Champions League Last 16 Preview: Part 1

Last 16 Preview: Part 1

Schalke vs Porto

This tie is one that both teams will feel they are well capable of winning, and it’s certainly the case that there is no clear favourite.  Schalke go into the tie sitting in 3^rd place in the Bundesliga, having lost their last match 2-1 against Wolfsburg. Porto on the other hand are justifiable favourites to retain the Portuguese title and lying in 1^st place in the table, you’d have to be a fool to back against them.

Porto have a wealth of Champions League experience and who can forget them lifting the trophy in 2004, a night that happened in the very stadium Schalke play in. That team isn’t here anymore having mostly been sold off, but the club oozes experience. They know what the latter rounds of this competition are all about and will feel confident of coming through this. No one wants to visit the Estadio do Dragao and many bigger teams than Schalke have come away from there battered, bruised and with not so much as a point to cheer them up. In the group stages only Liverpool got anything here, and that was an undeserved point.

German teams haven’t fared too well in the Champions League of late, but Schalke have the players to hurt any team in the competition. Unfortunately we haven’t seen much of this from them so far, and they can count themselves lucky to have got through the group stage with only 2 wins to their name. Both of those came against the Norwegans Rosenborg and they failed to score even once against Valencia and Chelsea in their other group games.

Apart from that loss to Wolfsburg, Schalke’s home form has been solid. However, they have a worrying habit of conceding goals. Not a problem in the league, especially when you can just score more against the opposition, but in the Champions League, such things cost you.

Key Men

Schalke: To triumph in this tie Schalke are going to need German international Kevin Kurayni to find his scoring boots, but, maybe more importantly Brazilian captain Bordon must marshal the defence to keep a clean sheet.

Porto: An away goal or two is what’s needed so magician Ricardo Quaresma must produce. Keep an eye on Argentine Ernest Farias, impressing whenever given the chance since his move from River Plate.

Roma Vs Real Madrid

Roma face a really tough challenge in this last 16 game. Real Madrid have been transformed under German coach Bernd Schuster and many people are now openly declaring them favourites for the entire competition. What we will surely see in this tie is goals, goals and more goals.

Madrid look to be running away with La Liga and seem to be playing with a freedom their fans appreciate after the boring days of Fabio Capello. Royston Drenthe, Arjen Robben, combined with Ruud van Nistelrooj form a deadly Dutch trio. But what is perhaps the most important thing at Real Madrid is that they feel truly a team now, in contrast to the Galactico days. An important loss for the Spanish Champions could well be Robinho, who may not recover from a muscle tear in time. Even so, Madrid boast strength in depth to make other teams in the competition envious.

For Roma, yet again, it’s all about Totti, and the Italian’s captain is the fulcrum of everything they do. Totti aside, Mancini has tricks up his sleeve that can trouble Madrid, but surely for the Romans the key lies in defence. Keep Madrid out for the first leg in Rome and then hope to strike back in the Spanish capital, would seem to be Roma’s best hope of progress in this tie. Few would back against Real coming through this, and a Roma who were unable to see of a second string Manchester United eleven in the group stages on home turf, can’t inspire confidence against the champions and current league leaders of arguably the finest league in the world.

Key Men

Roma: It’s been said a thousand times and will be said a thousand more, but for Roma to perform, Totti must perform. Roma need a champion performance across not one, but both matches to have a chance of progressing.

Real Madrid: Now is the time for Arjen Robben to show why Madrid paid so much to lure him from Chelsea. Robben can produce brilliance to provide chances aplenty for Raul and Van Nistelrooj.

Olympiacos Vs Chelsea

This game represents a huge ask for Olympiacos, whilst for Chelsea, they will be quietly confident of coming through. The Londoners are probably, though they would never admit it, already looking to the quarter final stage. But could the Greeks spring a surprise?

Ask any fan of the Greek Champions how they rate their performances in the Champions League this season and you will almost certainly be met by a huge smile. Finishing with the same number of points as group winners Real Madrid doesn’t really tell the whole story, because Olympiacos could, don’t laugh, have won that group. The Greeks were really unlucky to lose in Madrid and showed some fantastic fighting qualities with 10 men. Bundesliga title contenders Werder Bremen were beaten home and away, whilst the club gained 4 points against Lazio.

Chelsea coasted through their group and when so many thought their campaign would come apart when Mourniho left it actually improved under Israeli Avraam Grant. Perhaps Grant has the golden touch for a competition Mourinho could not manage to with the Londoners?

Chelsea are strong throughout the team and have any number of match winners. Olympiacos will need to stop Lampard’s surging runs from midfield and how their defence will cope with the mountain that is Didier Drogba remains to be seen. But it’s probably a new signing for Chelsea, Nicolas Anelka, hungry to play at Champions League level again, who could be the most dangerous threat. His pace could trouble the Greek’s defenders who will struggle to keep pace with him.

Key Men

Olympiacos: Olympiacos are very much a team, however, new signing Fernando Belluschi will need to control the ball when the Greeks have it in the midfield. The former River Plate captain will look for the pace and runs of ex-Portsmouth striker Lomana Lua Lua.

Chelsea: John Terry will need to use his Premier League experience of Lua Lua to keep him at bay. Whilst Nicolas Anelka will be looking to make his mark.

Liverpool Vs Internazionale

This is a game of two of Europe’s giants and whoever progresses will take the confidence gained by beating the other in this tie through the rest of the competition. Inter are simply supreme in Italy at the moment, whilst Liverpool are in disarray in the Premier League. Strangely, that makes this hard to predict!

Inter are yet again running away with Serie A and their squad is full of quality in every position. However, questions are being asked about whether this position is all it seems to be, given AC Milan’s poor form and Juventus still rebuilding after their Serie B spell.

Inter came through their group with ease, and winning it with 15 points, losing just the one game in Turkey to Fenerbahce, speaks of the quality they have. Yet, we’re entitled to ask whether winning a group with Fenerbahce, CSKA Moscow and PSV really shows us Inter have what it takes to win Europe’s biggest prize? Players such as Ibrahimovic and Cambiasso are having an excellent season, whilst Inter also have men with experience of playing against Liverpool (Crespo and Dacourt).

Liverpool know this is a crucial game, in fact, should they fail to come through this one, Spanish boss Rafa Benitez could be bording a flight to his homeland immediately after the 2^nd leg game in Milan. Opinion is divided over whether Liverpool have the players to be doing better than they are, in which case it’s Benitez’ fault. Or whether the players they have aren’t good enough, in which case again, as it’s his team, it’s Benitez’ fault.

What we can’t ignore though is Liverpool in Europe and that is a different proposition to Liverpool in the Premier League. After struggling through a group containing Marseille, Porto and Besiktas, Liverpool are again in the last 16. They exited at this stage 2 years ago, but last year reached an Athens final against Inter’s bitter rivals AC. Somehow Liverpool always just do enough in the Champions League, and somehow they always play better against bigger teams. Mascherano will need to control the midfield and stop Inter getting their slick passing game going, whilst Gerrard will have to drive the midfield on and Torres is the man to shoot Inter out of the Champions League.

Key Men

Liverpool: Steven Gerrard will need to be on the top of his game, but, goals win ties and Torres will have to cope with a tight Inter defence to fire Liverpool through.

Inter: Super-sub Hernan Crespo’s movement will give Jamie Carragher nightmares and Liverpool’s Istanbul foe can put them out of the competition. Cambiasso will try to dictate Inter’s play in midfield.