In my opinion there is not a better soccer tournament than the UEFA Champions League. Earlier in life I would have said that the World Cup is a much better tournament but as good as the World Cup is to watch the UEFA Champions League to me at least is even better. This years round of 16 drawing has lead to some very interesting match-ups. Some of these match-ups were seen in last years competition and some of these match-ups have been seen in past competitions but all of them should end up being very exciting match-ups to watch. The first leg of this year's round of 16 begins on February 15th & 16th and 22nd & 23rd, the drawing was as follow:
* AS Roma (Italy) vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
* AC Milan (Italy) vs Tottenham Hotspur FC (England)
* Valencia CF (Spain) vs FC Schalke 04 (Germany)
* FC Internazionale (Italy) vs FC Bayern Munchen (Germany)
* Olympique Lyonnais (France) vs Real Madrid CF (Spain)
* Arsenal FC (England) vs FC Barcelona (Spain)
* Olympique Marseille (France) vs Manchester United FC (England)
* FC Kobenhavn (Denmark) vs Chelsea FC (England)
AS Roma (Italy) vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) - This should be a great match-up to watch, especially if AS Roma can enter into the tie in good form. AS Roma should be on watch for a tough set of matches against Shakhtar, a team that has never made it this far in Europe prior. While this should be a great hard fought battle on the pitch, the Shakhtar General Director, Serhiy Palkin has been quoted as saying, "We are up against very strong opponents, but I'm glad we avoided the likes of Internazionale Milano, AC Milan and Valencia". I would expect this match to be very tight and should come down to who's defense can rise to the occassion.
AC Milan (Italy) vs Tottenham Hotspur FC (England) - AC Milan are 7 time champions of Europe but in my opinion have drawn a very difficult match-up with Tottenham Hotspur FC. The last time that Tottenham played a team from the San Siro was in the group stage when they played Internazionale. Tottenham gave it their all in Milan but leaked goals, losing 4-3. However, Tottenham was able to beat Inter in the return leg at White Hart Lane 3-1. Because of the results in the group stage I don't believe that Tottenham will be intimidated going back to the San Siro and in my opinion have a decent chance at advancing through the Round of 16.
Valencia CF (Spain) vs FC Schalke 04 (Germany) - Schalke has a challenge in front of them having drawn Valencia, however I think that it is very helpful to them that the first leg will take place at Mestalla on February 15th, and the second leg will be in Gelsenkirchen on March 9th. If they can get out of Mestalla with a draw then Schalke will have improved their chances to advance with the deciding match being played at home. When these two clubs met in the 2007/2008 group stage Schalke lost 1-0 at home but were able to obtain a 0-0 draw in Spain. One thing Schalke has going for them is Raul Gonzalez. Gonzalez having recently left Real Madrid after 18 years knows Valencia very well and has scored plenty of goals against them. Gonzalez has scored 12 goals in 24 La Liga matches against Valencia and will need to be in great form to increase Schalke's chances of advancing through to the next round.
FC Internazionale (Italy) vs FC Bayern Munchen (Germany) - Hopefully this match-up sounds familiar to you as it happened just last year in the UEFA Champions League Final. Inter right now is in a crisis, having just fired Rafael Benítez and currently sitting in 7th place in the Serie A (13 points behind leaders AC Milan). I personally do not think this is a good draw for Inter. When I watched the drawing live on the internet and this match-up was drawn it appeared to me that Bayern Munchen was very excited to get the chance to play Internazionale again after losing 2-0 in the final last year. Bayern lost to Internazionale 2-0 in the final on two goals from Diego Milito and it was an Inter squad under the coaching of the great Jose Mourinho who of course now manages Real Madrid. Even in the media of late, there has been a lot of talk from the Bayern side about "settling scores", I just think that Bayern will be so motivated in this match-up that Inter will find it a very difficult task to advance through to the next round.
Olympique Lyonnais (France) vs Real Madrid CF (Spain) - I think that what is so intriguing about this match-up is that just last year these two teams met in the Round of 16 and it was Olympique Lyonnais that came out on top, eliminating Real Madrid 2-1 on aggregate. This years Real Madrid to me are a much better squad and as mentioned earlier now has Jose Mourinho at the helm. Mourinho has already proven that he can win in Europe and I for one would be surprised if the results of last year's Round of 16 happen again this year. Both teams feature very good defenses and it will be interesting to see who can crack in the first goal of this match-up but I would think that Real Madrid's chances of advancing through to the next round are very good.
