The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League could not have went any better for the neutral fan, who can look forward to plenty of excitement come February.
However, for those of you that support one of Arsenal, AC Milan and Manchester United—the luck of the draw was unkind. The Gunners will face German giants and last season's finalists Bayern Munich, with Emirate Stadium hosting the first leg.
The bad news continued for English clubs, as Manchester United drew Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid, pitting two of football's most successful managers against one another right from the start. Sir Alex Ferguson does have the benefit of having the crucial second leg advantage, with Old Trafford hosting the deciding fixture.
AC Milan received the short end of the stick by being pitted Barcelona—the team every club wanted to avoid. Unless a miracle occurs, this is where the road will end for the Rossoneri.
Celtic earned a trip to Turin after surprising everyone in making it this far. Neil Lennon's next test will be the Italian champions Juventus, with Antonio Conte back in the dugout for the Bianconeri following the end of his lengthy touchline ban. Celtic Park will host the first leg.
Carlo Ancelotti will lead PSG to the Mestalla in Valencia for his side’s first leg encounter. Not an easy fixture in the least, but the Italian manager must be grateful to avoid the remaining heavyweights in the competition.
Malaga were also lucky to avoid the big dogs and are well capable of causing yet another upset, but FC Porto stand in their way and the Estadio do Dragao has proven to be a tough environment for even some of Europe’s best clubs through the years.
The remaining two fixtures in the competition might lack the flare of the previous six, but should not be overlooked. Borussia Dortmund are being touted as favourites to make the final, but first must find a way through Shakhtar Donetsk--the team that manhandled the defending Champions in the group stage. That leaves Galatasaray and Schalke, both clubs are well-pleased at the draw and fairly even strength-wise—a spot in the quarterfinals is a miraculous achievement for the Turkish champions after getting off to a bad start in the group stages. Schalke has defied the odds in past competitions, a similar run is unlikely but not out of the realm of possibility.
The countdown to February has begun, and the fixture list provides a tremendous amount of anticipation. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
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