Congratulations to FC Barcelona for capturing their 2nd Champions League in 3 seasons. Three incisive goals from Messi, Villa and Pedro saw Barca cruise to a 3-1 victory over Manchester United. More analysis to follow.

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WOW ! Some great match-ups including a repeat of last season’s final with Inter Milan facing Bayern Munich. The match-up that will likely garner more press is the Arsenal v Barcelona. The two clubs play similar styles though Barcelona is still the better side for my money. It’s not impossible to think Arsenal could pull an upset but I remain unconvinced of their back 4 and they do not have an undisputed number 1 goalkeeper. Still, this should be a fun tie to watch. Thank you UEFA !

We’ll have more thorough analysis of these match-ups once the January transfer window has closed.

Champions League Round of 16 draw in full:
Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan v Tottenham
Valencia v Schalke
Inter Milan v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Barcelona
Marseille v Manchester United
FC Copenhagen v Chelsea

First-leg matches will be played on February 15, 16, 22 or 23. Return legs will be played on March 8, 9, 15 or 16.

The Champions League group stages have finished, and now it’s time to see which teams will face each other in the round of 16 which is coming up next. UEFA will be drawing the match-ups for the Champions League and the Europa League on December 17th, and there’s a set of guidelines which the round of 16 matches will have to comply with. Here’s the guidelines below:

• Winners and runner-ups of the groups will be drawn against each other.

• The runner-up team will play the first leg at home.

• No two teams from the same association can be drawn against each other, ex. Manchester United – Arsenal cannot be drawn because both sides are from the Premier League.

• No two teams from the same group can be drawn against each other, ex. Tottenham – Inter Milan cannot be drawn because they were in the same group.

With these guidelines, I’ve put together the matches that I want to see in the round of 16. I tried to think about match-ups which will be exciting, even, and hopefully full of goals. Here they are below:

Tottenham Hotspur – Valencia

Schalke 04 – FC Copenhagen

Manchester United – Marseille

Barcelona – Roma

Bayern Munich – Inter Milan

Chelsea – AC Milan

Real Madrid – Arsenal

Shakhtar Donetsk – Lyon

What do you think about my choices? I decided to put Bayern Munich against Inter Milan, because I think it would be exciting to see Bayern take revenge for last season’s final which they lost. I also decided to put Arsenal against Real Madrid because Arsene Wenger’s side tries to replicate Barcelona’s beautiful passing and attacking style, could they do it against Real Madrid? Tottenham against Valencia seems like an extremely exciting match-up to me, because both sides love to play an attacking and free-flowing style, and I don’t think I can predict a winner between those two. And I put Chelsea against AC Milan because of Carlo Ancelotti facing his former side, along with the possibility of seeing an Ibrahimovic-led AC Milan side try and break down Chelsea.

Make sure to share your thoughts on what match-ups you want to see in the round of 16 by commenting below! What could be the most exciting match in the next round? Comment below!

The Champions League group stages have been extremely exciting this season, and as the knockout stages draw nearer, we’re beginning to see the sides which will take part in the latter stages of the competition. Right now, the sides which have qualified are: Tottenham Hotspur, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Schalke 04, Lyon, Manchester United, Valencia, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.

Manchester United – Valencia

Manchester United sealed their qualification in first place of the group after drawing 1-1 against Valencia at Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side started with a bit of complacency, they were sloppy, and unable to transition quickly like they were able to do in their 7-1 victory against Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League, mostly because Valencia closed them down quickly and efficiently. Berbatov and Anderson both had great opportunities to score, but poor finishing was what stopped United from taking the lead. Then Michael Carrick lost the ball (not for the first time) and allowed Pablo Hernandez to score the opening goal for Valencia.

What Manchester United were lacking was a bit of spark, a midfield maestro, or an experienced playmaker in the middle of the park. The second half began, and Rio Ferdinand had to be substituted in the 50th minute, when his hamstring seemed to be causing him problems. Chris Smalling was placed in the center of defence, and the big defender struggled against a Valencia side which was looking for another goal. But Manchester United got the final goal of the match, tying up the result which qualifies them in first place of the group.

