UEFA Champions League: Projecting the Winner of Each Last 16 Tie

After a two-month break that has left some of world football's biggest fanbases (and even fans on the outside looking in) boiling with anticipation, the UEFA Champions League returns on Tuesday for the beginning of the long, challenging process of naming a European club champion.

76 clubs from 52 European nations began this tournament with the same goal in mind: being crowned the greatest team in Europe and being given the chance to be crowned world champions this December at the FIFA Club World Cup.

After 96 matches and 254 goals, the competition has dwindled to 16 clubs with their eye on the prize.

The list includes some of the most historic clubs in football. The two most successful clubs in the competition's history feature, as expected. Real Madrid are looking for a record 10th title while AC Milan will be looking to close the gap with an eighth title.

Barcelona will be going for the Badge of Honor as they currently sit on four titles, three of them in the last six seasons. They will be looking to be the first team in the history of the new format (1992-present) to win back-to-back titles. AC Milan were the last club to do so, winning the 1989 and 1990 European Cups.

Bayern Munich will be looking to reach the final on their home ground and other powers include Arsenal, Inter Milan, Chelsea and regular competitors Olympique Lyonnais.

Italy lead the way with three representatives in the round. Germany, England, Spain, Russia and France each have two. Portugal, Cyprus and Switzerland each have one.

The round of 16 is filled with regular powers and teams not normally expected to feature this late in the tournament, making this a very interesting set of matches that are about to be played.

The format hasn't changed: two matches, one home and one away, with the team that scores the most advancing. This format holds through the semifinals.

So with the final 16 upon us, what teams can we expect to make the quarterfinals of the most prestigious tournament in club football?

FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS) vs. S.L. Benfica (POR)

Benfica are not a surprise qualifier for this phase of the tournament, but they were not expected to be seeded as a group winner.

The Portuguese club won Group C with 12 points, going unbeaten through the six-game group stage. They drew twice against powerhouse Manchester United, who as a result failed to make the last 16 of the competition and will be playing in the Europa League.

Zenit advanced from the strange Group G that saw the two favorites, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk, fail to qualify and the Russians were able to capture second place behind APOEL Nicosia.

This will surely be one of the less-talked-about fixtures of the round, but it should provide a bit of entertainment, particularly from Benfica.

The Eagles have an unbeaten record in both the Portuguese Liga and the Champions League and that could likely hold true through this round. Oscar Cardozo's firepower up front and Nicolas Gaitan's ability to feed the attackers could make things miserable for Zenit over the two matches.

Winner: Benfica

AC Milan (ITA) vs. Arsenal FC (ENG)

This is arguably the most intriguing matchup of the round and is a rematch of a fixture from the same round in the 2007-08 tournament.

AC Milan, seven-time winners of this competition, currently sit in first place in Serie A (albeit with two matches in hand) and come into this round after finishing second to Barcelona in Group H.

Arsenal have had a decent season after the loss of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy to the transfer market. They are fourth in the Premier League in England and won Group F of the Champions League by a point over Marseille.

The two sides repeat the 2007-08 last 16, when Arsenal scored twice in the dying minutes of the second leg at the San Siro to win 2-0 on aggregate.

AC Milan in recent history have been easy to write off. Their aging midfield and weak spots on defense were enough to make doubters of anybody and rightfully so.

Times have changed and with attacking firepower like Alexandre Pato, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Antonio Nocerino and Kevin-Prince Boateng, as well as reserves such as Maxi Lopez, Robinho and Stephan El Shaarawy, Milan have the best attack in Italy and one of the best in the world.

The numbers both home and away also favor Milan, who are comfortable playing anywhere. Remember, this is a team that drew Barcelona at Camp Nou without Ibrahimovic.

Arsenal have a solid team, but head-to-head against their toughest competitors they have struggled.

Will Tidey has Milan as the third-most-likely team to win the competition this season. At their best, they can certainly contend.

