UEFA Champions League: 10 Players to Watch in the Semifinals

Wembley is growing nearer, as the UEFA Champions League prepares for the semi-final stage of the competition. There have been a lot of twists and turns along the way and there'll no doubt be a lot more, so get ready for an amazing couple of weeks.

Here are 10 players you should watch for in the Semi-Finals:

There was never any question as to whether Lionel Messi would be included in this list. No surprise there.

Messi is the heartbeat of a Barca side that plays the most attractive brand of football anywhere in the world, contributing with his sharp turns, sensational runs and overall, constant threat to every defense the Catalan giants have come up against. 

Now facing Real Madrid in the Semi-Finals, Messi will be keen to win the battle of the wingers between him and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Messi, a massive threat to Real Madrid's Champions League aspirations. 

After a troublesome couple of months, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has finally found his feet again with a couple of crucial of goals in recent weeks.

Rooney scored a massive goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a goal that made a major difference in the end. He's once again showing his famous first touch and neat finishes and will be looking to build upon that when United take on Schalke. 

It would be fair to say that Schalke have been the surprise package of the competition so far, the highlight of course being their comprehensive 5-2 win over Inter at the San Siro.

This man, Jefferson Farfan has been an extremely influential figure in Schalke's mind-bottling form in the Champions League with his ability to link up the midfield to attacking duo, Raul and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

Although a move to Juventus in the summer could be on the cards, expect Farfan to trouble the brittle Manchester United defense time and time again.

Barcelona will be faced with the tough task of keeping out Emmanuel Adebayor when they face Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals. 

Adebayor played a starring role in Madrid's 4-0 thrashing of Spurs last week, firing home two superb goals and troubling Tottenham all night with his powerful aerial presence.

Look out for Emmanuel Adebayor.

Yes. What a surprise. 

Cristiano Ronaldo will also be a key figure in Real Madrid's Champions League aspirations when they take on Barcelona.

Not much more needs to be said there.

Javier Hernandez is rated highly, but not highly enough in my opinion. 

He has saved Manchester United from the grips of defeat with classy strikes time and time again, and without Hernandez, one could say that United would definitely not be at the top of the Premier League or contesting for a spot at Wembley. 

Hernandez is a massive threat to Schalke's bid to go through to the final.

Another obvious inclusion in this list is Barcelona and Spain midfielder, Andrés Iniesta.

He's already proved his quality, now is his time to shine, once again.

Xabi Alonso has been another outstanding performer for Real Madrid this season, having controlled his team's ties right from the outset with dominant displays in the middle of the park. 

Once again, Madrid will be relying on Alonso to deliver against Barcelona, to fight the forces of Iniesta, Messi and co. 

Big game needed from Alonso.

Edu has been another brilliant performer for Schalke in their quest for Champions League glory this season. 

The Brazilian striker is a relatively new arrival in Germany, having arrived from Suwon Bluewings in 2010. But in his short time in Gelsenkirchen he has made an excellent impression with his swift turns and incredible pace. He poses a serious threat to Manchester United's Champions League hopes.

Speedy Brazilian wing-back Dani Alves will hope to take control of his right flank when Barca take on Madrid. 

Alves is well known for his ability to run down the flank, to either cut inside and shoot or cross the ball. And the most dangerous thing is, these runs can come from nowhere.

Expect to be entertained by Alves and his Barcelona teammates all night long.