Next Round of the Champions League! 3/21/2014.

With the quality sides in at this stage of the competition, there were always going to be some mouth-watering match-ups! This year did not disappoint as we will see Barcelona versus Atletico Madrid, and Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund. Of these two ties, I would think Barca and Madrid would be the two sides making it into the Semi Finals. In the latter, I think that injuries alone will cause the Germans to rue what could have been. As for the showdown between Barca and Atletico, it will undoubtedly be much closer. While I would tip the Catalan side to claim victory, that isn't to say that Atletico will just roll over. In the same way as Juventus' match-ups in the Europa League with Fiorentina were a heated contest, only decided by an Andrea Pirlo free kick, I believe Barca will edge their domestic rivals. Moving on now, Paris Saint-Germain will be taking on Chelsea while Bayern Munich will face Manchester United. In the first game, I would love to see Chelsea lose to their French opponents and I think it is possible. If PSG can explode out of the gates in their opening home match, I think they have the goal-scoring talent and defensive consistency to show the Blues the way out. Having said that, if the team from London - the last English representatives at this stage of the tournament - can get the likes of Ashley Cole and David Luiz, and perhaps even Marco Van Ginkel, back into the squad, it will be a very tight affair. Bayern's match with Manchester United will depend heavily on whether or not United can make some magic at home in the first leg. If they perform with the same spirit they showed coming back from a 2-0 deficit in the first leg to win 3-0 over Olympiacos, they may very well head to Germany with their heads held high. I think Bayern might just have too much for the Red Devils though; particularly with the injury to Robin van Persie. Make sure to check back for updates on the matches!

Champions League Update for Today: 2/25/2014.

Some exciting matches today with Zenit St. Petersburg set to host Borussia Dortmund while Olympiacos welcome Manchester United to Greece. While the chances of a sweep of victories for visiting sides as happened in the first round of games of the Round of 16 seems unlikely, the idea is not too outlandish. Let's take a look at the games with Zenit coming off of an extended period of down-time. While many of their players will be fresh, the likes of Danny, Shirokov, and Ansaldi are out through injuries of one kind or another.  Respectively, that puts out of commission a quality forward, midfielder, and defender - not the kind of losses a team like Zenit want going into a match with fierce German opposition. If Hulk and Alexander Kerzhakov are in form though, the Russians may well make it through the round. As for Dortmund, they have been lacking Gundogan, Subotic, Blaszczykowski, and Sven Bender for such a long time that hopefully Klopp has reshuffled the team in a manner that allows them to remain competitive away from home. If Hummels and Reus can come back into the team, their chances look much better. Either way, it is almost always difficult to travel to Eastern Europe and Dortmund's loss over the weekend to Hamburger SV will not have helped matters.
Turning our attention to the match-up between Olympiacos and United now, the Greeks simply have to perform well at home. Roberto has been good enough in goal for them, however without the goalscoring talent of Javier Saviola I would be surprised if Olympiacos could muster the necessary firepower to get them past the English. Nevertheless, it Kostas Mitroglou has a great game - and if Alejandro Dominguez can increase his goal tally - the Greeks might just have enough to knock United out. At least, they should put on a good show at home. Speaking of Manchester United, the Red Devils cannot be said to be in the best of form. Their case is not improved by the absence of defenders such as Rafael, Phil Jones, and Jonny Evans. While De Gea has performed admirably for Manchester, he needs some help. Nani and Danny Welbeck are both out still, meaning the Greeks will largely concern themselves with shutting down the likes of Wayne Rooney and Antonio Valencia (and if Robin Van Persie plays, don't be surprised if he fails to make an impact). Hope you enjoy the games!