Thoughts on the Champions League Draw

Now that the UEFA Champions League draw is out for the quarterfinals, Oliver Kay of the Times comments on the matchups-

Arsenal and Barcelona play in a similar style. Can Arsenal really beat them at their own game?

It is difficult one, because there is no better team in pure football terms than Barcelona. If it does come to two sides trying to outpass one another the better team would usually prevail - which, in this case, is Barcelona. Having said that, I don't think Wenger will do anything radically different, he will just encourage his team to play their usual game.

Although Barcelona are fantastic going forward there is the odd chink in their armour. They haven't got the strongest defence in the competition. Conversely, Barcelona will look at Arsenal's defence and see areas they can target.

The natural perception is that Barcelona will probably triumph over the two legs but Arsenal will give them a good game. I would guess they would prefer to play a team like Barcelona rather than a team United, against whom they have had problems in the past, or Inter, who would have tried to stop them playing.



Would Sir Alex Ferguson be the manager happiest with the draw?

Yes, he will be happy. While Bayern Munich is not the easiest draw, if United get through they will face either Bordeaux or Lyons in the semi-final. That appears to be a relatively easy route to the final.

Getting past Bayern will not be easy. They are always a strong side, although in recent years they have been a quarter-final team, rather than the team of the 1990s that were a genuine contender for the title. The three strongest teams in the draw are United, Barcelona and Inter. United are in the other half of the draw so they will be delighted.


So where is your money now?

I would say United's route to the final seems fairly straightforward, but whoever comes through the other half of the draw - whether that is Inter, Barcelona or even Arsenal - will be an excellent team. I would say United will be one finalist and Inter or Barcelona will be the other. And Barcelona or Inter would be very capable of winning that final.