Source: Daily_Mail
Beckham, Ronaldo and Jose, but no Liverpool for the A-list European draw
The full horror of Liverpool's season will hit manager Rafa Benitez, his under-achieving players and the supporters accustomed to competing in Europe's greatest club competition on Friday afternoon.[LNB]Forget the millions lost by their failure to reach the last 16 of the Champions League. [LNB]This is about more than just money. Like former European champions Juventus and Marseille, Liverpool will not be at the A-list party.[LNB] Missing out: Europa League hopefuls Liverpool won't be able to mix it with likes of Man United or Barcelona in the final 16 of the Champions League this season[LNB]There will be no David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo or even Xabi Alonso returning to Anfield in opposition colours this season. No Ribery, no Messi, no Lehmann. And there will be no Jose Mourinho stalking Benitez in his Inter Milan suit and tie.[LNB] Sportsmail's complete guide to Friday's Champions League drawAC Milan loan star Beckham wants to face Man United in Champions LeagueFit and firing Fernando Torres can be Liverpool's saviour in troubled top four quest, claims Javier MascheranoLiverpool braced to face likes of Juventus and Roma in Europa League It is instead left to Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea to contemplate the mouth-watering prospects of Beckham's possible return to English turf with AC Milan, or Mourinho prowling by the touchline again.[LNB]The two Milan sides are among the top teams who could stand between England's elite and a place in the final eight, having finished runners-up in their groups.[LNB]As group winners, the three remaining participants from the Barclays Premier Leaguecannot meet each other. Indeed, at this stage of the draw no teams from the same association will be drawn together anyway, meaning the two Milan giants avoid form club Fiorentina, winners of Liverpool's group.[LNB]It is not until the quarter-final and semi-final draws in March that the restrictions are ditched but no teams will be paired with opponents from the group phase, so United avoid CSKA Moscow, Chelsea will not meet Porto and Arsenal are spared another conflict with Olympiakos.[LNB]Red alert: David Beckham wants on-loan outfit AC Milan to draw Manchester United in the last 16[LNB]There are still plenty of potential risks and a few low-hanging targets. Stuttgart stuttered to qualification, Olympiakos have reached the knock-out stages for only the second time in a decade and scored the fewest goals in the process, while Lyon, who saw off Liverpool, have a notoriously poor record in the competition.[LNB]Far more dangerous, but far more compelling for the rest of us, is the possibility of Beckham turning up at Old Trafford with AC Milan, just as the former England captain gets into his stride at the San Siro and stakes his claim for a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad.[LNB]'I would really like to face my former team in the next round,' said Beckham, who will rejoin Milan on a six-month loan deal from LA Galaxy next month.[LNB]'Since I left in 2003, I have not returned to play at Old Trafford. Seven years have gone by and I would like that to happen. Me against Manchester United, it would be beautiful, wouldn't it?'[LNB]'It would be very difficult but it will be very exciting. I like big challenges and I would love to play that type of game.'[LNB]Beckham is not the only man dreaming of a return to previous employers.[LNB]Milan's failure to finish above Real Madrid in the qualifiers means they could be pitched against their former coach Carlo Ancelotti, now at Chelsea.[LNB]Like United and Arsenal, the Premier League leaders may well be praying not to draw Bayern Munich and their £45million target Franck Ribery. But Ancelotti back at the San Siro? That would be too good to miss.[LNB]And if it can't be Milan, what better for Chelsea, and the Special One, than a reunion at Stamford Bridge in March?[LNB] Special return: Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho could earn an English comeback[LNB]Even if he does avoid the three English clubs, Mourinho faces an uphill struggle to reach the last eight and not just because the alternative could be high-scoring Real Madrid and Ronaldo, who at this stage is the competition's top scorer with six goals.[LNB]The real form side are unbeaten French champions Bordeaux, winners of Bayern's group, who managed one of the best qualifying records in the competition's history with five wins and a draw.[LNB]When the dust is settling on the bigger of the two draws, Liverpool will discover their fate in the Europa League.[LNB]So abysmal was their Champions League form this season, Benitez's side have failed to secure one of the 16 seeded places in the draw for the last 32.[LNB]Of the eight teams who dropped out of the Champions League, Juventus, Wolfsburg,Marseille and Unirea Urziceni have better records and claimed the four remaining seedings.[LNB] Battle of Merseyside: Liverpool could potentially be drawn against Everton in the last 16 of the Europa League - should both sides steer through the round of 32[LNB]The draws for the last 32 and last 16 will be held and, as they are in the unseeded group and from the same country, Liverpool, Everton and Fulham will not be paired together initially.[LNB] However, the last 16 section of the draw is open, so if both Merseyside clubs progress, a Europa League derby, just a month after their second Premier League meeting of the season at Anfield, is possible.[LNB]But with Ajax, Sporting Lisbon, Roma, Galatasaray and holders Shakhtar Donetsk also among the top 16 teams, both will have their work cut out to reach the next phase, never mind setting up a dream Scouse final in Hamburg on May 12.[LNB] Sportsmail's complete guide to Friday's Champions League drawAC Milan loan star Beckham wants to face Man United in Champions LeagueFit and firing Fernando Torres can be Liverpool's saviour in troubled top four quest, claims Javier MascheranoLiverpool braced to face likes of Juventus and Roma in Europa League [LNB]