Winner: AC Milan

Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) vs. APOEL Nicosia (CYP)

APOEL came out of nowhere to win Group G, a group that was supposed to be dominated by Porto and Shakhtar. Their big win over Porto was the difference between first place in the group and a trip to the Europa League.

Lyon are no strangers to this part of the competition. This is their ninth straight trip to the last 16 of the competition, meaning they have been every season since the format of the knockout rounds changed, eliminating the second group stage.

The French giants are struggling in their domestic league, but they have done well in Europe, escaping a group this season that featured Real Madrid and Ajax Amsterdam.

It was cool to talk about APOEL getting this far into the competition, but in the end, they could easily get blown out in this fixture.

Lyon have too much for APOEL to handle. Led by Bafetimbi Gomis and Lisandro Lopez up top and given the kind of season Hugo Lloris is having in net, don't expect APOEL to have much of a chance in this one.

Winner: Olympique Lyonnais

Bayer Leverkusen (GER) vs. FC Barcelona (SPA)

Bayer Leverkusen hung tight with Chelsea throughout the group stage, failing to win the group by only a single point, earning them second place in Group E and a date with Barcelona.

There's only so much you can say about Barcelona. They are the reigning champions, have won three times in the last six years and are looking to join Real Madrid, Milan and Liverpool as the only clubs with five titles in the competition's history.

They are the best team in the world, so it is very difficult to bet against Barcelona.

With all of their star power, including Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, David Villa, Cesc Fabregas and many more, Barcelona are capable of beating everybody.

The world champions are the most likely team to win the competition this season, but there is still a lot of football to play.

Winner: Barcelona

Olympique Marseille (FRA) vs. FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)

Olympique Marseille reached the last 16 by way of second place in Group F behind Arsenal, while Inter Milan struggled at times, but won a very easy Group B.

Both sides have had their struggles this season. Marseille, generally the giants in France with Lyon, trail Paris Saint-Germain by 12 points in Ligue 1 while Inter went from being 17th in Serie A in December to now being fifth, 11 points behind AC Milan.

This could be a very close tie.

With stars on each side, both teams have reason to believe that they can advance. Marseille will be relying heavily on Lucho Gonzalez, Andre Ayew, Loic Remy and Mathieu Valbuena among others. Inter will need their front men such as Diego Milito, Giampaolo Pazzini and Diego Forlan to step up.

This is one of the more difficult matchups to pick, but in the end, Inter Milan will likely prevail. Claudio Ranieri has done wonders with the club, which seemed too old to accomplish anything.

A combination of hardened veterans like Javier Zanetti and Julio Caesar with energetic youngsters like Ricardo Alvarez and Yuto Nagatomo has Inter playing very well and could have the 2010 European champions back in the quarterfinals.

Winner: Inter Milan

FC Basel (SUI) vs. FC Bayern Munich (GER)

FC Basel shocked Europe and the world by qualifying for the last 16 along with Benfica in a group which last season's runners-up Manchester United were supposed to run away with. The four points the Swiss champions earned against the Red Devils were vital to relegating the giants to the Europa League.

Bayern Munich...well, they're Bayern Munich. The German giants are in the mix every single season and especially this season, they cannot be ruled out for a second trip to the final in three seasons.

With this season's final being played at the majestic Allianz Arena, the superstar cast of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Frank Ribery, Arjen Robben, Mario Gomez, Manuel Neuer and company will be looking to get the chance to hoist the trophy in front on their home pitch to break what is currently a 10-season drought since the last time the four-time champions won the prestigious trophy.

In what was considered the Group of Death this season, Bayern Munich found very little trouble, taking 13 of a possible 18 points, with their only blemishes being a draw and loss away from home. They easily beat out Napoli, Manchester City and Villareal for Group A supremacy.

They have looked very good in the always-competitive Bundesliga, trailing title holders Borussia Dortmund by only two points. They have dominated their way to a plus-35 goal difference, a testament to not only Mario Gomez's amazing 18 goals, but that great defensive tradition that has made Bayern Munich—and German football in general—so special.