It was the lively Anderson who got on the end of Park Ji-Sung’s parried shot, and the Brazilian tucked away his first goal at Old Trafford. It was a good game, and Valencia looked very dangerous against a slightly complacent Manchester United side. It’ll be interesting to see which side will have to face Valencia, and I’m sure that the Spanish club will give their next opponents a tough game.

FC Twente – Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur also qualified in first place of their group after their 3-3 draw, away against FC Twente. Harry Redknapp’s side had a lucky start when the FC Twente goalkeeper Boschker scored a comical own goal in the 12th minute. Boschker was about to clear a pass from his defender, Wisgerhof, and the keeper completely missed the ball, allowing it to roll into the back of his own net! But Twente recovered and eventually equalized when they were awarded a penalty about ten minutes later when the ball bounced off of Assou-Ekkoto’s arm.

In the second half the two sides alternated scoring goals, with Jermain Defoe scoring a brace, and Chadli scoring a fantastic free kick which equalized the score at 3-3. It was a great result for Tottenham, especially with their rivals for first place, Inter Milan, being humiliated 3-0 by Werder Bremen.

Other games

Barcelona had few problems defeating Rubin Kazan 2-0 at the Camp Nou. Josep Guardiola put out a very young side, and his youngsters proved him right with 21 year-old Andreu Fontas and 23 year-old Victor Vazquez scoring the two goals.

Copenhagen also qualified in the same group with Barcelona after their 3-1 win against Panathinaikos. The Danish side had no trouble until the 90th minute, when Kante scored a consolation goal for Panathinaikos, making the final score 3-1 for Copenhagen.

Schalke 04 qualified in first place of their group after a fantastic 2-1 away win against Benfica. Schalke were two up with Jurado and Howedes having scored the goals when Luisao scored a consolation goal for Benfica. This win is fantastic for Felix Magath’s side which hasn’t been playing too well this season. Maybe this is where their season turns around?

Lyon qualified second behind Schalke 04 after their exciting 2-2 draw against Hapoel Tel Aviv. Hapoel Tel Aviv thought that they’d managed to win when Zahavi scored their second goal with a beautiful bicycle kick to make it 2-1, but it was the youngster Lacazette who ruined their victory dreams. If the Israeli side had managed to hold on for the win, they’d have qualified for the Europa League, but instead it will be Benfica which will be playing in the Europa League this season.

Share your comments regarding the Champions League action below!

It is quite early to discuss next season’s Champions League particularly with the World Cup looming ahead but Inter’s historic treble was much more than a great achievement. It proved once again how difficult it is to repeat as a champion in Europe’s elite club competition. For the Nerazzurri winning the Champions League is the ultimate experience having waited for more than four decades to repeat as champions of Europe.

President Massimo Moratti helped fund the building of the Nerazzurri squad and brought in Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho with the specific objective of bringing European glory to Milan considering the current Serie A title holder have not won the Champions League since the 1960s. Previous boss Roberto Mancini succeeded in breaking the dominance of Juventus and Milan since the early 1990s but failed to combine domestic success with an extended run in Europe’s elite competition as he never guided the Nerazzurri to the Final.

Mourinho succeeded in winning Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Champions League yet he is racing to the exit door leaving the Nerazzurri in a delicate situation following the best season in the club’s history. Players such as Maicon and Diego Milito are now being linked with a move to Real Madrid which is Mourinho’s likely destination. It is only time before Mourinho is confirmed as the boss in Madrid unless he has a change of heart and opts to stay with the Nerazzurri. Other clubs are beginning to assess their chances of luring some of Inter’s key players to leave the peninsula as Arsenal have reportedly shown interest in goalkeeper Julio Cesar while Manchester City are looking to capture midfielder Esteban Cambiasso. These reports might not become reality but all these claims are a major distraction for a club celebrating a historic treble and with some of the star players headed to South Africa 2010.

