For those of you who have felt that the last few months have been agonizingly empty of quality European matches the wait is now over. UEFA Champions League is back and the knockout phase is set to begin this Tuesday. In case you haven't had enough speculation, anticipation or media coverage of these matches, here is a quick run down of what you can expect on Match Day 7.
Tuesday, February 20th's match ups:
Liverpool FC vs Internazionale
The drama of the past few days makes this Tuesday's match of the day. Deflated
Liverpool is hoping to conjure the same Champions League magic that it has found in years past, but is there already too much resting on the shoulders of captain Stevie Gerrard? The fan's dissatisfaction with the club's performance, Rafa's never ending roulette-dance with the media, the ownership circus, and Liverpool's poor fitness are all aspects that are surly distorting the focus that
Liverpool is trying to achieve before this match. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that they seemingly don't have the time to worry about Inter's almost clinical like disposal of opponent, after opponent after opponent.
AS Roma vs Real Madrid CF
Real Madrid is hot and Roma is not. Alright, that might be a little trite, but its a pretty good preview for this match. Captain Raul is fit and ready to feature along side Van Nistelrooy. Madrid's defense is looking just as imposing, Heinze will be returning to the lineup, joining the defensive likes of Cannavaro, Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas. Roma's task may be too much to handle; Los Madrileños should be able to secure a victory on the Italian's soil.
Olympiacos CFP v Chelsea FC
Olympiacos may be dwarfed when they are put next to the footballing conglomerates of Chelsea, Madrid, Inter and so on, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be taken seriously. Far from it. I'll be the first to admit that I know very little about the Greek side; however, Grant's Chelsea will probably be looking to play a cautious game. Chelsea knows that they will host Olympiacos for the second leg come March; don't expect Chelsea to be risking much in this one. Olympiacos on the other hand will be wanting to sour John Terry's return to the Blues, does anyone smell an upset?
FC Schalke 04 v FC Porto
FC Porto won Europe's most prestigious award in 2004 when they lifted the trophy in FC Schalke's home town of Gelsenkirchen. Neither of these teams get much coverage in the West, but on paper this battle seems to boil down to a contest between Portugal's best side and a very "on again, off again" German one. Watch for Porto's Ricardo Quaresma to be the difference in this game. He is always a threat on the wing and is very creative with the ball at his feet.
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