The Champions League Knockout Stage: What Has Happened and Will Happen

After the nine-week winter vacation in the Champions League campaign, we finally once again got treated to the greatest club competition in World Football on Tuesday, Feb. 16 and Wednesday, Feb. 17 with four matches in the Champions League.

The matchups that took place this week were as followed: Lyon v Real Madrid, AC Milan v Manchester United, FC Porto v Arsenal and Bayern Munich v Fiorentina.

With these four matchups, we have learned a lot about these eight great European sides.

Here is a recap of what we have learned from the four matches, and what to expect in the return legs on Mar. 9 and 10.

Lyon v Real Madrid

A bit of a stunning match to some, but Lyon were able to beat the Spanish giants 1-0 on a goal in the 47th minute from midfielder Jean Makoun.

Lyon were lucky not to score any more, as the woodwork denied the French side several more times throughout the match. Likewise, Real were denied of scoring several times by the great goalkeeping of Hugo Lloris.

What we have Learned

Lyon are a side that are extremely capable at home, and have been able to make any finishing chances against Real Madrid.

Also, Lyon were a little too risky at home during the first leg on defense, and they will need to fix that in the second leg if they are to make the quarterfinals.

For Real Madrid, they didn't really go into the match with much determination, and they were lucky they didn't give up several more goals.

Also, they will need to finish better. If they don't, they will find themselves eliminated from the first knockout round of the Champions League for the sixth consecutive season.

What will Happen at the Bernabeu in the Second Leg

This is an extremely tight matchup to call, and both sides will be looking to advance in a very close draw.

For Lyon, they will need at least one goal if they are to advance, while Real Madrid will need at least two goals to move on.

Despite their lackluster effort in the first leg, Real will come out and play well enough in the second leg to advance, but it will be extremely close. 

AC Milan v Manchester United

A great matchup between two of the titans in European Football, AC Milan v Manchester United lived up to its billing. Man United won 3-2 with two goals coming off the head of Wayne Rooney.

Early on, Ronaldinho scored in the third minute for Milan and they were dominant at the beginning of the match. However, Paul Scholes was able to score an extremely fortunate goal in the 35th minute, and Rooney led United to victory with his two goals in the second half.

What we have Learned

Ronaldinho can still be a dominant player in Europe and both he and Milan were unlucky not to net several more goals in the first ten minutes.

Also, if they are to advance, Milan will need to finish their chances better and make United's defense look the way they did at the beginning of the match.

Manchester United's offense were able to produce when it was necessary in the San Siro. Overall they put together a great performance, despite the two goals conceded and Michael Carrick's Red Card.

Also, United will need to play stronger on defense and stop allowing Milan to get these chances in front of the goal.

What will Happen at Old Trafford in the Second Leg

Well, there will be lots of tension in the air going into the second leg with David Beckham's return and the anti-Glazer rally that is scheduled before the match.

For AC Milan, they will need at least two goals in order to advance to the quarterfinals, which will be extremely hard to do against Manchester United at Old Trafford during a Champions League night.

For that reason and the great play of Wayne Rooney, Manchester United will be able to advance to the quarterfinal for the first time in five appearances in the Champions League.

FC Porto v Arsenal

A matchup between two teams looking to make up ground in their respective leagues, Porto were able to beat Arsenal 2-1 in Portugal, but it was mainly as a result of the terrible play of Polish keeper Lukasz Fabianski.

Fabianski let in two goals that he shouldn't have allowed.

Despite an away goal by Sol Campbell in his first Champions League appearance since scoring in the 2006 Champions League final, Arsenal did not look good at all.

What we have Learned

We have learned that Porto are are still extremely good at home against English opponents (only Manchester United and Chelsea have won their).

Also, Porto did not play their best, and will need to put together another great performance in England just like they did against Man United during last year's quarterfinal at Old Trafford.

For Arsenal, we learned that Fabianski is a goalkeeper who is inconsistent and we are still unsure of his abilities.

Also, Arsenal's defense will need to keep up better with the Porto attackers considering how well Porto were able to play around with the Arsenal defense at times during the match.

What will Happen in London during the Second Leg:

Despite being down a goal, Arsenal do have that crucial away goal, which will be huge in their return to the Emirates.

Porto will play their best, but Arsenal will also have the likes of Andrei Arshavin, William Gallas, Eduardo, Alex Song, and Manuel Almunia on their side for the return leg.

Arsenal should be able to advance considering that they only need one goal to be ahead on away goals.

Bayern Munich v Fiorentina

Yet another intriguing matchup, Bayern were able to controversially beat Fiorentina on an offsides goal in a match that disputable referee Tom Øverbø was in charge of.

Bayern scored both of their goals contentiously. The first goal by Mario Gomez was in before Overbo called a penalty (which was converted by Arjen Robben), and the second goal by Miroslav Klose was clearly offsides.

To their credit, Fiorentina played a great match and deserved a result. Unfortunately the Voila but were put down to ten men by Øverbø, who gave Massimo Gobbi a Red Card, and couldn't find a way to win.

 

What we have Learned

Well, we learned that Bayern Munich can be stopped by a Fiorentina side that despite struggling in Serie A, were able to step up to the occasion in Munich and nearly get a result.

We also learned that Bayern Munich are a side that could be stopped if Frank Ribery is contained properly, and are beatable in Munich.

For Fiorentina, they are capable of raising up to the occasion and are truly a side to be reckoned with in European competition.

And also, the Viola are a side that will be eager to post a positive result in the return leg in Italy.

What will Happen at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in the Second Leg

The fourth matchup from this week of Champions League that will truly be determined in the second leg, and it will be a truly exciting matchup between these two sides.

For Bayern Munich, they will need to get an away goal if they are to advance and they will be fortunate that they won't have to face Gobbi in the second leg.

But Florentina will be the side to advance, as they will continue this great energy in Italy, and will be able to make the quarterfinals thanks to that critical away goal in Munich from the first leg.

These four matches were absolutely fantastic this week, and now we will be treated to four more Champions League matches next week. We will get to see sides such as FC Barcelona, Bordeaux, Chelsea, and Inter Milan all compete next week in the Champions League.