Champions League draw - the special one revisits an old haunt

The draw for the last 16 for the Champions League are out -

VfB Stuttgart v Barcelona

Olympiakos v Bordeaux

Internazionale v Chelsea

Bayern Munich v Fiorentina

CSKA Moscow v Sevilla FC

Lyon v Real Madrid

FC Porto v Arsenal

AC Milan v Manchester United

Teams listed first host the first match.

Some very juicy story lines - Benzema and Real Madrid will face his old side Lyon, the Special One gets his old side Chelsea, Golden Balls gets his old side Manchester United...a look at the draw:

Stuttgart v Barcelona - It will be hard for the 2007 champions who will be facing the defending Champions League side of Barcelona. It might a chance for Lehmann to redeem himself after the debacle of the Champions League finals with Arsenal when he saw red early on in the match for an ill-advised take down on Eto'o. I just do not see how the German side can match the offensive punch of Barca. The Catalan side through 4-1 on aggregate.



Olympiakos v Bordeaux - The French champions fell on one of the easier sides for the knock outs, however the Greeks are not to be taken lightly. The Red and White side have always been a force in Greek football and have had some mild success in Europe. Bordeaux will have the pressure of Ligue 1 to push through to the next round. End of day, it will be too much in the side with Gourcuff, Chamakh et al. Bordeaux through 2-0 on aggregate.

Inter v Chelsea - Must have been rigged! How else could you get the Special One versus his former side? This should be a very intriguing tie....on paper. I think that Chelsea have too much fire power while Inter remains a team in a state of flux and a little too long in the tooth. Both sides will be hurt by the African Cup of Nations that would have been played earlier in the year with their main strikers - Drogba and Eto'o representing sides with aspirations of winning the tournament. How Chelsea and Inter manage their squads leading up to the matches will determine which side is fresher, I will put my money on the London side who has more depth and quality. The Bleus get past Inter 3-1 on aggregate.

Bayern v Fiorentina - The victory over Lyon by the Italian side ensured they would be in group 1 during the draw....too bad they fell on German giant Bayern. Granted this is not your father's Bayern or even Kahn's Bayern. However I think if Ribery comes back at full strength, the German team will surprise many. With Robben and Ribery on the wings there are few teams that can defend with that width and not be under threat from Klose, Toni and Gomez in the middle. Fiorentina will rely heavily on Frey keeping them close, but in the end I think the Bavarians will go through. Bayern Munich 2-Fiorentina 1 on aggregate.

CSKA - Sevilla - Sevilla might be the most dangerous 3rd team from the same federation. With Fabiano and Kanoute up front they are a threat to score at any moment. They play free flowing attacking football, the question is can they handle what will most likely be a cold Moscow in February? I think that gives the Russian side some hope, but in the end I think the class of Sevilla will be too much to handle - Sevilla 4 - CSKA 1 on aggregate.

Lyon v Real Madrid - How painful was that defeat versus Fiorentina...or the fact Liverpool could not hold the Italians to a draw? Now OL must face the galaticos from Madrid. I am sure that Benzema will be very motivated in his return to Gerland. This might have been a very juice fixture a few seasons ago, but now Lyon is a team in transition, still trying to figure out which direction to head in and how to rebuild. Their defense remains shaky - giving up high score lines in domestic play. What will they do against the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka, Raul, Benzema? Real Madrid are too strong. Real Madrid 6 - Lyon 2 on aggregate.

Porto v Arsenal - On paper this should be a walk over for the North Londoners, however they have some serious injury issues, particularly up front. Porto also have some quality in their side such as the former PSG man - Rodriguez as well as the Hulk ... On paper Arsenal should go through, however if they do not figure out their striker problems they might have a more difficult time of it. Arsenal 2 - Porto 1 on aggregate

Milan v Manchester United - Again another interesting match....had it taken place 3 years ago. Now you have another old Milan side versus an English club with too much talent, but also thin on depth. I am sure Golden Balls will be very motivated heading to Old Trafford, but not sure that the greatest footballer ever can carry this Milan side past the Red Devils. I do not think Milan will be able to stop Rooney from tearing their back line to shreds. Manchester United 5 - Milan 0 on aggregate.