Champions League Last 16: 4 Games to Watch
The UEFA Champions League last 16 draw is complete. We've got your best matchups right here.
This far into the competition, there really aren't any bad matches. As the cliche goes, all the teams have earned their right to be here.
Not all round-of-16 pairings are created equally, though.
AC Milan-Arsenal is a match everyone will want to watch, but few will care about Zenit St. Petersburg-Benfica.
Why? For all their accomplishments, neither Zenit nor Benfica have a prayer of winning it all. That might or might not be true of Arsenal and AC Milan, but they're a couple of European soccer's blue bloods.
With that said, here are four matches to watch in the Champions League's first knockout round.
AC Milan vs. Arsenal
1 of 4Why to Watch: Several reasons.
Arsenal's Robin van Persie (pictured in the introduction slide) is in the form of his life. He can't stop scoring.
His teammate, Jack Wilshere (pictured), one of the most exciting young talents in England, should be back from a long-term injury layoff.
AC Milan drew with Barcelona on Matchday 1, so they clearly have a decent team.
Arsenal lost 8-2 to Manchester United earlier this season, turned around their season and breezed through the Champions League group stages.
And, of course, these two teams met at the same stage four years ago.
The roles were reversed—Arsenal played the first match at home, a scoreless draw, then pulled off a 2-0 upset at the San Siro.
Sure, AC Milan, it's not about revenge. Sure.
Who Will Win: Arsenal. Barely.
Basel vs. Bayern Munich
2 of 4Why to Watch: It's the plucky underdog against Big Bad Bayern.
It's Cinderella against, well, Big Bad Bayern.
It's the team that looks like Barcelona against the team that might have a chance to knock off the real thing.
Bayern always have the players to make a run, and this squad is no different.
Look at these names—Bastian Schweinsteiger, Phillipp Lahm, Thomas Müller, Mario Gomez, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.
That's a heck of a core. Bayern could make some noise later in the competition.
Basel, though, should provide spirited opposition. The Swiss upstarts upset Manchester United on the final day of group play after forcing a draw earlier at Old Trafford.
In Xherdan Shaqiri, they have a star in the making. But will they have enough to continue their magical run?
Who Will Win: Bayern
Napoli vs. Chelsea
3 of 4Why to Watch: Chelsea have managed to turn their season around under first-year manager Andre Villas-Boas (pictured left) after an awful run of results in October and November.
One of the keys has been defense. When they've struggled, Chelsea have played a high defensive line. Their success has come when their defense has played deeper.
Against Napoli, they'll have a handful in striker Edinson Cavani. The Uruguayan scored 33 goals in all competitions last season, and he's playing well again this term.
Of course, Chelsea could always just buy Cavani instead of trying to stop him.
Who Will Win: Chelsea, but it won't be easy.
Marseille vs. Inter Milan
4 of 4Why to Watch: Marseille needed a miracle on Matchday 6 to qualify for the knockout stages. After falling behind already-eliminated Borussia Dortmund 2-0, the French champions rallied for a 3-2 victory with two goals in the final five minutes.
Inter Milan, meanwhile, were flirting with the Serie A relegation zone until recently. But under new coach Claudio Ranieri, they're experiencing a revival.
Both teams have oodles of talent. This one should be good.
Who Will Win: Inter
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