Source: Telegraph
Champions League draw: all you need to know
The draw for the Champions League knockout phase takes place on Friday (11.00 GMT) with three Premier League clubs - Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal - all going into the pot. Follow it live on Telegraph.co.uk. [LNB]How the draw works: The Champions League second round will see the winners from one group facing the runners-up from another, with the runners-up playing the first leg at home. The winners and runners-up of the same group cannot be drawn against each other. And clubs from the same association must not been drawn against each other, so Arsenal, Chelsea and United will be kept apart. [LNB]Champions League guideWho the Premier League teams can face: Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all won their respective groups. They can be drawn against any of Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, AC Milan, FC Porto, Lyon, Inter Milan, Stuttgart and Olympiakos, with the exception of the team that was in their group (Arsenal can't draw Olympiakos; Manchester United will avoid CSKA Moscow; Chelsea will miss Porto).[LNB]The latest odds: Barcelona and Chelsea are 7/2 joint favourites to win the Champions League ahead of the knockout stage draw, according to Ladbrokes. Manchester United are 7/1 to reclaim the title they last won in 2008, with Arsenal available at 9/1. The Premier League is 6/4 - the same price as La Liga - to supply the eventual winner. [LNB]Barcelona 7/2, Chelsea 7/2, Real Madrid 11/2, Manchester Utd 7/1, Arsenal 9/1, Inter 12/1, Sevilla 16/1, Bayern Munich 18/1, Lyon 22/1, Milan 22/1, Bordeaux 25/1, Fiorentina 33/1, Porto 40/1, CSKA Moscow 50/1, Stuttgart 50/1, Olympiacos 80/1. [LNB]The remaining key Champions League dates: Feb 16/17: First knockout round, first legFeb 23/24: second legMar 9/10: second knockout round, first legMar 16/17: second legMar 20/31: quarter-finals, first legApr 6/7: quarter-finals, second legApr 20/21: semi-finals, first legApr 27/28: semi-finals, second legMay 22: final (Madrid) [LNB]Teams and Telegraph verdict: [LNB]SEEDED TEAMS [LNB]Arsenal As usual, Arsenal had few problems in reaching the knockout stages following the controversial qualifying victory over Celtic. Injuries, particularly the absence of Robin van Persie, continue to threaten the possibility of a second final in four years. Player to watch: Andrei Arshavin [LNB]Manchester United Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 14 Champions League away matches, discounting the 2008 and 2009 finals, at neutral venues. Player to watch: Wayne Rooney [LNB]Chelsea Carlo Ancelotti has won it four times, twice as a player and twice in charge of Milan. And his side, so close in the past, believe they are on course for another crack, particularly if their strikers avoid injury. Player to watch: Didier Drogba [LNB]Bordeaux Impressed by topping a tough group with Bayern Munich and Juventus. The French champions beat Bayern twice and, in Gourcuff, Brazilian Wendel, Marouane Chamakh and Fernando Menegazzo boast a slick attacking unit.Player to watch: Marouane Chamakh [LNB]Real Madrid The second galactico era has not started as smoothly as Florentino Perez, the Real president, would have hoped, but Pellegrini is an accomplished coach and when Ronaldo, Kaka and Co click, they will pose a genuine threat. Player to watch: Cristiano Ronaldo [LNB]Fiorentina The least-heralded of this year's Italian contingent, but perhaps the most dangerous. Fiorentina have exceeded expectations by knocking Liverpool out beating Rafael Benítez's side twice in the process. Player to watch: Adrian Mutu [LNB]Barcelona Reigning champions and the best side in the world, a title likely to be confirmed in Abu Dhabi this week. Won a hazardous group without hitting their stride. The impression remains that any team better than Barca will win the tournament.Player to watch: Lionel Messi [LNB]Sevilla Spain's only legitimate contenders to Barca and Real, Sevilla are perhaps the best dark horse for the Champions League. They boast as good an attacking unit as any. Diego Perotti, Diego Capel, Fabiano and Álvaro Negredo guarantee goals. Player to watch: Luis Fabiano [LNB]UNSEEDED OPPONENTS[LNB]AC Milan Squeezed into the knockout stages from a tough group, topped by Madrid and also including Marseille, but Milan look a shadow of their former selves. An ageing, ballooning Ronaldinho is no adequate replacement for Kaka, while their defence looks suspect despite the return of Alessandro Nesta. Player to watch: Ronaldinho [LNB]Bayern Munich Only in their 4-1 demolition of Juventus to secure their passage to the last 16 did the German side truly impress. All three English sides will be keen to avoid a team boasting the 'Baylacticos', Ribery and Arjen Robben.. Player to watch: Franck Ribéry [LNB]CSKA Moscow Despite the dismissal of Juande Ramos in the middle of their Champions League season, the first Russian side to win a European trophy should not be easily dismissed. Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev is seen as a long-term successor to Edwin van der Sar at Old Trafford. Player to watch: Alan Dzagoev [LNB]Lyon Slightly fortuitous to beat Liverpool to second spot behind Fiorentina. Lyon are an enigma - they are not a patch on the Juninho-inspired side of five years ago, but they are resolute and well-drilled. Goalkeeper Lloris, a French international at 22, lends solidity, while Lisandro Lopez and Bafetimbi Gomis pose a legitimate attacking threat. Player to watch: Lisandro [LNB]Inter Milan Fortunate to sneak past Rubin Kazan and Dynamo Kiev behind Barcelona, Mourinho's Inter remain a far cry from his Chelsea side. The Portuguese is unpopular in Italy and Inter's displays hardly warrant his bombast, but only a fool would dismiss the Special One, his playmaker Sneijder or poacher supreme Samuel Eto'o. Player to watch: Samuel Eto'o [LNB]Olympiakos The weakest of the last 16, the Greek side are Champions League perennials but do not boast the depth to present a legitimate challenge. As Arsenal would testify, their Karaiskakis Stadium does not represent a pleasant away day, but their away form is so woeful as to render it irrelevant. Player to watch: Antonios Nikopolidis [LNB]Porto Finished a comfortable second to Chelsea in Group D, and their usual mix of Portuguese internationals and Latin American imports make them as durable as ever. Porto, though, are not the side they were under Mourinho, and Arsenal and United - they cannot face Chelsea - would be confident of neutering their threat. Player to watch: Raul Meireles [LNB]VFB Stuttgart Christian Gross, the former Tottenham and Basle manager, replaced Markus Babbel despite the latter almost guaranteeing their qualification, but even with his experience Stuttgart are unlikely to go beyond the last 16. A mix of promising youngsters and grizzled veterans, but hardly intimidating opponents for Europe's giants.Player to watch: Thomas Hitzlsperger [LNB]