If Bayern Munich score in Basel, it's over. It seems unlikely that Basel keep Bayern off the board, meaning this one could be over before they even kick off in Germany.

Winner: Bayern Munich

PFC CSKA Moscow (RUS) vs. Real Madrid CF (SPA)

CSKA Moscow are back in the last 16 looking to repeat their 2010 success and return to the quarterfinals.

However, Japanese superstar Keisuke Honda and company have the unfortunate pleasure of playing one of the world's greatest and hottest teams, Real Madrid.

The Galacticos have dominated this season. They progressed out of the group stage without even a scratch, winning all six matches and outscoring Ajax, Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb 19-2 overall.

Their success has also been made visible in La Liga, where they are in first place by 10 points over Barcelona (yes, they have each played the same number of games) and have outscored opponents 75-21 in their 22 matches.

While they still can't find a way to beat Barcelona (their only win in El Clasico since Jose Mourinho became manager is the 2011 Copa Del Rey Final), Real Madrid can easily be called a favorite to win the Champions League for the first time since 2002. Despite the drought, they are still the all-time champions of the competition.

The last 16 has recently been the Achilles Heel of Real Madrid, at least until last season's semifinal run. Before that, Los Blancos were eliminated in the last 16 every season since 2004-05.

Granted, they normally had the unfortunate pleasure of playing a powerhouse like themselves (Bayern Munich and Liverpool just to name a couple).

However, with the superstar power on this team, featuring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Gonzalo Higuain, Karim Benzema, Mesut Ozil, Pepe, Marcelo, Xabi Alonso, Iker Casillas and a star manager in Jose Mourinho, this could be the year for Real Madrid.

Can they conquer their demons and win the title? It is very likely.

Winner: Real Madrid

SSC Napoli (ITA) vs. Chelsea FC (ENG)

It seems like Italy versus England is a qualification to be one of the most anticipated matchups of the Champions League Round of 16 this year.

Napoli-Chelsea was one of the first confirmed fixtures of the round and the morning of the draw saw Twitter and other social media sites overload with excited tweets about the matchup.

On one side, you have Napoli, the born-again Italian side that hit a rapid decline upon the exit of Diego Maradona in the early '90s. Since 2006, they have made one of the most incredible ascensions in recent football history, gaining promotion from Serie C1 that season, promotion from Serie B during 2006-07, and since have risen to very near the top of the table in Serie A.

They finished third last season, earning them a first ever trip to the Champions League (they last played in the 1990-91 European Cup, losing in the second round to eventual semifinalist Spartak Moscow).

Napoli finished second in a very tough group just behind Bayern Munich and ahead of Manchester City and Villareal. They are only seventh in Serie A right now, but with so many good teams this year, Serie A is arguably the deepest league in Europe.

Chelsea are in as winners of the simple Group E and are no strangers to this competition. While England has had its share of Champions League success, London clubs, meaning primarily Chelsea and Arsenal, have failed to win the competition.

Both have come close lately—Chelsea certainly the closest, losing in penalties to Manchester United in Moscow in 2008.

It has been a struggle recently for Chelsea. They have gone without a win in their last four Premier League matches, failing to beat Swansea, Norwich, Everton and infamously blew a 3-0 lead against Manchester United just over a week ago. Their title hopes are gone, trailing Manchester City by 17 points with only 13 matches left.

They are tied with Arsenal for the Champions League playoff round spot as City, United and Tottenham seem to have wrapped up the top three spots.

Napoli have struggled recently as well, having not won in Serie A in their last five matches, but when on point, this is a dangerous team.

Edinson Cavani could be the difference maker, leading a devastating attack which features Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi. Morgan de Sanctis has been playing well in goal and the defense has been generally reliable for Napoli.

This is a tale of two struggling sides, but when on their game, they are two of the best. This shootout could go either way, but when they play with heart and passion, few teams are able to stop Napoli. This could be the somewhat-upset of the round.

Winner: Napoli