Champions League Round of 16 Draw Sees Real Madrid Face PSG

As the Champions League approaches the knockout stages UEFA has drawn the ties for the round of 16, with French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain facing holders Real Madrid. Having just collected his latest Ballon d'Or last week in Paris, Ronaldo looks to stop Neymar and PSG's European title aspirations early in the tournament. Other notable matches from the draw feature Antonio Conte's Chelsea drawn against FC Barcelona, along with group-topping Tottenham Hotspur drawn against Juventus FC.

Champions League Round of 16 Draw

Juventus - Tottenham Hotspur
FC Basel - Manchester City
FC Porto - Liverpool
Sevilla - Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain - Real Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk - AS Roma
Chelsea - Barcelona
Bayern Munich - Besiktas

The Europa League round of 32 draw also took place, with German giants Borussia Dortmund drawn against Atlanta, who in their past two Europa League matches defeated Everton 5-1 and Olympique Lyonnais 1-0. Arsenal have been served up Swedish side Ostersund, while Olympique Lyonnais will have to overcome Villarreal in order to come closer to playing the Europa League final at the Stade de Lyon.

Europa League Round of 32 Draw

Borussia Dortmund - Atlanta
FC Nice - Lokomotiv Moskva
FC Copenhagen - Atletico Madrid
Spartak Moskva - Athletic Bilbao
AEK Athens - Dynamo Kyiv
FC Celtic - FC Zenit
Napoli - RB Leipzig
Crvena zvezda - CSKA Moskva
Olympique Lyonnais - Villarreal
Real Sociedad - FC Salzburg
Partizan - Viktoria Pizen
FCSB - Lazio
FC Ludogorets - AC Milan
Astana - Sporting CP
Ostersund - Arsenal
Olympique Marseille - Sporting Braga

The Champions League round of 16 kicks off on the 13th of February with Juventus hosting Tottenham and FC Basel hosting Manchester City.

Cristiano Ronaldo Wins the 2016 Ballon D'Or

Cristiano Ronaldo has been awarded the 2016 FIFA Ballon d'Or for the fourth time, edging out Lionel Messi and cross-town rival Antoine Griezmann. The Portuguese forward has had an extraordinarily successful year after winning the Champions League last season with Real Madrid, followed by Portugal's summer triumph over France at the UEFA European Championships.

For yet another season the 31 year-old has been integral to Real Madrid's success, with his ten goals this season in La Liga only beaten by Messi's eleven for Barcelona. Despite this, Real Madrid is still undefeated this season and maintains a six point lead at the top of the table over Barcelona.

While Ronaldo is still chasing down Lionel Messi's five Ballon d'Or awards, the Portuguese forward has been prospering not just with his club but also with his country in a way that his Argentine rival has never managed. Both players are looking to cement their position as top dog this season in La Liga and the Champions League, but the defining trial between these two champions will be at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Russia will be the stage where these two players will have their best and probably final chance to earn the national trophy and become the undisputed player of this generation. 

Playstation and UEFA Bring the Champions League App to PS4

A screenshot of the UEFA Champions League app on PS4

Sony recently announced on its European blog that it will be collaborating with UEFA in order to bring the Champions League App to the Playstation 4. While many (including myself) hoped that this would be a convenient way to have access to live or on demand Champions League matches for this upcoming season, sadly, it seems like this isn't a feature.

Despite this, the Champions League app still does bring some watchable Champions League action for Playstation users. In the blog post it provides some details regarding watchable matches:

PlayStation Plus members will also be able to relive some of the most memorable moments from the UEFA Champions League archives, with a number of Classic Matches available to watch via the in-app player. 

A range of matches from past seasons will be available at different times throughout the season, in 5 and 20 minute edits. The following Classic Matches are in the app to watch from today:

• Juventus 1-3 FC Barcelona – Final, Berlin 2015

• Man. Utd 4-3 Real Madrid (Agg: 5-6) – Quarter-finals, second leg, 2002/2003

• FC Bayern München 1-1 Chelsea FC (aet, Chelsea win 4-3 on penalties) – Final, Munich 2012

The important piece of information there is in the fact that "Classic Matches" seem to be exclusively only for Playstation Plus members. However, regarding the app's other features, it seems like non-Playstation Plus users will be able to participate in the Fantasy Football, Predictor, and Top Five games in which you can compete against friends on the PS4 leaderboards.