Arsenal FC (England) vs FC Barcelona (Spain) - This is actually the draw that I am most looking forward to. Going into the drawings I think there was a 50/50 chance that Arsenal was going to draw Barcelona or Real Madrid and sure enough they drew Barca. This is also a rematch from last season that saw Barcelona advancing through on aggregate (6-3) after a masterful second-leg match by none other than Lionel Messi. Last season these two squads played to a 2-2 draw in the first leg in north London. In the second leg at the Camp Nou it was Arsenal who took an early lead but then Messi scored all 4 of Barcelona's goals in a 4-1 second leg victory that saw them through. Barcelona's European dreams were then cut short in the very next round as they ended up losing 3-2 to eventual champions Internazionale. What can you say about Barcelona? Their reputation precedes them in both European and Domestic competition. Arsenal is currently fighting to be the top of the English Premier League and made a statement just the other day beating a currently struggling Chelsea squad at the Emirates. For Arsenal to advance through to the next round Fabregas and Walcott will need to be great. This is a Barcelona team that has pretty much dismantled everyone they have played this year, including an absolute beat-down of Real Madrid a few weeks back. To me this will be the best match-up of the Round of 16. If you can only watch one game on the day(s) these two play, it should be this match-up.
Olympique Marseille (France) vs Manchester United FC (England) - While the possibility of drawing Internazionale or AC Milan was very real for Manchester United they instead drew Olympique Marseille. Manchester United are in good form and currently sit atop the table in the English Premier League with a couple of games in hand. To date they have yet to lose a league match this season with 10 wins and 8 draws to their credit. Marseille currently find themselves 5th in France Ligue 1 but only 3 points behind leaders Lille. I think that what is good news for Manchester United is that Wayne Rooney has been showing signs of returning to his good form of late. If Wayne Rooney can get going again, Manchester United can be a very dangerous team to not only advance through to the next round but also to contend for the UEFA Championship. The key for this match-up will be Manchester United's play away at Olympique de Marseille's Stade Vélodrome. Marseille are a pretty tough squad who get great support and are really good at home. Their domestic record at home is currently 4 wins 4 draws and 1 loss outscoring opponents 14-7 in those 9 games. Manchester United should hope for at least a draw in France and get a win at Old Trafford to see themselves through to the next round.
FC Kobenhavn (Denmark) vs Chelsea FC (England) - On February 22nd the first leg of the tie will take place, as Kobenhavn will welcome Chelsea to Parken Stadion. Parken Stadion has been a great place for Kobenhavn as they have not lost a UEFA Champions League match at home this year including a 1-1 draw against Barcelona on match day 4 of the group stage. FC Kobenhavn is the first Danish team ever to progress from the group stage and they will be hoping that their terrific play at Parken Stadion can continue. Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea squad is at the moment in a bit of a "crisis" by their standards anyway. Chelsea just recently beat Bolton to give them their first league win in their last 7 matches. Chelsea currently sit 4th in the Premier League, 4 points behind leaders Manchester United. The key to this tie will be the play of Didier Drogba who is very hungry for a UEFA Championship title. While I have seen stranger things in my life, I would lean that Chelsea should be able to pull it together and advance through to the next round knocking off FC Kobenhavn who may come up just short.
As the time gets closer to the start of all of these matches I would like to post some more detailed analysis of some of these Round of 16 match-ups. No matter if you are a fan of these teams or just a fan of soccer in general, this year's UEFA Championship League Round of 16 drawing has surely promised all of us some great matches to watch and enjoy!
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So far this season Alabama has looked to be unstoppable on both offense and defense, however there have been some times where their defense has looked vulnerable. If not for throwing mistakes by some of their opponents, the Alabama defensive backs would have been exposed on numerous occasions. Ryan Mallett, being as good as advertised will relish the opportunity to exploit the Crimson Tide defensive backs and take advantage of soft spots in the zone. On defense Arkansas needs to be concerned about stopping the run. The run sets up many other offensive opportunities and is one of Alabama’s strong suits. This task however is much easier said than done, but if it can be done, Arkansas may very well find themselves playing in the SEC Title game if they can grab a victory at home over Alabama.
