UEFA Champions League Round of 16 (Part 1)

[English Football]

The eaggerly ancticipated draw was held in Nyon, Switzerland late this past December and has produced some mouth watering match-ups. The ties are as follows:

Chelsea - Juventus
Villarreal - Panathinaikos
Sporting - Bayern
Atletico Madrid - FC Porto
Lyon - Barcelona
Real Madrid - Liverpool
Arsenal - Roma
Inter - Manchester United

The first of which pits super rich Londoners Chelsea against the resurgent and in form Turinos of Juventus. The bianconeri will be confident heading into the tie as they have took Serie A by storm once again this term and are believable title contenders in 09. They sit 6 points behind leaders Inter but they will definitely be back in Europe's elite competitionnext term. Chelsea however have been under pressure as of late with the club`s owner reportedly putting the London outfit up for sale. The club is under massive scrutiny with little to no funds seemingly available for the winter transfer market and 3 draws of their 4 final games in the EPL to finish off the year. The Londoners do however sit in 2nd place in the EPL and are once again in the title chase there but their squad has not been hitting the heights as of late and will be under pressure to deliver for first year coach Luis Felipe Scolari. In current form Juve deserves a slight edge but only time will tell as the ties edge nearer and nearer.

Preditcion: 3-2 Juventus moving on.

The second fixture produced is the yellow submarine of Villareal against Greek giants Panathinaikos. The Spaniards will feel confident they can move on past the Greeks but as many a team have discovered, Athens is a very difficult venue to escape with three points from. Villareal currently sit 6th in La Liga but a few key upcoming fixtures including games against Real Madrid and Valencia may make or break their drive for Champions League football again next term. The Greeks however are in their usual spot of top 3 and should come away with a European place for next year as has become tradition in Athens. This tie is definitely one of the lower key ones of this draw but it could be one of the toughest to call as each club has it strengths but also has its glaring weaknesses. VIllareal has great attacking play and a resurgent Giuseppe Rossi is scoring at will but their defence is shaky and ever aging with key holding midfield man Marcos Senna also becoming unsettled amidst transfer rumours from Manchester City and their massive transfer kitty rumoured at £100 million. The yellow submarine should be able to stay a float through these rough waters and come through the tie victorious.

Prediction: 4-2 Villareal moving on.

Next we have Portuguese title challengers Sporting against Bavarian giants Bayern Munchen. This tie seems all but wrapped up but is it really? yes it is. The Germans should have little to no problems overpowering the significantly smaller andless talented side from Lisbon. Sporting has a few young gems once again with Liedson and Miguel Veloso but they should be no match for the likes of Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni and French superstar Franck Ribery. There are a few transfer rumours swirling around Munich but Juergen Klinsman has his side in sparkling form and on pace for another Bundesliga title as they are currently tied at the top of the table with unknown TSG Hoffenheim. The shear attacking quality of Bayern should see them through the tie andinto the next round where things will undoubtedly get much harder for them.

Prediction: 5-1 Bayern advance.

We continue with Atheltico Madrid against another Portuguese side in FC Porto. The Spanish side have been playing reasonably consistent all season and have reached a thrid place position in the table at years end, but more significantly are 1 point above cross town rivals Real Madrid. The driving force of this side is their attack andtheir ability to score for fun at times with strike force of Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero. Porto are currently third in Portugal but are only 2 points behind leaders Benfica. The club have had mixed results in Europe this campaign but finished off with a crucial 2-0 victory over Arsenal, which gave them first place in group G. The Portuguese have some bright talents of their own in Lisandro Lopez and Lucho Gonzalez who are both scoring domestically and in Europe. This tie should be fairly tight andvery competitively battled by both squads making it very difficult to predict. On current form I have to give the advantage to Athletico becausewhile both teams are third in their respective leagues, La Liga is far more difficult than its Portuguese counter part.

Prediction: 5-3 Athelico move on.