Assuming Mourinho and some of the players jump ship, the Nerazzurri will be losing some key components while skipper Javier Zanetti is only getting older despite his consistent displays. Zanetti deserves credit for his fighting spirit and for putting in solid performances time and again despite his age. Below is a brief look at some of Inter’s main competitors for next season:

Barcelona: The former holders were ousted by Inter and will be looking to regain their lost title. Barca are one of the most talented teams in the world with Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez leading the charge. Barca have added a star name in the shape of striker David Villa while the Catalans remain in pursuit of Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas. If they do sign Fabregas then the team will likely start the next La Liga season and Champions League campaign as one of the favourites.

Real Madrid: The record winners of the Champions League will welcome with open arms Mourinho who has made it clear he will only leave the Nerazzurri for Madrid. In Madrid he will have greater individual talent to work with yet less of a cohesive unit and a weaker team spirit. Mourinho will be motivated to turn this team of stars into a strong and unified squad. Los Galacticos already have former Milan idol Kaka and world record signing Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks but it would not be a surprise if Mourinho asked for Maicon and Diego Milito to be signed from Inter. If they do, then Los Galacticos will be considered as a firm favourite considering they only missed on La Liga title by three points and many forget it does take time for news players to gel together.

Chelsea: Ironically Mourinho was shown the doors at Stamford Bridge because he failed to bring European glory to the London club but he did punish his former employers by eliminating them in the knockout stages of the Champions League by beating them twice home and away. Chelsea hired former Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti and the Italian succeeded in leading the Blues to a historic double by winning the Premier League and FA Cup in his first season in charge. Ancelotti made it clear his main objective for next season is to repeat the domestic double and to win in Europe. While Chelsea have a strong squad with experience and talent, the players as individuals are below the talent level of Spanish giants Real and Barca.

Bayern Munich: Bayern proved they are a solid team after a slow start to the season and the final in Madrid was perhaps a small representation of their season as they only began to show their potential after conceding the first goal to Inter’s hero Milito. The Bavarians will have Arjen Robben (despite rumours linking him with Juventus;  just unlikely to happen for a number of reasons) and French star Franck Ribery will apparently return after missing the Champions League final due to suspension. The Germans are a solid group but like Chelsea they are not on par with Real and Barca if individuals are compared on a position by position basis.

Manchester United: Manchester have one of the best managers in Sir Alex Ferguson but he can certainly be stubborn leading him to make the odd mistake here and there, particularly when it comes to offloading certain players or refusing to bring in the appropriate players to replace outgoing stars. The Red Devils did not replace Cristiano Ronaldo and their challenge for Chelsea in the Premiership and before that in the Champions League tie against Bayern  faltered once it became clear Wayne Rooney is carrying injury. If Manchester do not sign a couple of solid players, in particular one goal scorer to complement Rooney, then they will likely fall short in the early knockout stages with perhaps a quarter-final spot at best.

There are other less likely contenders but the strongest ones would be Italian duo Roma and Milan yet the two sides have a number of limitations such as their restricted budget for bringing in players and in the case of the Rossoneri an aging squad. Milan will need Brazilian stars Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato to stay and will hope a capable coach will take charge at Milanello to promote a few promising players from the youth sector and sign a number of quality players to reinforce the team. As for Roma they have do not have a deep bench and their first team is often riddled with injuries due to the age of some key players such as Francesco Totti. It is unlikely either squad will win the Champions League but they can play the role of a spoiler if their stars remain healthy and fit.

It is quite hard to repeat in the Champions League as shown by the famous Milan side in the 1990s which dismantled Barca 4-0 in an epic encounter only to loss the next year in the final to Ajax Amsterdam who in turn were defeated the following year by Juventus. The Bianconeri would go on to play in two more consecutive finals yet the curse of repeating would also prove to be their downfall despite having the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero (at his peak).

This weekend witnessed the conclusion of all of Europe’s major football action and there was a unique outcome considering three clubs were able to combine the league and cup trophies together. Bayern Munich won the domestic double in Germany while Chelsea added the FA Cup on Saturday after their triumph in the Premier League the previous weekend. In Italy, Inter were able to retain their Serie A title to add it to the Coppa Italia trophy won against Roma.

