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Champions League Draw Tastiest Ties

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Champions League TrophyA mixed bag for English sides in the last 16 of the Champions League, with some very tasty looking ties and a couple of dull draws too. Surely the most exciting tie is Arsenal versus Barcelona, while Spurs versus AC Milan also looks like it has the potential to be a cracking couple of games.

For Chelsea and Manchester United fans, however, it’s a bit of a damp squib. Chelsea face FC Copenhagen, a match which many will view as a virtual bye. Will that prove to be the case given the London club’s recent Premier League form, however? There’s potential for a shock in there, perhaps.

Meanwhile, United face Marseille which is at least a new enough fixture, but another French team in what has been a long line of them since the Old Trafford outfit began their long love affair with the competition. It also sees Gabriel Heinze return to Manchester. Wonder what reception he will get? Sir Alex Ferguson will no doubt be pleased with the draw.

Arsene Wenger, however, will not. He’d have been hoping for a slightly easier tie than the current best team in Europe (according to some…most?), while Harry Redknapp and Spurs will just be glad they were in the draw and will, no doubt, be relishing the challenge of AC Milan.

Other notable ties are Lyon versus Real Madrid and Inter Milan versus Bayern Munich. Lyon knocked Real out of the competition at this stage last year and will be dying to do the same again. Current holders Inter Milan will be feeling a sense of déja vu when they face the German side as it is a repeat of last year’s final. The same result Jose Mourinho enjoyed will no doubt suit Rafa Bernitez.

Here’s the full Champions League Draw:

Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan v Tottenham Hotspur
Valencia v Schalke
Inter Milan v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Barcelona
Marseille v Manchester United
FC Copenhagen v Chelsea

Millions on the line in ‘life-changing’ final

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Coca-Cola Championship & Champions League

To whom the greater spoils?

Later on today two teams will face off in a final on which millions of pounds is available to the winner, as well as a place in history. Oh, and Inter Milan play Bayern Munich in the Champions League final…

It’s an interesting question – which team will feel the greatest achievement and benefit most, the winner of the Champions League or the winner of the Coca-Cola Championship play off final?

The Champions League winners will receive around £30m in prize money, topped up by TV revenue. It’s been estimated that promotion to the Premiership is worth around £90m – three times more.

£30m for Inter Milan or Bayern Munich would be welcome, of course, but not essential. £90m for the likes of Cardiff City or Blackpool, however, will be, as both managers have said, life-changing. Cardiff, especially, would welcome the money – they are in serious trouble with Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs over an unpaid tax bill.

Both Inter Milan and Bayern Munich have enjoyed success at home and in Europe in the recent past. It’s been 39 years since Blackpool were in the top flight of English football. For Cardiff it’s been 49 years.

Yes, the Champions League is the pinnacle of European club football and winning it gives you the right to say you’re the best team on the continent. Whoever wins will receive all the credit they deserve. The telling factor is that whoever loses will go on as normal. Being a losing finalist in the Champions League final does not damage your future. If anything, it strengthens it, albeit less than winning.

It’s clear what the benefits of promotion to the English Premier League are. An immediate cash injection the likes of which Blackpool and Cardiff have never seen, of course, but more than that. Continuous coverage in the media, a growing profile in the minds of the country’s football supporters, bigger gates, perhaps a new generation of supporters, the ability to attract a better class of player, TV revenue…the list is almost endless.

Losing the play off final is completely different to losing the Champions League final. Lose here and you run the very real risk of never having the opportunity to challenge for promotion again. This is especially true for the likes of Blackpool and Cardiff, neither can boast huge incomes. The likely outcome for these two clubs should they fail to win the play off final is, at best, a mid table finish next season. Blackpool, remember, were one of the favourites to get relegated this year.

The psychological blow to the players will also play a part in that. So close to the promised land, only to have it snatched away in the final 90 minutes? Devastating.

Whoever does win will give their manager a chance to keep them up. But such is the achievement in reaching the play off final for these two clubs that the losing manager may well be in demand. You couldn’t blame Holloway or Jones if, faced with another season in the Championship, they are tempted by an offer from a better positioned club or, perhaps, a Premiership team.

