TheSportsCampus

The Worlds Favourite Playground

Wednesday, Feb 08th

Last update:02:14:37 AM GMT

Headlines:
You are here: Football European News Champions League Round of 16 Draw: Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge, Beckham to face Man Utd!

Champions League Round of 16 Draw: Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge, Beckham to face Man Utd!

E-mail Print
User Rating: / 4
PoorBest 
jose_mourinho.jpgThe Path to Madrid took shape for the 16 teams that qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League, with the draw for the Round of 16 taking place in Nyon. Jose Mourinho will face former side Chelsea, who's current boss Carlo Ancelloti will return to the San Siro, while David Beckham got his wish of facing Manchester United for the first time since leaving the Red Devils for Real Madrid in 2003. TheSportsCampus.com takes a look at all the fixtures:

VfB Stuttgart vs Barcelona
A reasonable draw for the European (and possibly Club World Cup) Champions. With this being the first fixture to be confirmed, there must have been a number of sighs of r elief amongst the gathering, thankful for not having to face a Barca side that has 3 of the Top 5 players in the World (according the the Ballon d'Or votes). If you have some money to waste, bet on Stuttgart, you'd get a great return if they do manage to pull off what would then be known as one of the biggest shocks ever.

Olympiakos vs Bordeaux
Bordeaux have been very impressive ever since Laurent Blanc took over, ending Lyon's hold on the French League title last season and leading again this year. So much so that Blanc is tipped by many to take over at Manchester United from Sir Alex Ferguson when the Scot finally retires. Olympiakos isn't always an easy place to visit, but Bordeaux should go through without any real hiccup.

Inter Milan vs Chelsea
The biggest clash in the Round of 16 will see the current League leaders from England and Italy facing off. Jose Mourinho will face his former side for the first time (competitively) since leaving Stamford Bridge, and despite his close relationship with a number of his former players, would love to delay Roman Abramovich's dream of winning the Champions League by at least another year. Carlo Ancelloti also returns to the San Siro, after leaving AC Milan in the summer for the Blues.

Bayern Munich vs Fiorentina
Bayern were amongst the number of heavyweights that entered the draw unseeded, and would be more than grateful for being drawn against Fiorentina. Sure the Italians emerged victorious in a group consisting of Liverpool and Lyon, but their mentality was called into question by a number of experts who believed they were petrified with the prospect of having to go to Anfield to battle for a place in the Last 16, should they have failed to beat Lyon at home in their penultimate group game.

CSKA Moscow vs FC Sevilla
Probably the least inspiring of the fixtures, it seems like one of those ties where the team would be looking to just manage to stay in the competition for one more round for the financial benefits. CSKA have lost their dominance in the Russian league, and Sevilla should be able to nick this.

Lyon vs Real Madrid
Karim Benzema will face the teammates he left in the summer to become a Galactico. Lyon haven't been at their best the last couple of seasons, and will face a tough time against Ronaldo and co, who have the additional motivation of the Final being held at the Santiago Bernebau. The best chance for Lyon would probably be to try and nick this tie on the away goals rule.

FC Porto vs Arsenal
David Giles, Arsenal's General Secretary, summed up the draw for the Gunners by saying he was "pleased" to face FC Porto. Despite the Portuguese club having won the tournament not so long ago, they have hardly been a force in the competitions since then. If Porto do make it through, expect celebrations like the ones we saw in 2004 at Old Trafford (minus Mourinho's run down the touchline).

AC Milan vs Manchester United
Manchester United return to the San Siro for the Round of 16 for the second year running, after facing Inter Milan last season at the same stage. United's last away defeat in the competition came at AC Milan in May 2007, when the Red Devils lost 3-0 to a Kaka inspired Milan side in the semis. But the tables have turned since. Milan's ageing squad has been struggling, even failing to make the Champions League last season, while Kaka has left for Real Madrid. It's a tricky tie, but United should make it through.

File Photograph Copyright: Steindy