Champions League Preview: The Draws for the Knockout Stage
The first round of the UEFA Champions League has already finished and the top two teams from each group have moved into the second round of matches. The draws were taken out on Friday, in Zurich, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Switzerland-c3016. There were a lot of
interesting picks with some of the big teams coming against each other. For some teams it would be a far easier rout while the others have a daunting task coming ahead for them.
Arsenal was placed in a precarious position after losing the top spot in their group to Shakhtar Donetsk. There were many big teams who could have drawn against Arsenal, including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Schalke, but the
Gunners were picked against Barcelona. Last season, the Catalans were responsible for Arsenal exit from the tournament; while this time they are again the favourites to win the tie. It is the most difficult match that Arsenal could have expected and Arsene
Wenger, the manager of Arsenal, again fears an early exit for his young side.
Schalke and Shakhtar Donetsk were the two relatively weaker sides placed in this side of the draw, for being the group leaders. Shakhtar drew against AS http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Roma-c31603 while Schalke got Valencia as their opponent, for the next round. These
encounters would not be easy for either Roma or http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Valencia-c40863, especially because of their poor form in their leagues. On the other hand, Shakhtar and Schalke have emerged as the two great teams with a potential to withstand pressure from the heavyweights of Europe.
Another important fixture coming up will be played between http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Inter-c39567 Milan and Bayern Munich. These were the teams who played the final of the tournament, last season, which was won by Inter. This time, Bayern would be planning for
revenge, which is quite possible because of Inter Milan’s lack of form under Rafael Banitez. Inter has dropped unnecessary points in their league, while they failed to get top position in their group as well. Therefore, Bayern Munich would be in a great position
to knock the Champions out of the tournament at an early stage.
Tottenham Hotspurs, the surprising package of English Premier League, was the other team that was placed in Inter Milan’s group. Tottenham had a great start to their Champions League campaign, as they ended their group at the top.
For the second round, Tottenham has been drawn up against another Italian giant, AC Milan. Tottenham is a team struggling in their league, while AC Milan sits on top of the Serie A table. This would definitely play in Milan’s favour which would give them an
upper hand against the Premier League side. However, the second leg will be played at White Hart Lane, which should tilt the advantage towards Tottenham.
Real Madrid would also be trying to avoid a déjà vu in the next round as they face Lyon once again. Madrid would like to forget the memories of last season’s battle against Lyon, where the French giants were responsible for the
elimination of the Los Blancos. This season, however, Madrid has a much better squad and Jose Mourinho, which makes them the favourites for the match. However, Lyon has the potential to create upsets which means that the Madrid players cannot take a rest at
the moment.
Another encounter which can produce an upset is between Marseille and Manchester United. Although, United is defensively very strong and improving in their attack, they are still far away from being the team they used to be in
the past few years. Marseille thus has an equal chance of emerging as a winner, but it would be hard to beat the tactical supremacy of Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of United.
The only match where the winner can be easily predicted will be played between Chelsea and FC Copenhagen. However, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 is also showing poor form in recent weeks which would make it hard for them to make their place into the
quarterfinals.
In short, the next round of the Champions League promises a lot of thrill and excitement. Apparently, there were not any mishaps in the first round which has made the second more interesting. The first leg will be played in February
and the second leg will be played in March, next year.
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