English Sides Not Guaranteed Of Progression
Barcelona Most Likely To Break British Dominance
The English sides were very dominant in last year's Champions League with 3 of the 4 semi-finalists coming from the UK. Those three were Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool with the first two going forward to take part in May's Champions League Final in Moscow. It has been well documented what happened on that faithful night, when Chelsea Captain John Terry missed that vital penalty and was made to pay by significant contributions from Anderson, Ryan Giggs, Edwin Van Der Sar and his own team-mate, Nicolas Anelka.
Given the quality of the English league, and the vast riches that the top clubs have at their disposal, it has been said by many that the English sides would continue to dominate this year and in the years that follow. There is strong evidence to support this, as English sides have been a regular fixture in both the semi-finals and final in the past 4 or 5 years.
Only time will tell if this dominance continues, but the second round will be a good indicator because the four English sides are up against big European sides. Three of them will face Italian opposition as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal take on Inter Milan, Juventus and AS Roma. They are three sides with big reputations in their own countries as well as outside it, but the Serie A appears to have lost some of its prestige in recent times.
They will perhaps be eager to prove that their league can stand up against the Barclays Premiership and there can be no bigger stage than this. Looking at the Man United/Inter Milan match, there can be no doubt about who is the favourite for this tie as United are currently European Champions. Inter have been talked up for this match to a large degree by manager Jose Mourinho, who used to face United regularly as Chelsea boss.
It is possible he is just playing mind games as he may feel deep down that his squad isn't as good as their English counterparts. They can't be dismissed however, and Inter could still cause a surprise.
Chelsea's empire seems to be collapsing in full glare of the public eye at the moment and they are currently managerless following Phil Scolari's sacking. They will not fancy going to the intimidating Turin in the second leg and with Alessandro Del Piero in sparkling form, they could be found wanting.
On paper, Arsenal could have too much for Roma, but the North London have a job on their hands to finish in 5th place in England this season, so they are very beatable. Roma beat Chelsea in the group stages, so will feel that they can collect another scalp this time round.
Real Madrid face Liverpool on the back of impressive form under Juande Ramos in La Liga, while the Merseysiders are still in the race for the Premiership. This will be a difficult one, but the Spanish giants shouldn't be underestimated with players like Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Raul.
The team to really look out for though, are La Liga leaders Barcelona. They are going to walk the lead and with the addition of Gerard Pique and Dani Alves to their defence this year, they may well be the best bet to break the English hoodoo.
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