Most of Arkansas’s offense rides with the hot hand of Ryan Mallett. So far this season Ryan Mallett has thrown for 1,081 yards on 70 of 100 passing with 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. So far this season Alabama has given up 132.7 yards per game through the air, while Arkansas has averaged 367.7 yards per game passing. There is no secret here, stop Ryan Mallett and you can stop Arkansas. However, as mentioned earlier the Alabama DBs will be tested and will need to have much better coverage against the Arkansas wide-outs than they have shown in previous games this season. On offense, Alabama should try and pound the ball with their Heisman winning running back Mark Ingram. This will allow them to tire out the Arkansas defense for later in the game, and will allow them to set up pass threats from Ingram to Alabama’s leading receiver Julio Jones.
While I do agree with most "pundits" that this upcoming college football season is very big for Rich Rodriguez I do not think that it is a make or break year. I feel that he gets at least one more opportunity if his Michigan Wolverines struggle during the 2010 season. I think that the 2010 college football season is going to be a great one and the Michigan Wolverines will be a season long story to keep your eyes on. The Michigan Wolverines started the 2009 college football season very promising winning their first 4 games of the season, including a 4 point win as 3 point dogs over Notre Dame (38-34) in front of 110,000+ fans at The Big House. However, after an OT loss to their in-state rivals Michigan State, the Wolverines season took a turn for the worse. Michigan would not win another game against a FBS team in 2009 after week 4. The 2009 season for Michigan continued to spiral downward as they ended the season losing 5 straight including a loss at home to Purdue while being a 6 point favorite and worse than that a 38-13 beating at the hands of a horrid Illinois team in Champaign as a 7 point favorite. The loss to Illinois was huge because it essentially cost Michigan the chance to be bowl eligible. Michigan then ended the 2009 season with a 21-10 loss at home to eventual Rose Bowl winners Ohio State. The 2009 season was not only gloomy for Michigan straight up, but they also managed to post a 5-6-1 record against the spread in '09. 2009 also marked the 2nd straight year that the Michigan Wolverines did not make it to a bowl game. On a bright note, Michigan did improve from 2008 where they posted a 3-9 straight up record to 5-7 in 2009. 
Game 1 between the Sharks and the Blackhawks was an all out war. Normally when I think of the western conference I think speed and finesse from every team top to bottom. However, that was not the kind of game we were treated to in game 1. The Sharks and Blackhawks came out hitting and played physical hockey for all 60 minutes. There were a total of 62 hits between the two teams in game 1 and while I do not see the pace of 62+ hits per game, I do see this continuing to be a very physical and long series. 
There is a rumor that the other day the Big 10 officially invited 4 teams to join the Big 10 conference as they look to expand. The 4 teams that got the invites were; Notre Dame, Rutgers, Nebraska, and Missouri. However, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany has since denied this. I personally think that it is a great idea for the Big Ten to expand and hopefully get a conference championship game, to help with exposure late in the season like the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 to name a few. Now as it is, the Big 10 is finished weeks before the bowl selection process is done. Expansion will also make the conference a much tougher conference and push respect for the Big 1o higher than it already is.
The St. Louis Cardinals will be going for their 2nd straight Nation League Central Division title this upcoming season, and realistically they should not find too much trouble along the way. The other teams in their division (Cubs, Brewers, Astros, Pirates, and Reds) are at least one step back from where the Cardinals are. This St. Louis Cardinals team may be one of the most complete teams in all of Major League Baseball, led by two dynamite starting pitchers who finished 2nd and 3rd in the National League Cy Young voting in 2009. Chris Carpenter (17-4, 2.24 ERA in 2009 {Best ERA in the National League in '09}) and Adam Wainwright (19-8, 2.63 ERA in 2009) will be looking to at least match what they were able to do last season, the scary thought is they may be able to surpass what they did last season. The best move that the Cardinals made in the off-season was retaining Matt Holliday. The Cardinals offense sputtered out of the gate last season until Matt Holliday joined the club, and now they get to have the services of Holliday for the entire season! Not only are the Cardinals a very complete team, but they are very well balanced. They have great offensive players backed by terrific pitching and superb defense and as they showed last season they are very dangerous at home and on the road (Home Wins: 46 Away Wins: 45 in 2009).
