British Empire to fall

by Joel Abraham 

Chelsea v Juventus

Chelsea have struggled at home recently, and may well profit from having the second leg in Turin. When Scolari's boys are on form they can rip the opposition to shreds, but Liverpool and Arsenal have shown that Deco, Lampard et al can be stifled by flooding the midfield. Ranieri knows Chelsea well and may have the upper hand here. Juve can play a direct game by utilising the height and power of Amauri and Iaquinta, and boast the constant goalscoring threat of Trezeguet, as well as the craft of Nedved and the evergreen Del Piero. They have strength and presence defensively in the shape of Chiellini and Mellberg, and the midfield bite of Poulsen and Sissoko. Don't expect this one to be pretty.

Prediction: Juve to nick an away goal and sit on it

Villarreal v Panathinaikos

The Yellow Submarine will need a good result in the first leg to ensure their passage into the last eight, as they are fragile away from the Madrigal. Pana seem to do better away from home, and their win at San Siro has shown them to be more than capable of causing an upset. They do not concede many, Gilberto, Karagounis and Ivanschitz are at the heart of a strong midfield, whilst Salpigidis is a danger up front. Rossi and Llorente will be looking for the goals for Villarreal, and Pires, Cazorla and Senna will create plenty of chances for them.

Prediction: Home form to see Villarreal through

Sporting v Bayern

Sporting saw off Shakhtar and Basel with ease, but were torn apart by Barcelona. They may find Bayern's firepower too much to handle. Moutinho and Veloso are a formidable midfield pairing, and Liedson is their top scorer in the competition. Bayern progressed serenly through their group, and boast the attacking prowess of Klose, Toni and Ribery. Sporting ought to be no match for the Germans.

Prediction: Easy victory for Bayern

Atletico v Porto

One of the more intruiging ties of the round. Atleti were untroubled by PSV and Marseille, and were unlucky not to beat Liverpool home and away. Kun, Forlan, Maxi and Simao are a constant threat, and can break down any defence.  Porto looked mediocre initially, but three consecutive victories has shown their ability to win when they need to. Argentine duo Lucho and Lisandro are their key players and will need to make the most of their chances to compensate for a shaky defence. Atleti are the favourites, but don't write off Porto.

Prediction: Atleti to win at home, lose away, and progress

Lyon v Barcelona

Lyon got the tie everyone else wanted to avoid, and it'll probably put paid to their European dreams for another year.  Barca are running away with La Liga, and have a frontline that is almost impossible to contain. The flipside is that they're vulnerable in defence too, so this could be a high-scoring affair. Lyon are no mugs and have an impressive scoring record of their own, and have the irrepressible Benzema on hand to fight their corner. Don't expect many clean sheets. Barca have the bigger guns, but if they get careless, Lyon could profit.

Prediction: Barca to score more than Lyon - just

Real Madrid v Liverpool

A fascinating tie. Benitez will try to strangle the life out of the game, but he'll have his work cut out. van Nistelrooy is a massive loss for Real, and in his absence, Higuain, Raul, Huntelaar and co. will have to step up. Liverpool may struggle to contain the dutch trio of Sneijder, Robben and van der Vaart, but the defence is not watertight. Expect Liverpool to swamp the middle of the park - Mascherano and Alonso will be key to their fortunes. If they can avoid defeat at the Bernabeu, then Real may become yet another victim to the cloying, mawkish sentimentality of Anfield and a dodgy late Gerrard winner.

Prediction: A mind-numbing stalemate in Spain followed by an undeserved Liverpool home win

Arsenal v Roma

Another interesting face-off between two teams who are struggling domestically. Arsenal's young side have an infuriating habit of slaying the big teams before surrendering meekly to poor opposition a week later. Depending on their January transfer activity and the injury situation, they may be a force to be reckoned with in the big games. van Persie and Nasri have shown themselves as capable matchwinners, but the defence is as porous as ever. Roma made a decent comeback in Group A, including an impressive home display against Chelsea. Put simply, they don't score enough and they concede too many. Vucinic will be a danger up front, and Baptista may yet have something nasty in store for his former employers. The second leg will be better than the first.

Prediction: Two draws, Arsenal to sneak through on away goals

Inter v Manchester United

Mourinho blah blah blah. Forget him, this ought to be a great footballing spectacle without the unnecessary soap opera sideshow. Inter are dominating domestically, but were somewhat fortunate to actually make it through their group. After much European disappointment in recent years, particularly at the hands of English opposition, Inter are better equipped this year around. If Ibrahimovic is on form, United will have a torrid time, but the midfield will decide the winners. Cambiasso, Zanetti and Muntari will have to isolate Rooney and neutralise the support play of Ronaldo, Tevez and/or Berbatov in order to frustrate United. At Old Trafford, Inter's attacking stars may begin to shine.

Prediction: Inter to topple the holders in their own back garden