Prestige and pocket money await the winner of the Champions League. It wouldn’t be too dramatic to suggest the very future of Blackpool and Cardiff rests on the Championship play off final. We’re looking forward to both.

Predictions? We think Mourinho’s Inter will overcome van Gaal’s Munich – and it won’t be pretty. Back in England we’ve already said we’d love to see Blackpool in the Premiership, but in reality we think Cardiff City will be too strong.

What are your predictions for these two matches? And who do you think it will mean more to? Let us know in the comments.

Hits and Misses from the Champions League

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Champions LeagueThis season’s Champions League is shaping up to be one of the most interesting in terms of potential winners and losers. With some big names teetering and some new names challenging, it seems a good time to check out the hits and misses so far.

Hits

RUBIN KAZAN: The current Russian Champions have been a breath of fresh air this year. Combining a resolute defensive stability with the occasional creative foray they have already beaten Barcelona at the Camp Nou and held them to a 0-0 stalemate back in frozen Kazan just last night. Rubin won their first ever League title last year to qualify and now sit joint second with the Spanish giants in Group F, topped by Inter Milan. Unbeaten in four matches going back a month at home and in Europe, the Russian side could yet qualify for the knockout stages.

ARSENAL: Yes, Arsenal. Despite having the leanest squad in the Premiership Top Four, the English club boasts attacking talent so good that they are defying the odds and virtually secured their progression with a 4-1 hammering of AZ Alkmaar. Ok, the opposition isn’t all that but Arsenal’s style of play is a joy to watch in the domestic league and in Europe. They warrant a hit for that alone, but doing it with, in our opinion, a wafer thin squad and questionable defence (the wonderful Vermaelen aside) cements it.

CRISTIANO RONALDO: Despite being injured for the last few weeks he still tops the Champions League scoring charts with four goals, just ahead of Wolfsburg’s brilliantly named Grafite, and since his injury Real Madrid have suffered a dramatic dip in form and results. Losing to AC Milan 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabéu two weeks ago and then only managing a draw in Milan this week, Real are in danger of failing to qualify with Marseille closing fast in Group C. Sporting Fare puts this down to the continuing absence of Ronaldo, whose form pre-injury was the best in Europe by far. With the likes of Rooney, Messi and Gilardino in the competition it is testament to his quality that he remains top scorer.

Misses

RAFAEL BENITEZ: The Liverpool manager, who has proven on more than one occasion that he is capable of pulling his club’s proverbial fat out of the fire, has this time failed to do so. The reasons for this are many and cannot all be placed at his door. Gerrard’s absence, Torres’ injuries and Carragher’s loss of form are not his fault. But the sale of Alonso, the failure to have enough striking options in his squad and the failed signings he has made are definitely his fault. It seems that Rafa has lost the plot in his now overdue five year plan for Liverpool. Lyons’ last gasp equaliser last night, which virtually puts the English club out of the competition, may not be the final nail in the Spaniard’s coffin, but it will have Liverpool’s squabbling board thinking hard about his future. There is still a chance the escapologist could pull the club through – but Sporting Fare won’t be betting on it.

BAYERN MUNICH: This former European giant has not been having a good time of it lately. Third in Group A, four points off second placed Juventus and six off leaders Bordeaux – and with Juventus still to play in Turin – things look bleak for the German side. Yet a look at their squad suggests they should be qualifying from this group with ease. Butt, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Robben, Van Bommel, Toni, Klose – all big, big players. It only suggests the team is letting itself down and they are possibly the biggest miss so far in the Champions League.

BARCELONA: Managing only a point against Russian champions and big hits Rubin Kazan is one thing. Well, it’s the only thing really. But, like Bayern Munich, boasting a squad as talented as they do and failing to deliver on Europe’s biggest stage is criminal. We’re sure it’s as big a mystery to Josep Guardiola as it is to us. They are far from out of it and the group is a tight one, led by Inter who only recorded their first win in the competition in over a year this week yet a team of Barcelona’s quality should be gracing the Champions League with goals galore from the likes of Messi, Henry et al. Shape up, boys, it’s not good enough.