OK, we have been through the group stages of the UEFA Champions League. We are now into the first knockout round, i.e. round of 16. As usual, matches will be played on a home & away basis. The first knockout ties are set out below. Winners advance to the quarter-finals:
Chelsea (England) v Juventus (Italy)
Villarreal (Spain) v Panathinaikos (Greece)
Sporting CP (Portugal) v Bayern Munich (Germany)
Atletico Madrid (Spain) v Porto (Portugal)
Lyon (France) v Barcelona (Spain)
Real Madrid (Spain) v Liverpool (England)
Arsenal (England) v Roma (Italy)
Internazionale Milan (Italy) v Manchester United (England)
I actually saw the draw for the knockout stage live from a hotel in Brunei back in December last year (when I stayed in Brunei overnight on the way to KL). I remember feeling reliefed that Barcelona managed to avoid, say, Arsenal, Chelsea or Inter, while acknowledging that Lyon would not be a cakewalk. I also remembered being stunned that Liverpool have been drawn against Real Madrid - these are 2 giants of the European game. I also remembered feeling slightly astonished that Manchester Utd were drawn against Inter, given the rivalry between United boss Alex Ferguson & Inter coach Jose Mourinho from Mourinho's days as Chelsea coach.
Anyhow, without further ado, I think the following teams will go through to the quarter-finals:
Chelsea
Villarreal
Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid
Barcelona
Real Madrid
Arsenal
Inter Milan
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