English Clubs Face Tricky Draw

By Brian Lofrumento | 11th December 2008

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With the group stage of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League complete, we can now look forward to next Friday’s draw. All four English sides enter the draw for the second round, but there are many tricky draws that are possible. Manchester United and Liverpool finished top of their groups, while Arsenal and Chelsea could only take second in their groups. What does the second round situation look like for each of the English clubs?

Manchester United

The defending Premier League champions and Champions League winners should be worried about a few draws, despite finishing first in Group E. The potential teams United can face in the second round are Inter Milan (Italy), Sporting (Portugal), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Lyon (France), or Real Madrid (Spain).

Best Case: Sporting (Portugal). Perhaps the easiest team that United could face in the second round, Sir Alex Ferguson and his men will be hoping for this draw. It would mean an emotional return to Portugal for Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom were brought up through the Sporting youth academy. These two teams are certainly not strangers, as they faced off in last year’s group stages, with United picking up all the points there.

Worst Case: Real Madrid (Spain). United have been drawn with Real Madrid before in the Champions League knockout rounds, and United fans will forever remember Ronaldo’s (of the Brazilian variety) hat trick at Old Trafford. Real aren’t in the best of form, and are facing a Champions League barren spell, but United will still be weary of their threat. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this draw, though.

Liverpool

As the other English group winner, Liverpool – like United – could face some tricky teams. Having won Group D, though, means that Liverpool cannot be drawn against Atletico Madrid. Instead, Liverpool may face the same teams as United, with Villareal the only addition.

Best Case: Villareal (Spain). Rafa Benitez is a Spanish maestro. He knows the ins and outs of most Spanish clubs, and I wouldn’t doubt his abilities against a Villareal side. Liverpool drew Atletico Madrid 1-1 in both group stage matches, and Villareal seem to be an easier opponent than Sergio Aguero and company. Liverpool fans should be pleased with a tie against Villareal. Sporting wouldn’t be too bad, either.

Worst Case: Inter Milan (Italy). Besides Real Madrid, Inter are the other big side that go in as a second seed. Rafa Benitez has squared off against Inter manager Jose Mourinho many times before, and the Inter manager took five wins out of their six Premier League clashes during his time at Chelsea. If these two meet up again I can see a similar fate for Liverpool, as Mourinho’s men are just too talented and too organized.

Chelsea

Felipe Scolari will be disappointed that his side could only muster up a second placed finish in Group A, but it presents a few interesting scenarios. Finishing in second may not be the end of the world for the London club, as some of Europe’s other top clubs also failed to win their groups (I’m talking to you, Real Madrid and Inter). Chelsea’s potential opponents are Panathinaikos (Greece), Barcelona (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany), Porto (Portugal), and Juventus (Italy).

Best Case: Panathinaikos (Greece). I don’t think there’s any doubt about it, Panthinaikos are the weakest first seed in the second round. If Scolari’s side get drawn with them, then Chelsea fans will be delighted to have only secured second place in their group. There wouldn’t be much to see here, I can’t see Chelsea losing either leg to Panathinaikos.

Worst Case: Barcelona (Spain). Since Chelsea can’t draw an English club, Barcelona are clearly the team that Chelsea will want to avoid. Barca are annual Champions League favorites, and Scolari won’t want to go up against the likes of Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o. Barca’s midfield is full of the Spanish internationals that won Euro 2008, and they will be a force to be reckoned with in the second round.

Arsenal

Arsene Wenger’s side will be looking to win their first Champions League title ever. The London club are all but out of the Premier League race, so their attention will be turned towards Europe. The potential clubs Arsenal can face in the second round are the same as Chelsea’s, with the addition of Roma and the exclusion of Porto.

Best Case: Panathinaikos (Greece). Like Chelsea, I can’t imagine Arsenal are hoping for any other draw besides Panathinaikos. The Greek club are going to face a difficult draw regardless, and almost all of the second seeds will be praying for a trip to Greece. Arsenal included.

Worst Case: Barcelona (Spain). These two sides squared off last in the Champions League final in 2006. Arsenal took the lead but eventually faltered 2-1. With that said, I don’t think this time will be as easy. Thierry Henry would now be on the opposite side of the fixture, and Sol Campbell isn’t there to lead Arsenal. Barcelona would be one of the few clubs in the world that could match Arsenal’s central midfield (Cesc Fabregas), and they are better than Arsenal in all other areas of the pitch.

Who would you like to see drawn together? Have your say in the Premiership Talk Forums.

Dani says:

December 11, 2008 at 1:57 pm

Don’t underestimate Sporting. They were missing quite a few players when they played Barca the second time around. They are an improved team from a year ago. They struggled early on this year both in Europe and in Portugal but recently have been in very good form.

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Brian Lofrumento says:

December 11, 2008 at 1:47 pm

While I agree with you (especially as a fellow United fan), I DO think there are draws that are worrisome. For instance, on current form Arsenal will not be able to compete with the likes of Barcelona.

I also agree that United – Real would be a great fixture.

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Carliona Trocina says:

December 11, 2008 at 1:42 pm

I don’t think the British clubs have anything to worry about. At the end of the day you need to be good enough to beat ANY team to be the champions of Europe. If United draw Real Madrid then so be it.

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