LONDON, April 24 (Reuters) – Chelsea are in the last chance saloon as far as a trophy goes and Fernando Torres, complete with his ‘Mask of Zorro’, must continue his recent improvement in swashbuckling style in Thursday’s Europa League semi-finals.

Fenerbahce welcome Benfica in their first leg while European champions Chelsea face a tricky trip to Basel without the cup-tied Demba Ba, meaning fellow striker Torres will take up the fight as the Londoners chase Europe’s second prize.

LONDON (Reuters) – A double by the mercurial Lionel Messi helped Barcelona reach the Champions League last eight by overhauling AC Milan’s two-goal first-leg lead while Galatasaray joined them with a win at Schalke 04 on Tuesday.

Milan managed a surprise 2-0 win at the San Siro last month to stun Barca but the competition favourites stormed back with a mesmerising 4-0 win in the return match to grab a 4-2 aggregate victory as World Player of the Year Messi led by example.

LONDON (Reuters) – A double by the mercurial Lionel Messi helped Barcelona reach the Champions League last eight by overhauling AC Milan’s two-goal first-leg lead while Galatasaray joined them with a win at Schalke 04 on Tuesday.

Milan managed a surprise 2-0 win at the San Siro last month to stun Barca but the competition favourites stormed back with a mesmerising 4-0 win in the return match to grab a 4-2 aggregate victory as World Player of the Year Messi led by example.

LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) – A double by the mercurial Lionel Messi helped Barcelona reach the Champions League last eight by overhauling AC Milan’s two-goal first-leg lead while Galatasaray joined them with a win at Schalke 04 on Tuesday.

Milan managed a surprise 2-0 win at the San Siro last month to stun Barca but the competition favourites stormed back with a mesmerising 4-0 win in the return match to grab a 4-2 aggregate victory as World Player of the Year Messi led by example.

LONDON (Reuters) – Rafael Benitez is well-known for his “Rafa rants” and his latest tirade against employers Chelsea could further damage his reputation and chances of finding another job.

His blast after Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth round win at second tier Middlesbrough has already led to media speculation that he will be asked to leave earlier than the end of the season when his short-term deal runs out.

LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Rafael Benitez is well-known for his “Rafa rants” and his latest tirade against employers Chelsea could further damage his reputation and chances of finding another job.

His blast after Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth round win at second tier Middlesbrough has already led to media speculation that he will be asked to leave earlier than the end of the season when his short-term deal runs out.

LONDON (Reuters) – Two months ago few could have imagined a Premier League clash between Manchester City and Chelsea would have little bearing on the title race yet Sunday’s fixture is likely to be eclipsed by top against bottom battles.

With 12 games left, champions City are 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester United, who visit bottom side Queens Park Rangers on Saturday (3:00 p.m), while third-placed Chelsea are a further four points behind.

LONDON (Reuters) – Two months ago few could have imagined a Premier League clash between Manchester City and Chelsea would have little bearing on the title race yet Sunday’s fixture is likely to be eclipsed by top against bottom battles.

With 12 games left, champions City are 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester United, who visit bottom side Queens Park Rangers on Saturday (1500 GMT), while third-placed Chelsea are a further four points behind.

LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Two months ago few could have imagined a Premier League clash between Manchester City and Chelsea would have little bearing on the title race yet Sunday’s fixture is likely to be eclipsed by top against bottom battles.

With 12 games left, champions City are 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester United, who visit bottom side Queens Park Rangers on Saturday (1500 GMT), while third-placed Chelsea are a further four points behind.

LONDON (Reuters) – Long-serving Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger can do very little to salvage even pride from what looks like being another trophyless season after Tuesday’s 3-1 Champions League home defeat by Bayern Munich.

The last-16 first-leg loss exposed the lack of strength in depth which has contributed to the Londoners going out of both domestic cup competitions, lying fifth in the Premier League and looking poised to bow out of Europe.