defender Philippe Mexes remains confident despite the draw at the Stadio Olimpico.
"When I played with Auxerre, I never managed to beat Lyon," the French defender said. "Now I am convinced this is the right time. They fear us, but we don't fear them, because we have nothing to lose."
