Champions League Knockout Rounds Commence

By: chris | February 19th, 2008

After what has seemed like eons of dormancy, the greatest competition in the club world has returned. Basically, there are two ginormous games and two not-so-ginormous games. You should be able to figure out the difference.

Schalke v Porto: Porto rolls in as the surprise group winner of the first stage, having outlasted Rafa’s European Machine for the honor of a first seed. Porto may be away, but they go into the game with nostalgia on their side, having ended their upset special CL run there in 2003. As always, watch out for Ricky Q.

Liverpool v Inter: Speaking of Rafa, this could very well be his last stand after last weekend’s suckitude. At the moment his seat is lava hot, and after all the drama with the owners, it may not be lack of funds which seals his fate, but results. Chances are he would like to face someone other than Inter, who have rested all the right guys (alright, guy – Zlatan), and are ready to go.

Roma v Real Madrid: Both have lost 2 of 3, but Real was able to slap a 7-0 victory in the middle. Roma didn’t. (It wasn’t that bad, 2-0 over Reggina, but wasn’t 7-0.) This will likely be the game of the day, as two attack-minded gaffers go head to head for the benefit of all footy fans across the globe. Not to mention two talismanic captains, born and bred in the city of their respective clubs, who have waved the flags so valiantly all these years.

Olympiakos v Chelsea: Mismatch? Just a bit. Avram Grant is warning against complacency, but this should be a relative walk in the park for the West Londoners. They’ve got all the big guns back after the African Cup of Nations. JT and Franky Lamps are being left out of the squad, but Chelsea does alright with depth, last time I checked. Upset isn’t out of the question, but it’s a steep uphill climb for the Greeks.