The Champions League will resume next week with the first leg of last 16 matches. Two games will be played on Tuesday, another two on Wednesday, while the remaining four have been pencilled in for the following week. The road to the final in Wembley Stadium resumes after the winter break.
The games between Milan and Tottenham, and Valencia and Schalke 04 will kick off the festival of football on Tuesday. They seem to be two well-balanced ties that have no favourites.
Milan have somewhat struggled to hold on to their lead in the Italian championship, hit as they were with a string of injuries. On their part, Spurs have maintained their contact with the top four in the English Premiership as they seek to maintain their spot in the most lucrative club competition for a second year running.
Valencia and Schalke have had their own problems in their domestic championship, with Barcelona and Real Madrid too far ahead in Spain and Borussia Dortmund runaway leaders in the Bundesliga. Neither of these two clubs has any serious ambition for the Champions League trophy, but this reduces the pressure on the players.
Wednesday will see a bumper clash as Arsenal host Barcelona in a remake of the 2007 final. With Barcelona listed as top favourites to clinch the European title for the third time in five years, Arsenal have a tough nut to crack. Arsene Wenger’s boys have to be top notch over 180 minutes to overcome the team that is considered to be the best in the world.
The encounter between Roma and Shakhthar Donetsk takes the back stage on Wednesday, but both clubs will be seeking their own qualification to the quarter-finals. Shakhthar could be at a disadvantage as the season in the Ukraine is still to start.
On 22 February, it will be the turn of Chelsea and Real Madrid, who will play away against Copenhagen and Lyon respectively. The Blues were the luckiest in the draw, as they face a club who has never made it this far, but they need to be careful. Their last displays did not make them proud, and after losing practically all chances to retain the English Premiership title, they look at the Champions League as their biggest target.
Real Madrid, trailing Barcelona in the Spanish league, also look at the Champions League as a way to save their season, with coach Jose Mourinho aiming for his third European title with different clubs.
Manchester United are in action on 23 February and, like Chelsea, they should have an easy passage into the quarter-finals when they meet Marseille. On the same day, Inter and Bayern Munich meet in a remake of last May’s final. Inter have picked up a good rhythm since Leonardo took over from Rafael Benitez, while Bayern seem to have lost hope of retaining the German championship, and are therefore seeking to at least give their fans something to shout about in Europe.