All three clubs have had great seasons and have achieved a historic feat despite Bayern having done the double before and the fact Arsenal and Manchester United have done the double in England in recent years. Still this was Chelsea’s first domestic double and manager Carlo Ancelotti deserves lots of credit after taking charge this summer and finally putting to rest the ghost of Jose Mourinho who returned to haunt the London club in the Champions League this year. Since Mourinho’s departure Chelsea have failed to win the Premiership yet have now won the league and the FA Cup double in Ancelotti’s first season in charge, an achievement even the outspoken Portuguese was not able to complete during his successful spell at Stamford Bridge.

As for Bayern Munich they have rebounded after a poor start to the season and their 4-1 destruction of Juventus in Turin in the Champions League served as the turning point of their current campaign confirming their status as a serious threat both in Germany and Europe as well as building tremendous confidence amongst the Bavarian club’s players. Bayern won the DFB-Pokal after crushing WerderBremen 4-0 in the final with the club’s two star players Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery managing to put their name on the scoresheet. Now the Bavarians will eye a historic treble by attempting to win the Champions League next Saturday in Madrid.

Finally, Inter were successful in retaining their Serie A title yet perhaps suffered the most considering the title was in Roma till the 57th minute when Argentina striker Diego Milito succeeded in scoring the winner against Siena to secure the Scudetto to Jose Mourinho’s men. The Nerazzurri were challenged the most amongst the three teams considering Roma put up a brave fight and only conceded the title on the last day of Serie A. The Giallorossi actually let slip of the title when they could not convert their opportunities in the first-half of the match against Sampdoria when they were leading 1-0 only to throw away the match and lose 2-1 courtesy of a Giampaolo Pazzini double. The Nerazzurri also had to overcome the stubborn Giallorossi in the Coppa Italia final when another crucial Milito strike secured the trophy for the Milan side.

At this stage, the Nerazzurri will turn their attention to achieving a historic treble by beating Bayern in Madrid to lift the Champions League trophy. If they succeed in doing so then Inter will have achieved something special and Mourinho might step down after having won the most prestigious trophy in Europe. Regardless of who wins the Champions League, Bayern and Inter have had a great season and England’s Chelsea have also completed a great achievement by winning their first double. It will be interesting to see how those three clubs will do next season when the likes of Manchester United and Juventus will attempt to wrestle away the title from their grip. Bayern will likely continue to dominate in Germany unless they lose Ribery and Robben or one of them. Robben has been particularly crucial in the big games such as the clashes against Fiorentina and Manchester United in the Champions League when his club was in desperate need of goals and inspiration.

Inter and Bayern Munich will clash next Saturday, May 22nd in Madrid to decide the European champion in a highly anticipated match between two sides which overcame some major obstacles such as Barcelona and Manchester United. The Nerazzurri had the tougher draw of the two teams playing last season’s winners Barcelona on four occasions while the Bavarians managed to ease past Lyon in the semi-finals after benefiting from Wayne Rooney’s injury to overcome the Red Devils on away-goals rule.

While Inter will miss Thiago Motta the Germans will be missing one of their biggest stars in the form of the suspended Frenchman Franck Ribery. In Ribery’s absence most if not all of Bayern’s dangerous moves will come from flying Dutchman Arjen Robben who has been one of the key figures behind the Bavarian club’s progress to the final match in Madrid. The German club and Robben will be facing a quality defensive line led by Lucio and Walter Samuel who successfully contained Barca’s star player Lionel Messi restricting his movement and limiting his scoring opportunities.

Inter’s weapons are spread all over the pitch but Dutchman Wesley Sneijder will be a crucial player with many of the Nerazzurri attacks andopportunities created by the former Real Madrid midfielder who will be playing on a familiar ground at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. The Nerazzurri attacking duo of Diego Milito and Samuel Eto’o can score against the best of defenders and will be a major threat moving forward against Bayern’s defensive line. At the helm the Nerazzurri will look up to Jose Mourinho with the Portuguese coach considered one of the game’s best motivators and an expert at exploiting mental weaknesses in the opposing side. Mourinho will be doing his analysis of Bayern’s game in a very diligent manner in order to expose the  soft spots in the German side.