[English Football]

The first of our scintillating ties emerges! Olympique Lyonnais who have won Ligue 1 championships ever season since 2002 against the Catalan European heavy weights of Barcelona. Both sides are once again dominating their domestic leagues and should claim another title each. Lyon have absolutely cleaned up in France over the last decade and seem to be challengers for European glory every term but they always slip up and under perform in the knockout phases somewhere along the road. Barcelona however have a Champions League title to their names from only 3 years ago when they beat English side Arsenal in the final coincidentally in France. The Spanish giants have been lighting up La Liga once again and currently have a 10 point lead over Sevilla, while they also took 13 points from 6 group phase fixtures. They look on course to once again possibly claim the domestic / European double but will Lyon be accommodating? I dare say no! The French champions will have been in great form again this campaign and will make Barcelona earn absolutely everything they get from these two fixtures. However, one thing from the past that will heavily discourage Lyon fans is that they have an uncanny knack for disappointing when it counts on the continent and rarely begin the calendar year in the same mood they are in before the Christmas break. I can't wait to watch it unfold but as for now Barcelona are the favorites to emerge from the tie.

Prediction: 3-1 Barcelona advance.

Once again we're treated to what should be a barn burner with Spanish Galacticos Real Madrid against surprise EPL leaders Liverpool. The Spaniards have been somewhat disappointing so far this year with two massive losses to Juventusin the group phase to only finish second in the group and a very mediocre 5th place current standing in La Liga. The Mersey side club however are in a great vain of form and have a 3 point lead over Chelsea a top the Premier League table anddominated group D with14 points from 6 games. There are so many talking points with these massive draws but it really all depends on form come February and injury problems if any surface. At the time being Liverpool are seen as the heavy favorites to advance but over the years we have all learned that the Madristas can never be counted out, the last example being their comeback championship season two years ago. European experience can not be overlooked in this tie as most of the Madrid lineup are international stars and Champions League veterans where as Liverpool has been in two finals since 2005 and has been very consistent in the tournament. All in all the tie looks to be up for grabs and let's hope it's moments of class and brilliance that win it rather than refereeing decisions or own goals. This should live up to the hype and be a classic for everyone to witness!

Prediction: Liverpool advance 4-3.

Next we have Italian giants AS Roma against a slumping Arsenal. The Italians have been on a roll since their early season disasters and ahvereally turned it around in Serie A moving well clear of the relegation zone andqualifying top of their group ahead of last seasons runners-up in Chelsea. The did this by winning their final 3 games including a 3-1 trouncing of the Londoners in Rome on match-day 4. Arsenal are also having troubles this season as they have been very inconsistent in England andare in danger of being pushed out of the 'Big Four' by Aston Villa. The club did however manage to qualify for the knockout stages but could not hold onto top spot, being ousted by one point by FC Porto. The Gunners have been hit with some key injuries during the season and are currently without their talisman Fabregas and still unable to call on long term injury Eduardo but that isn't even the worst part for them. Their defence has been anything but solid this term with Senderos leaving, Toure wanting out, Gallas being pushed out and Shay Given being strongly linked with a January move to between the pipes at The Emirates. The club is in some turmoil at the moment and will take a lot of courage and even some luck for Wenger's youngens to push on through it and keep their season going. The Romans will probably be without Totti as Arsenal will be without Fabregas unlessboth can make speedy recoveries ahead of schedule so it will be up to the rest of the squads to step up in a time of need. Arsenal are historically tough to beat at Ashburton Grove but Roma has shown they can beat the very best at home this season, so the tie depends on who can dominate more and finish on their home soil.

Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 winners.

Now for the tie of the round with Italian Champions Internazionale vs English and European Champions Manchester United! This tie will be amazing, no doubt. From touch line to touch line, check that, from bench to bench with Fergie vs The Special One! Their history alone makes this an enticing event but then when we pit the two sides it becomes even greater. Both clubs are in solid standing domestically with Inter currently holding a 6 point edge on second place Juve and United 7 points back of league leaders but with two games in hand that they should win. Utd did their part and won group E with relative ease having backed off the peddle after the first three victories but Inter amazingly did not win their group. The Italian giants lost out to Greek side Panathinaikos for honours in the group and now face the consequences. Both sides are in great form and will feel confident that they can move on but each side has enough world class players that can change the game in one sparkling moment so it is setting up to be on a knife's edge! United have some massive games coming up including against Chelsea so Ferguson will have his squad peaking come February and Mourinho will be dyeing to kill of his critics in Milan and put one past old nemesis Fergie and the Reds. Both squads are bursting with talent but which set of stars will show up when it all counts? Inter's did not last season against the likes of Liverpool but Utd's did time and time again, will this season be the same or will the Nerazzurri finally reach a final? This is the tie of the round and should produce two of the greatest Champions League matches of the decade!

Prediction: Utd advance 3-2 winners.