This will be the first of a two part series that will look at the recent Champions League draw that was held last Friday. So if you don't see your favorite team in this post they will be in Part II which will come out on Tuesday or Wednesday so stay tuned. Now on to the good stuff...
Stuttgart vs. Barcelona
Barcelona will be pleased with the draw that they have been handed. They could have been drawn against Bayern Munich, A.C. Milan, or Lyon. Instead they drew a Stuttgart side that qualified on the very last day of matches and currently sit 15th (out of 18 teams) in the Bundesliga. Stuttgart have been in the headlines lately but it isn't for the quality of soccer they are playing. Instead Jens Lehmann is stealing the spotlight with his antics in Germany. Not surprising because he was a bit of a handful while at Arsenal as well and is continuing to disrupt the team with his actions. Barcelona should win this tie easily over two legs. In fact, if Barcelona has everyone fit and on form then this could be a route.
Team to Progress: Barcelona
Olympiakos vs. Bordeaux
I thought Olympiakos might be the other team to advance out of the group with Arsenal when the draw was first made for the group stages. In fact, they beat Arsenal 1-0 on the final match day thanks to a Leonardo shot between the legs of Arsenal goalkeeper Fabianski. Bordeaux topped their group only dropping 2 points along the way. They made the group stages look easy compared to the struggles of Bayern Munich and Juventus who were also in their group. Bordeaux should have the edge in this match and considering that they were group winners they will have the luxury of playing the second leg at home.
Team to Progress: Bordeaux
Inter Milan vs. Chelsea
This is one of two matches that makes me question the legitimacy of the Champions League 'draw'. Everyone wanted this to match up and what do you know? Boom! It from dream to reality. On paper, I think Chelsea has the edge here. They are stacked at every position. In reality, I still think Chelsea has the edge. They will be too much for Inter Milan if they have a full healthy squad. A key player will be Drogba. He always runs hot and cold. Not quite to the extent of Adebayor, but at the moment he has cooled off. I anticipate he will be back to his best when this tie kicks off in the middle of February. I came across an article written by the lead writer at Futfanatico that sums up Drogba perfectly by comparing him to death. Inter Milan are walking away with the Seria A at the moment but Chelsea will be the ones to advance to the next round.
I have intentionally not mentioned anything about Jose Mourinho returning to Chelsea as I don't think it merits as much attention as it has been getting.
Team to Progress: Chelsea
Bayern Munich vs. Fiorentina
Bayern Munich were very close to being eliminated from the competition. They had to go into the final match day needing a win against Juventus. Fortunately the good Munich showed up on the night as they ravaged Juventus 4-1 to book the second spot in the group behind Bordeaux. Currently Munich are playing well in the Bundesliga and are only points off the pace at the top of the table. They will be hoping that Ribery will be able to recover 100% from his time on the sidelines due to injury. One player that Munich won't be callin on is Luca Toni. At the time of writing it appeared that Munich were prepared to let him go on a free. Fiorentina topped their group and were only beaten by Lyon in an otherwise flawless group campaign. This a team that beat Liverpool both home and away so this won't be a easy game for either team. If Ribery is fit, however, I expect Munich to get to the next round.
Team to Progress: Bayern Munich
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