With the first legs of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 over with it’s time to take a look at who has the advantage heading into the next match.
Liverpool 2, Inter Milan 0
Marco Materazzi’s sending off for a second yellow card in the 30th minute was a severe blow. However, despite playing a man down Inter did not concede a goal until the 85th minute. A 1-nil loss road loss would not have been too bad, but Steven Gerrard’s goal in the 90th minute is what really hurts Inter’s chances of moving on.
Inter will be without Materazzi in the second leg and even with a wealth of attacking options to make up the difference it will not be enough. Liverpool knows how to play Champions League football and is too experienced to give up such a commanding lead.
Our preview pick: Inter
Our pick now: Liverpool
Chelsea 0, Olympiacos 0
Chelsea failed to pick up an away goal, narrowing its margin of error when it returns to Stamford Bridge. However, the Blues played without John Terry and Frank Lampard saw just four minutes of action. With all of the talent Chelsea has it should take care of business at home with a win.
Our preview pick: Chelsea
Our pick now: Chelsea
Roma 2, Real Madrid 1
Roma did what it had to at home, picking up the win. However, Raul’s 8th minute goal was a great salvo for Real heading back to Spain.
While Roma has the lead on aggregate, Real is basically even thanks to the away goal. A Roma shutout at the Bernabeu would be surprising.
Our preview pick: Real Madrid
Our pick now: Real Madrid
Schalke 04 1, FC Porto 0
All Schalke needed was Kevin Kuranyi’s 4th minute strike to secure the home win.
It’s an uphill battle for Porto now, but it is not in a terrible position. Schalke benefited from playing at home and it will be interesting to see how they do on the road, especially against a team playing as well as Porto with attackers like Ricardo Quaresma and Lisandro Lopez.
Our preview pick: Porto
Our pick now: Schalke
Fenerbahce 3, FC Sevilla 2
What a match. If not for Edu Dracena’s own goal, Fenerbahce would have a two-goal advantage heading into the second leg.
Despite the loss Sevilla picked up two very vital away goals and should be able to progress with a home win.
Our preview pick: Sevilla
Our pick now: Sevilla
Lyon 1, Manchester United 1
Lyon were poised to win with Karim Benzema’s strike, but Carlos Tevez rescued the Red Devils in the 87th minute and sends Man U back to Old Trafford in the driver’s seat.
With a win Lyon remains the favorite, with the tie it’s United’s round to lose.
Our preview pick: Lyon
Our pick now: Manchester United
Barcelona 3, Celtic 2
At home Celtic looked to play spoiler going up twice behind Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Barry Robson, but the attacking prowess of Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry was too much.
Henry’s strike to knot the game at 2-2 was a curling thing of beauty. With three away goals it would be a shock if Barcelona does not move on. Credit to Celtic for the valiant effort.
Our preview pick: Barcelona
Our pick now: Barcelona
Arsenal 0, AC Milan 0
There were threats of goals, just no finishes. The positives for Arsenal is that it did not allow an away goal, thus putting the pressure on Milan when the tie returns to Italy.
Milan has the experience to handle the pressure and the magic of Kaka can come at any moment. Remember how he single-handedly turned Manchester United’s defense inside out last year? Arsenal’s youth may show when the pressure really heats up in Europe.
Our preview pick: Arsenal
Our pick now: AC Milan
Are you sure you want to bet against Olympiacos again? You know what happened last time.
It was a tough choice, but I had to stick with my original pick. I couldn’t be that much of a flip-flopper. Plus Chelsea is at home. It would be much different if it was on the road.
3 out of 7 so far. Well done.
Actually it’s 4 out of 7.
It’s 3