Bundesliga Teams' Fates in Europe Following the UEFA CL and Cup Draw

Only one Bundesliga team is present in the Champions League. However, in the UEFA Cup, there are four German teams alive. Bayern may have gotten lucky in the Champions League, but their compatriots in the UEFA Cup did not get so lucky.

Champions League: Sporting vs FC Bayern Munich

Bayern must be extremely excited after the draw and as a matter of fact, Captain Mark Van Bommel and Miroslav Klose expressed their satisfaction to be paired with Sporting. On the other hand, Sporting weren't so happy!

Mark van Bommel (Bayern Captain): “I think Sporting is a good draw for us. We’ll have to put up a real fight in Lisbon. But in the return, in front of what will definitely be a 66,000 full house at the Allianz Arena, we’ll hopefully wrap it up and go through.“

Miroslav Klose (Bayern Striker): “We can be happy, it could have been a lot worse. We can knock Lisbon out of Europe. I reckon our group opponents Lyon will be very angry at missing out on first place, as they’ve now got Barcelona.“

Paulo Bento (Sporting coach): “Bayern will be tough opponents. They have real class in their team, they’re technically skilled and physically strong. It’ll be a cracking duel, and we’re looking forward to both matches. It was pretty even when we played Bayern two years ago, so I’m confident we have a chance, although Bayern start as favourites.“

UEFA Cup

Just like the Bayern of last season, AC Milan are tipped to win the UEFA Cup. Of all the teams in Europe, Werder Bremen will have to face them! Stuttgart have the daunting task of knocking Zenit, the current holders, out of the competition. Wolfsburg and Hamburg aren't that lucky either!

Werder Bremen vs AC Milan: Werder coach Thomas Schaaf wasn't exactly too happy after the draw. However, his players were upbeat. After all, his players have a reputation of doing well against the big teams. Werder have beaten Inter Milan, so why can't they beat AC?

Thomas Schaaf, Bremen coach

"This is not the worst possible outcome. It will be no different to playing in the UEFA Champions League. I don't need to tell you about Milan, their players and their strength.

"There are some memories for me thinking about our matches with them in the 1980s and '90s [Schaaf came up against Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti when the two were players in the clubs' first meeting in 1989]. We shouldn't think too much about the last 16 as our full concentration has to be on these games."

Captain Frank Baumann

“That is one of the best possible draws. I would have liked to clash with them in the Champions League but it is always something special to play against AC Milan. I’m looking forward to the game but also that we will be welcoming the likes of Ronaldinho, Kaka, Maldini, and Pirlo to the Weser Stadium.

"We will have to wait and see whether or not it’s to our advantage that we will be playing the first leg at home. On the whole, we have always been a team that goes for the win in front of our own fans and we’ll be looking to get a good result against AC Milan.”

Defender Sebastian Prödl

“I’m personally really looking forward to it because I have very fond memories of the stadium in Milan. We played well there in the autumn. If we can put on another performance, like the way we played against Inter, then we have every chance of progressing.”

Zenit St Peterburg vs VfB Stuttgart: Stuttgart are yet to lose since Markus Babbel took over from Armin Veh. From two games in qualification under Markus Babbel, Stuttgart drew one and won one in impressive fashion. However, Zenit are not really taking Stuttgart seriously and believe that they will easily knock Stuttgart out of Europe.

Vladislav Radimov, Zenit midfielder

As holders, we will be favourites against Stuttgart. It is a pity we will have to play the first leg in St Petersburg and we will also be short of regular football. However, I do not think it should stop us from qualifying for the last 16.

NEC Nijmegen vs Hamburger SV: Hamburg have qualified in impressive fashion. However they are not underestimating NEC, despite them being a small club. Hamburg unlike NEC have won the European Cup. Martin Jol is however not taking any chances.

Martin Jol, Hamburg coach

I think we can be satisfied with the draw. NEC are a small club in the Netherlands, but we shouldn't underestimate them. They are defensively really strong and break quickly and dangerously. It's an advantage that we play the first match away, though.

Paris Saint Germain vs VfL Wolfsburg: Everyone, including Felix Magath, was shocked when AC Milan failed to beat Wolfsburg at the San Siro. Wolfsburg rely less on individuals and thus could make it a long way into the competition, provided they beat PSG. PSG themselves are on an astounding run in the French League.

Felix Magath (Wolfsburg coach)

"Paris St. Germain is a huge club so it is an attractive draw for us. By winning our qualifying group, we play the second leg at home, so I see a great chance of further progression for us."