Lucky Red Devils: Champions League Round of 16 Draw Reaction
| 6
|
by user Thecrookedcap
This morning (at least here in the USA), UEFA drew teams for the Round of 16 in the Champions League. The top two teams from each group stage advanced to this round, where a first place team was matched up against a second place team. Also, no teams that are from the same country could be drawn against each other.
| Team 1 | Team 2 | |
|---|---|---|
 FC Porto
| v. |  Chelsea
|
 Celtic
| v. |  AC Milan
|
 PSV Eindhoven
| v. | Arsenal
|
 Lille
| v. | Manchester United
|
| AS Roma
| v. | Lyon
|
 FC Barcelona
| v. | Liverpool
|
| Real Madrid
| v. |  Bayern Munich
|
| Inter
| v. | Valencia
|
The Winners
The team that everybody wanted to face, Lille, was drawn to Manchester United. Everything seems to be going great for Sir Alex's boys this season, leading the Premiership by five points, then drawing the weakest team possible. Lille, the third place side from France, is in the group stages for the first time ever. Everything is against them: talent, pedigree, and the fact their home stadium is too small for Champions League games. This one would be an epic upset if Lille takes it.
Yet again, AC Milan, who really should not have been permitted to play in this competition for their cheating, match-fixing ways, got a break when they drew Celtic. Celtic, in their first Champions League knockout stage (although they have won the predecessor European Cup), have never won an away stage in Champions League play. On the flip side, this is one of the better matchups the Scottish champs could have hoped for, considering that Milan are a side floundering in Serie A this year.
The Big Loser
Liverpool, 5 time champions, were the unlucky side that drew the most dreaded of second-place opponents, Barcelona. This was obvious, since Barca are defending champions of the event and have one of the world's most fearsome rosters. It'll get even worse by February, as super striker Samuel Eto'o should be healthy enough to play.
The Interesting Story
Chelsea v. Porto. This matchup is almost to good to be true. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is the man responsible for Porto's greatest European glory, a two year stretch that saw Porto win Champions League and the UEFA Cup.
And the Rest
Of the remaining matchups, the one that looks the best on paper is Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, two of the winningest clubs in the competition's history. Last year's runner-up Arsenal gets Dutch champs PSV Eindhoven. Lyon, who may be the team to beat this year, is matched up with AS Roma, while Inter will play Valencia.
One last note...
As an American soccer fan, I just wanted to take a moment to give honor to Lamar Hunt, who passed away on Wednesday. He is notable for owning the Kansas City Chiefs, coining the name Super Bowl, and building the AFL. What he did for football is matched tenfold for what the man meant to soccer in this country. He was one of the game's earliest supporters, owning the Dallas Tornado of the NASL. He is also responsible for making MLS what it is today. He owned three teams, the Kansas City Wizards, FC Dallas/Dallas Burn, and the Columbus Crew. He helped Columbus build Crew Stadium, the first soccer-specific stadium in the United States. Hunt was also honored by US Soccer by having the U.S. Open Cup named after him (it is formally the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup). He'll be missed by everyone in sports.
