Champions League Draw Kind for the Heavyweights of European Soccer

How much will Arsene Wenger be regretting Arsenal’s dismal ending to the Champions League group stages, in which his side threw away their advantages to win the group?

The simple fact is that they have probably got what they deserved by drawing favourites, Barcelona, in the last 16—the team who dumped them out of the competition in the quarter final last season.

That said, the match is probably the tie of the round, bringing together two pure soccer teams who play not only to win but to entertain.

Like last year, Arsenal will be at home in the first leg but will need to win if they are to have any chance in the return leg at the Nou Camp. Last season, it will be remembered that the Gunners could only manage a 2-2 draw at home but were dismantled in Barcelona, losing by 1-4, a match in which the world’s best soccer player, Lionel Messi, scored a brilliant hat trick.

Arsenal’s north London rivals, Spurs, will travel to the San Siro stadium once again in their last 16 tie, this time to play seven times winners, AC Milan.

Having lost to defending champions, Inter, at the San Siro 3-4 in the group stages, they managed to get the better of them at White Hart Lane by 3-1; they will be hoping for a similar outcome against AC.

The youthful and athletic Spurs team might just have the edge over two legs against a very mature AC Milan team, despite them having a clear lead in Serie A this season. Milan were not too impressive in their group phase, winning only two of their six matches and losing 0-2 to Ajax in their final game.

Chelsea have probably been handed the easiest draw of the four English sides which have made it into the last 16. They play FC Copenhagen, the team who qualified behind Barcelona in their group phase, but also earned the plaudits by sharing a 1-1 draw with the Spanish giants in their home fixture against them in November.

Copenhagen also defeated Manchester United on their home ground a few years ago; they also occupy top spot in the Danish League this season where they are unbeaten, winning 16 of their 19 games.

Chelsea, however, will be unfazed by the "Danes," particularly as the first leg in Copenhagen will be played during the Denmark League’s winter break; Chelsea should also have Frank Lampard back to full fitness by February, who has missed out on all of Chelsea’s Champions League games so far.

Sir Alex Ferguson will be wary of the threat posed by Marseille to his Manchester United team, particularly with the first leg being played in France. Under Didier Deschamps, Marseille are doing very well and brought to an end Chelsea’s unbeaten run in their qualifying group with a late goal in Marseille.

United therefore will need to be show plenty of caution in the first leg, but should have the experience and the team to get the better of the French outfit at Old Trafford.

All in all, it would appear that the draw has been kind to the the heavyweights of European soccer and those at the head of the Champions League betting.

At least three of the four English sides have real chances of making the last eight, where they should join Barcelona (assuming they get past Arsenal) and Real Madrid, who will be too strong for Lyon.

However, the other last 16 fixtures, which include a re-run of the last season’s final, between, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, could go either way, but with sixteen teams remaining in the competition and three knock out rounds remaining, it looks likely to be the "usual suspects" contesting for the final at Wembley Stadium, London, on Saturday 21st May 2011.

The full draw is as follows:

Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk

AC Milan v Tottenham

Valencia v Schalke

Inter v Bayern

Lyon v Real Madrid

Arsenal v Barcelona

Marseille v Manchester United

FC Copenhagen v Chelsea

The first leg matches will take place on 15/16, 22/23 February with the second legs on 08/09, 15/16 March 2011.