It really doesn’t matter whether you call it soccer or football.

From England to Germany, Spain to France, the eight teams still alive in the long and brutal Champions League tournament are, arguably, the top eight teams in the world. As the lone soccer fan in the state of Maine, I wanted to preview the upcoming games on Tuesday and Wednesday and show you what to look for if you want to start following the great sport of soccer. Here we go.

Chelsea Football Club vs. Paris Saint Germain

This is the second week of the semifinals for the Champions League, which means desperation for some teams while some teams just have to do enough to win. This has never been more true than for this matchup of teams after Chelsea lost 3-1 in Paris last week.

For PSG, their star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic injured his knee late in the first matchup on Wednesday and will be out for the second match in London. As big a blow as this is to PSG, they come prepared with one of the top 15 strikers in the world in Edison Cavani. Behind Cavani is Ezequiel Lavezzi, a top-class attacking midfielder who is superb at getting the strikers of Paris the ball while also being able to get great shots off on goal.

Chelsea faced the same problem that has plagued them all season: a lack of stardom at the striker position. For the first 45 minutes of the match, Chelsea started Andre Shurrle, a German attacking midfielder not accustomed to playing up top for a team. Even though he wasn’t a seasoned striker, the London-based team played their best football with him on the pitch creating chances, and scored their only goal of the game off of an Eden Hazard penalty kick. Fernando

Torres, the striker who replaced Shurrle, did not play well and cost Chelsea many chances. Chelsea let in their second goal in the 61st minute as a cross came in from a PSG player and bounced off the lifted leg of Chelsea defender David Luiz for an own goal and then let in a late 93rd-minute goal by PSG’s Javier Pastore to finish the 3-1 defeat.

The only way Chelsea has a chance in this match is to play their always-solid defense, one that has only given up six goals in the past 17 British Premier League matches, and to push the ball up with Hazard and Brazilian midfielder Oscar. If they can do that and stop PSG from scoring goals without Ibrahimovic, all they have to do is win 2-0 and win on a 3-3 aggregate score — Chelsea scored one away goal in Paris to claim the tiebreaker, baring a goal from PSG in London.

Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund

In a game that features arguably the best player in the world in Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and the defending runner-ups in Dortmund, the result in the first leg of this matchup was not what you’d expect heading in. Dortmund has not been themselves this season in the German Bundesliga nor in the Champions League. Something has been lacking in their squad this year and it showed Wednesday in Madrid.

A quick 3rd-minute snipe by newly acquired Gareth Bale set the tone for a triumphant win. A goal from Isco and Ronaldo each sealed the 3-0 win in a game that all but secured Ronaldo and Madrid’s entrance into the final four teams of the Champions League. Although Dortmund did not score in the first leg, they did not go without chances at goal with German midfielder Marco Reus leading their charge. Starting striker and soon-to-be Bayern Munich player Robert Lewandowski did not play for Dortmund.

Now a three-goal deficit is a difficult mountain to climb, even for a club like Dortmund. Few teams would be able to make up the difference in one game, but don’t count out Manager Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund side. Goals can come fast and quick for the team in yellow, and with a little luck and calls to go their way, I think they stand a chance. Ronaldo is a hard player to stop though, and at 14 tournament goals, the reigning player of the year has yet to show signs of slowing down.

Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich

This was easily the most-shocking result of the 19th week as Bayern, the reigning champions of Europe and newly-crowned 2013-14 Bundesliga Champions, looked to destroy the struggling Reds. United, who barely escaped the previous Round of 16 with a shocking 3-0 victory over Olympiacos, were the heaviest underdogs of the week, and rightly so.

Manchester opened the scoring of the game in the 58th minute off a header from defender Nemanja Vidic to take the 1-0 lead. It should have been the second goal, but earlier in the game United striker Danny Welbeck wrongly had a goal brought back as the line judge called him offside. Bayern’s Bastian Schweinsteiger equaled the score in the 68th minute and that is how it finished. It was shocking to say the least.

I honestly have no way of seeing Manchester keeping the scoring going in Germany on Wednesday. The offensive firepower of Bayern is some of the best in the world. Their midfielders are maybe the best group in the world and their defense and goalkeeper are the best duo in Europe. I predict Bayern to be led by Neur, their goalkeeper, and to put in a couple goals quick then lay back on defense. However, United feels like they have the moxie of an underdog champion, similar to 2012 Champions Chelsea. If United striker Wayne Rooney cannot play because of his bruised toe, you might as well pencil Manchester out of the tournament.

Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona Football Club

In the other Wednesday matchup, the top two teams in La Liga will square off in an all-or-nothing-match for bragging rights, a trip to the final four and momentum for the final push in the Spanish league. Coming into the year, Barcelona looked like the favorites in La Liga, bringing in Neymar, the Brazilian star who everyone in the world wanted to sign. Neymar combined with Lionel Messi, Barcelona’s star and, on par with Ronaldo, the best player in the world. They looked to be the top duo in Europe. Atletico has been a very pleasant surprise this season as striker Diego Costa has led them to the top spot in Spain. Nothing has been able to stop them, thanks in large part to their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who is on-loan from Chelsea this season.

Atletico Madrid started the scoring off in the 56th minute as Diego scored a top-class goal from 30 yards out to beat the Barcelona keeper. With Diego costa out, however, Barcelona was able to stop Atletico’s attacks and tied the game up with Neymar’s strike in the 71st minute. Atletico scored the all-important away goal tiebreaker to put pressure on Barcelona going into Wednesday’s match.

Costa will play a key role, if he plays, in the second leg of this matchup. Courtois will also have to play just as well as he did in the first fixture if Madrid wants to advance past a Barcelona side who is more talented in most areas. I will look for Messi to play like Messi, Neymar to do what he does and for Barcelona to end Atletico’s dream Champions League run.

I expect Barcelona to move on against Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid to advance easily past Dortmund, Chelsea to come back and stun PSG and advance and for Bayern to do enough to beat Manchester United. Because the matchups for each round are chosen at random I cannot speculate on the matchups But how sweet would it be if Chelsea and Bayern got to rematch their 2012 Champions League final, or Barcelona playing against Real Madrid in an El-Clasico final, the biggest rivalry in the world? We can only hope.