Kansas City Royal fans should be excited for the 2010 season, but not blinded to the fact that they are not yet on the same level with the Tigers, Twins, and White Sox. However, they are going to be in a tight race for 4th place in the division with the Cleveland Indians and may even edge them out. Zack Greinke will once again be the ace of the pitching staff as he will look to be even better than his 16-8 record last season. Despite all of Greinke's accolades and his 2.16 ERA from last season, the Kansas City Royals pitching staff managed to finish 26th in the majors in ERA with a 4.83. The 2010 Kansas City Royals pitching staff will need to be very sharp this season, especially in the first 12 games of the season which could be a disaster for the team. In their first 12 games of the 2010 MLB regular season the Kansas City Royals will play 6 straight home games (3 vs Detroit Tigers & 3 vs Boston Red Sox) and then a very difficult 6 straight divisional road games (3 @ Detroit Tigers & 3 @ Minnesota Twins) before continuing their road trip at the Toronto Blue Jays. If the Royals want to do well in the upcoming season, they will have to do exceptionally well in the month of April and hope that they can get things rolling from there.
The Cleveland Indians have shown (during Spring Training) that they have some pop in their bats and could be a threat based on their offensive production, however I believe that it is their pitching that will let them down this season and keep them from reaching any of the top 3 spots in the division. The Indians have no one to blame but themselves, they made no big off-season moves to try and help a pitching staff that was 29th in the majors last year in ERA (5.06) and tied for 29th in the majors in Saves (25). In a division where all the teams can hit, you need to be able to pitch to win games, I mean how many games can the Indians really win, when they need to score about 5 runs per game every single day to have a chance? Perhaps it will be the Indians new manager, Manny Acta that can get this young team ready to compete with the top 3 teams in this division.
I am very high on the Detroit Tigers this season. While the Tigers had a number of key losses in the off-season including Curtis Granderson, Aubrey Huff, Placido Polanco, and Fernando Rodney (just to name a few) I feel that they added some great players as well. I love the acquisitions of Johnny Damon and Phil Coke, along with Max Scherzer. I also expect that despite a poor showing last season with only 9 HRs and 50 RBIs, Magglio Ordonez will be back in his previous form this season. I expect him to have much better and bigger numbers than last season and when you put his bat in the line-up with Austin Jackson and of course Miguel Cabrera this offense could be deadly to opposing pitchers. I can also see great things from the Tigers pitching staff this season as well. Justin Verlander will have another great year, putting up numbers similar to his past season when he went 19-9 with a 3.45 ERA. With the offensive support he will have, Justin Verlander should win 20 games this year.
While I am not as high on the Chicago White Sox as I am the Tigers, I do think that the White Sox will be improved this season and will probably finish 2nd in the division (in a very tight 3 team race for 1st). While finishing 3rd in the division last year, the Chicago White Sox are ready to make another legitimate run at the AL Central crown. Mark Buehrle will once again be the ace and anchor of this pitching staff that had an ERA of 4.14 last season, good enough for the 7th best ERA in the majors. The veteran Paul Konerko will once again be the clean-up hitter in a very dangerous offensive line-up where new acquisition and lead-off man Juan Pierre should be able to get on base often creating lots of RBI chances for Gordon Beckham, Carlos Quentin, and Paul Konerko. For all of you fantasy players who may not have a very strong outfield, keep your eyes on Carlos Quentin (if he is not already drafted by someone else in your league). I also expect Mark Buehrle to pitch much better this season compared to his 13-10 ; 3.84 ERA last season.
The only major move that the Minnesota Twins made in the off-season was their move to a new stadium. A stadium where at last report has already sold more tickets for the 2010 season, than it sold for all of the 2009 season. The Minnesota Twins I feel are just a slight step ahead of the White Sox and the Tigers and should win the American League Central Division yet again. Their offensive line-up is amazing top to bottom, with Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau probably being the 2nd best 3-4 hitting combo in the majors (2nd to Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez). Those two offensive powerhouses along with their fellow team-mates managed to have the 5th best batting average in the majors last season at .274 and were also tied for 5th in the majors in Runs (817) and RBIs (770). The only problem they may have is the HUGE loss of their closer Joe Nathan who is out for the season. Last year the Twins were 4th in the majors in saves (48) and Joe Nathan will be greatly missed. The Twins however have named Jon Rauch to the all important closer roll for the start of the 2010 season. Jon Rauch should be pretty good in that role, assuming he can handle the pressure of being a closer. Last season Rauch was 5-1 with the Twins with a 1.72 ERA in 15.2 innings. With all of the excitement of the upcoming regular season focused on the Twins and their new ball park they will be playing their first 7 games of the 2010 season on the road (4 @ Angels, 3 @ White Sox) before opening their stadium to its first regular season game on April 12th against the Boston Red Sox.