As for the Bavarians, they cannot be underestimated considering they have overcome Fiorentina and Manchester United in two heated ties in the knockout stages after dismantling fallen giants Juventus in the group stage. Bayern will rely on Robben in addition to the team’s strength as a unit and a group. The club’s main weakness is perhaps in goal with Hans-Jörg Butt considered as an inconsistent performer at this stage of his career. The 35-year-old had his best seasons while with Bayer Leverkusen but has now become a susceptible link in the Bayern team and it would not be a surprise if Mourinho urged his players, particularly the midfielders, to test the veteran goalkeeper whenever the opportunity surfaced. Butt did earn a contract extension once he took over the starring role in the team but that does not mean he has been a consistent performers. The goalkeeper who is renowned for scoring from penalty-kicks did impress in a number of games but he did whittle down when put to the test in certain games.

The performance of Bayern’s midfield along with Philipp Lahm who will have the tough task of containing Inter’s impressive full-back Douglas Maicon. The battle between Lahm and Maicon promises to be a decisive one and could sway the match in favour of one of the two sides. The one thing both clubs have in common is the fact they are both aiming for a historic treble. Inter have won the Coppa Italia and will be looking to add the Serie A title and the Champions League while Bayern have won the German Bundesliga and are aiming to add the DFB-Pokal as well as the Champions League.

If both clubs are able to win the domestic double then it will be interesting to see which team comes up on top in Madrid. There might be a major surprise a few days prior to the final considering Bayern Munich have appealed Ribery’s suspension to the European Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). It will be quite stunning if Bayern do succeed in their appeal as UEFA has rejected it forcing the Bavarians to seek the intervention of CAS. Regardless of whether Ribery plays, Inter will maintain a slight edge considering Mourinho’s motivational skills and the massive morale boost gained by the Nerazzurri players after eliminating Barca.

It’s only days away from the opening of the transfer window — a time when much cash will be splashed and many sides will be re-shaped and benches re-inforced. Because there can be some major impact signings, I am waiting to analyze the match-ups in the Champions League Round of 16 and the Europa League Round of 32 until after the transfer window closes. Those competitions do not kick off again until February 16th. Here are a few articles I’ve been checking out the past few days in anticipation of the spending spree.

Real Madrid’s Surplus Goods List
Fulham are also doing some house cleaning

Depending who you want to believe, Valencia sniper David Villa is going to Manchester United, Chelsea, or Real Madrid. It looks like Villa will move either in January or the summer transfer window as Valencia will likely have to sell two from Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata in a bid to cut down their £450m in debt.

Chelsea may be more interested in a striker from another debt-laden Spanish club, Atletico Madrid’s Kun Aguero.

Luca Toni will be another name featuring in many headlines with a return to Italy looming. Will he land at Internazionale?

Zenit St Petersburg are said to be considering a move for Fiorentina’s striker Adrian Mutu
after declining on a purchase option on PSG forward Mateja Kežman.

Special Note: Be sure to check out Major League Soccer Talk as they will have the most in-depth coverage of the Landon Donovan loan spell with Everton.

Swedish legend Henrik Larsson had an emotional farewell from professional football on Wednesday night as he played his last ever professional game for Swedish side Helsingborg. Larsson had announced his intent to retire at the end of this season but decided to bow out one game early in order to play his last match in front of the Helsinborg supporters. The player was joined on the pitch by family and friends as the capacity crowd showed their appreciation for the former Celtic, Manchester United and Barcelona striker.

Larsson could not fight back the tears after he was presented with his club’s Player of the Year award and said his goodbyes to the supporters. Video tributes from the likes of Sweden coach Lars Lagerback, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and international team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic were played at the ground. The emotional night also saw Helsingborg announce the decision to retire the No 17 shirt in Larsson’s honour.

Though he won the Champions League with Barcelona and an EPL title with Manchester United, it was at Celtic that Larsson made his name. He still holds the record as the Scottish Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer, with 158 Premier League goals. He also holds four SPL winners medals and picked up the European Golden Boot in 2000-01 while at Celtic. That same season he was also the top goalscorer in the UEFA Cup as Martin O’Neill’s side reached the final against Porto. Larsson scored twice in that match in a losing effort.

Videos of his farewell and the tributes are up on YouTube.