Predicting 8 Champions League Quarterfinalists After Draw
Monday saw the draw for the first knockout round of the Champions League, and it certainly threw up some interesting draws as the 16 remaining teams battle it out for a place in the quarter-finals.
All four English teams made it through the group stages, and received draws with varying degrees of difficulty.
Arsenal once again face Bayern Munich as they look to avenge last year's defeat to the German champions, whilst Manchester City have been landed with the tie of the round as they take on Barcelona.
Didier Drogba will return to Stamford Bridge with Turkish outfit Galatasaray in a tie with sheer nostalgia attached to it, whilst Paris Saint-Germain take on German side Bayer Leverkusen.
Lets take a stab at trying to predict the eight quarter-finalists for this years Champions League.
Barcelona
1 of 8
We start with arguably the tie of the round, and an incredibly tough tie to pick a winner from. In recent years Barca would be expected to blitz past Manchester City with consumate ease—especially given the English side's dismal record of never getting past the group stage.
However, this year City are a different animal, and their incredible domestic home form could be a key factor in this tie.
With eight wins from eight games at the Etihad Stadium, the first leg in Manchester will go a huge way in deciding the outcome of the tie.
If Barca can escape England with a draw, then they will surely progress with home advantage in the second leg.
Manchester United
2 of 8
Despite struggles at domestic level, the Champions League has been plain sailing for David Moyes in his first year at Manchester United.
Top of Group A and unbeaten in six games, United sailed into the knockout round, where they have been paired against Greek champions Olympiacos.
That draw will have music to the ears of United fans, who have been handed arguably the easiest draw possible in their pursuit of a quarter-final space.
Although they are still struggling in the Premier League—by their own high standards—they will have no trouble navigating past the Greek outfit.
Atletico Madrid
3 of 8
So far, this season has been a remarkable one for Atletico Madrid. They have lit up the Champions League with some sparkling performances, and they dropped just two points in their six group games, topping their group with ease.
Things are equally rosy in La Liga, too. They are joint top of the division with Barcelona—with an equal win/loss record, and a matching goal difference. They have the meanest defence in Spain, and that is why AC Milan will struggle.
The crucial second leg is back in Spain, and with Madrid in such impressive form, it is difficult to see how Milan can cause Atletico any kind of problem over the two legs.
Expect the much-fancied Atletico to cement their growing reputation against the Italian outfit.
Paris Saint-Germain
4 of 8
For the past few years, Paris Saint-Germain have been slowly rebuilding themselves as a force to be reckoned with in Europe.
They now have a squad that boasts names such as Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi and Cavani, and will be expected to go far in this year's Champions League.
In the draw, they were paired with Bayer Leverkusen, who finished second to Manchester United in Group A—without ever really setting the world alight.
In fact, their 5-0 thrashing at home to United suggests they may not ruffle too many feathers in the latter stages of the competition.
The firepower PSG possess will be too much for the German side.
Chelsea
5 of 8
Jose Mourinho told reporters in his press conference last week that he would love to draw Galatasaray in the Champions League draw.
Well, he got his wish, and Didier Drogba is set for an emotional return to Stamford Bridge next year in the first knockout round.
If Chelsea can manage to put their sentiments aside when the action kicks off, they will be too good for the Turkish side.
Granted, a side with the likes of Drogba and Wesley Sneijder in their ranks must be taken seriously. But Chelsea fans will be relieved they have avoided some of the bigger names in this draw.
Real Madrid
6 of 8
England and Germany both have four sides that have progressed to the last 16, and Schalke are a side that came close to actually topping a group that contained former winners Chelsea.
However, they came second, and that means they were to be paired with one of the bigger names in the draw. As it turned out, that is exactly what happened, and they drew Real Madrid.
Madrid will be rightly considered amongst the front-runners for the tournament, and Schalke will provide little or no threat to the Spanish outfit in their quest for yet another Champions League trophy.
The trip to Germany in the first leg will be the only tricky area to navigate for Madrid—leaving Germany with anything other than a defeat will surely be enough for Madrid to breathe easy at the Bernabeu.
Borussia Dortmund
7 of 8
Another of the sides many people will have been keen to draw in this round was Zenit St Petersburg, and it is last year's runner-up Borussia Dortmund who have been handed the tie.
Obviously, a trip to Russia is not ideal for any side who are more accustomed to playing in warmer conditions, but it should still not prevent Dortmund reaching the quarter-finals again.
Although they came perilously close to not even qualifying before a late winner against Marseille, they finished top of the group and have been handed a comfortable enough draw.
Once again, Dortmund will surely be in the last eight.
Bayern Munich
8 of 8
Arsenal will have been looking at Dortmund with serious envy at the draw on Monday. Had they managed to avoid defeat in Naples last week, it would have been them who had drawn Zenit.
As it happened, the Gunners lost 2-0 and were handed a rematch with Bayern Munich.
That is a horrific draw for the English side, although they will have revenge on their mind after last year's narrow exit to the eventual champions.
The home leg—which is again the first of the two ties—will go a long way in dictating whether Arsenal have a chance. Last year, they were blown away by the German side and faced a near-impossible job in Munich.
If Arsenal can manage to record a victory at home, the impossible could happen. However, you would fancy the defending champions to progress over two legs.
