'There's magic in the air'

FC Barcelona may be preparing to contest their tenth European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-final, but rarely can the city have hummed with the same buzz of expectation as it does heading into tonight's opening leg against Chelsea FC.

Favourites
Those previous semi-finals have yielded four victories, while Barça also advanced to the final in 1992 as group winners en route to lifting the first of two European Cups. Josep Guardiola's side are the bookmakers' favourites to get their hands on the trophy when this season's edition concludes in Rome, making this semi-final not just the talk of Catalonia and west London but the world, as a small army of media representatives ready themselves to transmit text and pictures from the Camp Nou around the globe.

Media army
At the stadium tonight there will be 129 journalists from the written press; 79 photographers; 86 radio personnel from 21 stations; 22 television networks transmitting live commentary from the stadium; 360 TV personnel including production teams and technicians; 18 other TV networks looking for post-match quotes; and, in total, 738 accredited media from 29 countries. The action will be covered by a total of 40 TV cameras with another 14 gathering images from pitch-level positions behind the goals.

Sunshine
Fans of both clubs have been enjoying the afternoon sunshine and sangria on the pedestrianised walkways of Las Ramblas, the famous thoroughfare where 125,000 supporters took to the streets to toast Barcelona's most recent European crown in 2006. The Azulgrana faithful will be out in force again tonight, with 22,000 of them urged to hold up cards to form a mosaic of the club crest, and another 50,000 set to be given red, yellow and blue banners.

'Shake with emotion'
Diario Sport, under the headline 'There's magic in the air', said: "The fans' chant of 'Barça, Barça, Barça' needs to be heard louder than ever, so much so that the entire city will shake with rhythm and emotion. Behind the southern goal, the fans have prepared their own huge banner which offers a variant on the 'All roads lead to Rome' theme – 'All victories lead to Rome' is what will greet the teams as they step out on to the pitch."

'Phenomenal players'
El Mundo Deportivo focused on "the unique talents" that will go head to head: "for the Azulgrana, Messi and Iniesta, while the Blues bring Lampard and Drogba. Through the boots of these four phenomenal players will the outcome of tonight's match, and the tie, surely be decided." 'Charge!' read the headline in El País, who predict that "Barcelona's rapid offensive play will be tested by Chelsea's counterattacking punch".

'Immense knowledge'
The talent is not just confined to the pitch, however, El Mundo
Deportivo adding: "Josep Guardiola, a coaching novice who manages with the experience of a past master comes up against the expert Guus Hiddink, whose knowledge of the game is immense." With little seemingly to choose between the teams both on and off the field of play, the stage is set for the players themselves to do the talking.