Champions League Draw

[Duckman]

Chelsea v Juventus


Villarreal v Panathinaikos


Sporting Lisbon v Bayern Munich


Atletico Madrid v FC Porto


Lyon v Barcelona


Real Madrid v Liverpool


Arsenal v Roma


Inter Milan v Manchester United

Some cracking ties in there lads.  Best of the bunch I think is Inter vs Man Utd.  Jose vs Sir Alex was always a good battle, plus it'll be interesting to see if Inter are as shite as they were last season when they faced someone decent.

I think Liverpool can beat Real as Madrid are just getting their shit together at the moment.

Arsenal and Roma could go either way I think.

Chelsea have been pretty poor in the Champs League so far, but Juve aren't the force they once were so I think they could get through.

I predict 3 out of the 4 English teams go through.

Thoughts, opinions, etc?

Peace

Duckman

[Rob]

This is the first time ever I've actually been interested in all of the last 16 matches. Every single team there has a real chance of going through to the final I think. I'm especially excited about Man U vs Inter and Liverpool vs Real Madrid. I think Sporting Lisborn are going to be the shock team of the last 16 though.

[Duckman]

I also like Athletic Madrid as an outside bet to do something decent this year.  They've shown against Liverpool they've got a ton of ability, just need to bring it all together at the right time.

Sergio Augerio FTW!

Peace

Duckman

[Ian "Wolfie" Trumps]

I think the English teams might struggle to be fair.

[Duckman]

The bookies have all the English teams odds on favourites which is just stupid.

This could be the best Champions League last 16 for a long time!  Roll on February.

Peace

Duckman

[Robbie V]

I'm a bit late lol but thought I'd contribute a little something.

Some great ties in there as you said. I reckon Inter/Utd or Real/Liverpool will be tie of the round, and I honestly think all 4 English teams will go through. If less than 3 go through I'll be shocked. From the start I've been torn between United and Barcelona for my pick to win it all, maybe after this round it'll be clearer.

[Kenfucius]

My predictions...

Chelsea v. Juventus

Say what you like about Chelsea (I generally do), but Juve are just not the team the were a few years ago, plus, with the exception of Milan, Italian club sides have been poor in Europe all decade, their shocking performance in the Euro Championships in the summer is indicative of most Italian teams these days, there's too much reliance on players who are past their best.

Depending on the draw though, I don't see them going any further than the last 8.

Villareal v. Panathanaikos

Marcos Senna, Guiseppe Rossi, and a fit again Nihat. Enough said.

Don't be surprised if they sneak into the semis, either. Remember, this is the team that split Real and Barcelona last year in La Liga.

Sporting Lisbon v. Bayern Munich

Lisbon are weaker than they have been in the past few years, even with players like Veloso in their team. Bayern, after Zenit gave them a pounding in the UEFA Cup last year have a point to prove in European football. It'll be tight, but I think Munich progress, though probably go no further, again, depending on who they draw there.

Athletico Madrid v. FC Porto

Athletico have a frightening amount of quality to them. Honestly. Plus, so many of their major players are still to hit the prime of their careers. Porto, on the other hand, just don't have the same amount of class to their team that they had in the Jose years.

Athletico make the semis.

Lyon v. Barcelona

Barca are my pick to go all the way this time around. They're running away with La Liga this season, and they've got all the tools needed to win the CL this year as long as they can keep their form going. Plus, they bought Dani Alves in the summer, and he's so good it's criminal.

Real Madrid v. Liverpool

I know thyey're top of the Premiership. I know they've been a team to fear in this competition in recent years, but I'm just not convinced by Liverpool. Also, the fact that they're legit contenders in the Premiership for the first time since the year dot will probably work against them, as opposed to for them.

Real also tend to either be great in La Liga or the CL. Always one, rarely neither, never both. They aren't great in La Liga this year, but they have too many quality players to flunk out of this, plus, with young guns like Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Gago, Royston Drenthe and Marcelo starting to come onto form, they'll want to prove their ability on the big stage and make themselves known to their respective international bosses.

Real make the semis at least.

Arsenal v. Roma

People remember the 7-1 doing Roma took against Man Utd, they forget that Roma won the other leg of that tie, and that freak result aside, are generally very tough opponents to break down.  Arsenal, meanwhile, are nowhere near being the team they CAN be, and will still have WIlliam Gallas as their captain, which is like getting the salt and sugar mixed up in your morning coffee.

Roma edge it, and probably no further than the last 8.

Inter v. Man Utd

Inter are perpetual let downs in the CL, Man Utd are one of the best teams in Europe, and while he doesn't grab many league goals, Berbatov has made a career out of being an assassin in European competition. I expect Man Utd to progress all the way to the final, and the only way I can see Inter even running this close is if Ibrahimovic have career defining games. It should be noted that he has really matured in the last year or two, he's not as big a prima donna anymore, so that may be a potential threat.

Man Utd lose a close final to Barcelona if they're kept seperate, if they meet sooner, the winner over two legs goes on to lift the trophy.