Europa League Round of 16 match-ups!

Hey! Bored of hearing about the Champions League? Well, the action-packed Europa league's Round of 16 match-ups have been announced! AZ Alkmaar will be facing Udinese Calcio in their first match. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Italians continue their fantastic form. Meanwhile, Spain's Club Atletico de Madrid are going to be up against Besiktas JK of Turkey. While the Turkish side is talented, I have to tip the Spaniards to win this tie. Greece's envoy Olympiacos FC have FC Metalist Kharkiv on their slate for a set of matches that I could see going either way. However, I'll tip the Ukrainian side to win as they obliterated a decent FC Salzburg side 8-1 on aggregate in the Round of 32. FC Twente v.s. Schalke 04 should also be a good round of games with the Germans my favorites to win. Twente have been performing miraculously in recent activity but I get the feeling that their steam may be running out. Possibly the most lopsided draw for the Round of 16 is Manchester United FC's date with Athletic Club with the English giants sure favorites against a Spanish side that, while performing well, probably won't be able to compete effectively. R. Standard de Liege v.s. Hannover 96 is yet another tie with the Germans my pick to win: Standard's run of form will be hard-pressed by such a side as Hannover have. Sporting Clube de Portugal's date with death - Manchester City FC I mean - will be quite the event! After plummeting, City appear to have caught themselves in their domestic performances though I'll be interested to see if they can finally play internationally. The challenge that Sporting offer shouldn't be too insurmountable but the Lisbon side do have teeth. Last but not least, Valencia CF meet PSV Eindhoven on the field of battle with a chance in the next round up for grabs. The balance might slightly go in Valencia's favor but PSV can never be written off! Enjoy the games!