The Champions League Continues

Lyon VS Apoel

Apoel was definitely the wild card in the group stage. With FC Porto, Zenit, and Shacktar Donetzk in their draw they really had their work set out for them. Coming out top of that group was quite an achievement, but as we move forward, the competition gets fiercer as the prize becomes within reach. Lyon hasn’t had a great Champions League campaign so far. They’re a strong team, but they haven’t been showing it, giving Madrid a couple of easy wins and barely pushing past Ajax. Will they shape up or will Apoel create another surprise victory as underdogs?

Leverkusen VS Barcelona

Barcelona are of course heavy favourites in this match and Leverkusen will have a tough time threatening the defending champions. A win is fairly predictable for the Catalans, but the Germans will definitely make them work hard for it and could produce an upset if Ballack is fed some good passes near the goal. Leverkusen, however, has also been a bit flaky with regards to defense despite having the talented Bernd Leno guarding their goal line very convincingly. Presenting Barca with anything but a solid wall will prove to be very dangerous for the German side.

Zenit VS Benfica

Zenit comes into this game with a pretty distinct disadvantage – they haven’t been playing matches. The Russian league is on a break and that means that they’ll not be as warmed up as they usually are. On the other side of the field we have Benfica who have been playing brilliantly. Holding Manchester United to draws was what put them out of the running so it’s no wonder that the Portuguese side is the favourite in this clash.

Milan VS Arsenal

Arsenal will be playing the first leg of this battle away although considering their very successful track record in Italy they are not likely to be too intimidated by this. The renowned Robin Van Persie will be expected to bring some of the goal-scoring magic that he usually does although with the Gunners’ problematic Premier League campaign and an unimpressive defense-line in this competition, it can’t all be left up to RvP to sort out. Milan on the other hand have Ibrahimovic, Boateng, and Robinho, as well as an overall quite experienced team making them clear favourites for this match.