Villarreal and Inter hit form

Both Villarreal CF and FC Internazionale Milano were victorious on Saturday as they warmed up for Tuesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg on the east coast of Spain.

Real Zaragoza 0-1 Villarreal CF
Villarreal recovered from suffering their first-ever UEFA Champions League defeat, 2-1 at the San Siro, to record a maiden victory at La Romareda in the Primera División. However, it was by no means a comfortable success at Zaragoza, with the home team pressing hard until Roger García fired the visitors in front from a free-kick in the 44th minute. Diego Forlán passed up the clearest opportunity of the second half as the Uruguayan struck a post in the 69th minute.

With defender Carlos Alcántara (sprained ankle) the only absentee, coach Manuel Pellegrini could have chosen his strongest XI. Instead the Chilean decided to rest Javi Venta and Marcos Senna to allow them to shake off minor calf and groin strains and Juan Román Riquelme. Guillermo Franco, who only recently recovered from a calf injury, was kept on the bench. Fellow substitute José María Romero was introduced in the 18th minute as Antonio Guayre picked up a back injury. Pellegrini said: "Their goal proved elusive for much of the first half but we were much better in the second when we restricted Zaragoza and went close to scoring through Forlán. We didn't have our mind on anything else but this game."

FC Internazionale Milano 3-0 FC Messina Peloro
Santiago Solari marked his return to the Inter starting XI with a stunning display in this comfortable victory in Milan, scoring twice and carrying off the man-of-the-match award. A UEFA Champions League winner in 2002 with Real Madrid CF, Solari, 29, opened the scoring in the 15th minute when lobbing Messina goalkeeper Marco Storari from the edge of the box, and completed it in the 26th when poking the ball in from close range following a corner. Nigerian Obafemi Martins, who scored the winner against Villarreal, headed in a Kily González cross in between those Solari efforts.

Coach Roberto Mancini introduced a number of fringe players for the match, with Francesco Toldo, Javier Zanetti, Iván Córdoba, Walter Samuel, Luís Figo, Dejan Stankovic, Esteban Cambiasso, Juan Sebastián Verón and Adriano all making way. Mancini said: "The reserves performed really well. They're all international players and showed why - I liked our attitude. We started really well and created a number of chances. We now need to repeat this performance against Villarreal." Solari added: "I haven't played much but I have been training hard in anticipation of when I would. We'll have to perform just as well if we want to reach the Champions League semi-finals."