Let me start by reminding anyone who bothers to read my blog that my prediction record for the past two years of the first knockout stage has been very good (ie it is worth you while to read & follow my blog!). In 2010 I predicted 8/8 winners right & last year I got 7/8 right, the only exception being my beloved Bayern Munchen, who sadly gave away an overall 3-1 lead to with 25 minutes to go & got knocked out 3-3 on away goals rule!This season, I did predict Manchester United would fail both in EPL & in Champions League (in my annual review last August I tipped what I call the "cosmetically assembled trophy buying" Man City to win EPL!!).
This year, once again Barcelona & Real Madrid, with their star studded teams have been the stand outs, with the usual suspects (minus Manchester United & the "cosmetically assembled" Manchester City) are trying to lay a claim to the throne. My team, Bayern Munchen, having comfortably won the so called group of death on day 5, are one of the outside favourites, and have the added incentive of the final being held in Munich in May 2012.
The following are my tips (in bold), I intend to get at least 7/8 right again this year!
Barcelona vs Leverkusen
Even without David Villa who's lost form & broken his leg, the magnificent Guardiola troops under the leadership of Messi, Xavi, Inesta, Puyel & co, and with their new potential superstars Fabergas & Sanchez, are one of the best teams of all time & deserve & will probably be there in the final in Munich in May!
AC Milan vs Arsenal
I acknowledge Wenger & Arsenal, with their relatively meagre resources have once again overachieved in CL in Europe this year. However, the current Milan side, alongside Bayern, are outside favourites to claim the title this year & are a far more cohesive & dangerous team than the Milan side of the last few years. They will be too good for this brave if naive Arsenal side.
Benfica vs Zenit
This is the perfect opportunity for Benfica to come out of the ever dominant shadows of their domestic rivals Porto, by beating a somewhat out of sorts & injury hit Zenit teams, which if manages to perform like previous years, can overcome Benfica.
Real Madrid vs CSKA Moscow
In his second year in charge, the much admired as well as disliked Mourinho has made the team a much more cohesive side & a killing machine in the group stage of the CL, although beating Barcelona in the La Liga has continued to desert Mourinho (Real lost 3-1 to Barcelona in the latest Clasico). None the less, based on the group stage performances, Real are the in form team & must be regarded as the favourites to win the competition at this stage.
Napoli vs Chelsea
Here's my first & only diversion from reputation this year. For those of us who watched Napoli in Serie A last year, and in the group of death at CL this year, this is a fairly easy prediction to make, especially considering the current inconsistent Chelsea team. I watched Napoli vs Bayern, Man City & Villarreal in the group stage, and was impressed with their compact & skillful displays in every match! In their young Uruguayan striker Cavane, they have a potential superstar in the making.
In my view, with a bit of luck, Napoli are the real dark horses of this year's competition & could be in the semi finals
Bayern vs Basel
In knocking out Manchester United, basel & their young players, with their never say die attitude (Like Napoli above) made this year's CL a real pleasure to watch. However, Bayern have a very experienced & skillful squad at this level, have played Basel several times, and even though Basel's coach is a former Bayern coach, possess enough quality to finish basel's impressive run.
Marseille vs Inter Milan
I was very impressed with the way Marseille disposed of Borussia Dortmund in the group stage. At the same time, I thought Inter Milan were awful & the least deserving qualifier amongst all the teams which qualified for the knockout stage. I comfortably tip Marseille to finish off Inter's miserable season by knocking them out
Lyon vs Apoel
Apoel have been the surprise of the season & a breath of fresh air in a season when the money of Manchester City failed to take them to the second round. However, Lyon possess what the likes of Apoel & Man City do not; vast experience at the knockout level of the CL, and even though Lyon got to this stage with a last day 7-1 win which made some question the authenticity of their qualification (a lesser result would have seen them fail to qualify), they have the quality to finish off Apoel's impressive run.
The only prediction which will be 100% right, will be this: as per previous years, the knock out stages of the CL will once again provide plenty of excitement & nail biting drama & further enhance the competition's reputation as the most exciting football event in the world....and let's hope I continue to correctly tip the winners!
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