Champions League draws were today and now that we're finally down to the round of 16 we're getting a bounty of mouth-watering fixtures (as we've all forgotten about the "group of death" with a little help from absentees Man City).
So here're the Champions League match-ups:
Galatasaray (Turkey) v. Schalke (Germany)
Celtic (Scotland) v. Juventus (Italy)
Arsenal (England) v. Bayern Munich (Germany)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) v. Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
AC Milan (Italy) v. Barcelona (Spain)
Real Madrid (Spain) v. Manchester United (England)
Valencia (Spain) v. Paris Saint-Germain (France)
Porto (Portugal) v. Malaga (Spain)
I'd imagine both Galatasaray and Schalke are happy with that draw. Celtic have got a tall order on their hands facing what I believe to be the most solid defensive side in the tournament in Juve. Particularly if Juve get a little more finishing talent in the January transfer window I'd almost favor them to go all the way. Arsenal are certainly feeling the pressure for not sending out a powerful squad in their last game and conceding the top seed as Bayern are always in with a shout for success. Shakhtar against Dortmund should be great entertainment. I see Dortmund either dying out quickly or going very far. Milan would be much a more menacing foe a year ago but this match still brings a great deal of history to the table. Of course the draw that everyone will be talking about is the return of Ronaldo to Old Trafford, Real Madrid v. Man United. Watching the two best managers of this generation (and perhaps all time) square off will be something special and with Real's massive points deficit in La Liga (currently 13 behind Barca and perhaps more shockingly 4 points behind Atletico) this tournament has to be the only focus for Mourinho's men in what looks to be his last season with Real. And to top it all off it's difficult not to view this effectively as a match-up between Spain and England, La Liga versus the Premier League, a statement, at least for the time being, on which is the world leader in club football. PSG, who look to continue with record-breaking spending this month, will fancy their odds against Valencia. Lastly Malaga, who shocked everyone with their great group performance, should be a good match for Porto yielding more exciting games regardless of where your fandom lies.
The Europa League draw also took place but since there are still 32 teams and it's effectively the runners-up cup it's a lot harder to get excited for that until finals or semis.