While there will be prizes for doing well in these games, there are some restrictions in place here as well. PS4 users in the United States of America, Canada, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina won't be eligible to win prizes, which leaves a huge amount of football/soccer crazed fans out of the action. Although the blog post doesn't mention whether a Playstation Plus membership is necessary to participate in the games and win prizes, part of me thinks that it will be required.

What are your thoughts on Sony and UEFA's exclusive collaboration on PS4? Will you be participating in the games in hopes of winning prizes? Share your thoughts below!

Round of 16 Champions League Draw 2013/14

UEFA recently held their ceremonial drawing of the Champions League round of 16 stage, and there's a variety of enticing draws especially for Arsenal and Manchester City. Here's the results of the draw below:

Manchester City FC v FC Barcelona
Olympiacos FC v Manchester United FC
AC Milan v Club Atlético de Madrid
Bayer 04 Leverkusen v Paris Saint-Germain
Galatasaray AŞ v Chelsea FC
FC Schalke 04 v Real Madrid CF
FC Zenit v Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal FC v FC Bayern München

Although there's a definite excitement about the Arsenal v Bayern and Manchester City v Barcelona, I'm really looking forward to see AC Milan v Atletico Madrid. A stern test for Diego Simeone's team to really start the knockout phase of the competition on a strong foot, and to prove that Atletico Madrid can contend for a variety of silverware. There's also something to be said about Drogba getting a chance to return to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea hasn't quite managed to truly find its groove, but Mourinho will have a chance to show if he can conquer Europe again like he did back with Inter Milan and Porto.

What are your favourite ties? Share your thoughts and predictions in the comments.

Champions League Round Of 16 Draw: Inter vs. Bayern

This Champions League round of 16 draw seems to have everything that us fans crave. Subplots, big clashes, and games which will be filled with attacking football. Here's the Champions League round of 16 draw below:

Roma - Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan - Tottenham Hotspur
Valencia - Schalke
Inter Milan - Bayern Munich
Lyon v Real Madrid
Arsenal - Barcelona
Marseille - Manchester United
Copenhagen - Chelsea

The game that I'm looking forward to the most from this bunch has to be the AC Milan - Tottenham one. Two teams which have really stepped up their game this season, and while AC Milan are hardened veterans of this competition, I could see Tottenham progressing. Reigning champions Inter Milan got the team they played in the final last season, Bayern Munich. I'm sure that the Bavarian side won't care too much about having lost the final, but somehow I think that Louis van Gaal's team will do their best to impede Inter to a second successive Champions League title.

While I say that the game I'm looking forward to the most is AC Milan - Tottenham, there's also the gem which is Arsenal - Barcelona. Last season Arsenal were kicked out of the competition by Pep Guardiola's side, and I'm sure that Arsene Wenger will want to prove that his side is more than just a bunch of little boys. We also have Lyon and Real Madrid meeting again, the two sides faced each other in last season's round of 16, and the French side knocked Real Madrid out of the competition. But this season there's no joking around with Jose Mourinho in charge at Los Blancos, he'll want to sweep past Lyon and pursue the trophy itself.

Here below is the Europa League draw for the Round of 32:

Napoli - Villareal
Rangers - Sporting Lisbon
Sparta Prague - Liverpool
Anderlecht - Ajax
Lech Poznan - Sporting Braga
Besiktas - Dinamo Kiev
FC Basel - Spartak Moscow
Young Boys - Zenit St. Petersburg
Aris Salonika - Manchester City
PAOK Salonika - CSKA Moscow
Sevilla - Porto
Rubin Kazan - FC Twente
Lille - PSV Eindhoven
Benfica - Stuttgart
Bate Borisov - Paris Saint-Germain
Metalist Kharkiv - Bayer Leverkusen

Share your comments regarding the draws below! 

Atletico Madrid conquer UEFA Supercup over flat Inter

Second trophy of the year, more to come this season?

This was probably one of the most interesting UEFA Supercups I've seen, while some might have expected domination from the Champions League winners, it was Atletico Madrid who bossed the game and won 2-0. And although it's strange to think that this year Atletico Madrid have won more trophies than Barcelona, it's true. If you happen to be an Atletico fan, or if you're interested in a good blog to read about the UEFA Supercup winners, check out Madrid Atleticos.

Inter Milan - Atletico Madrid

While the match began relatively evenly, both teams were unable to put together many memorable opportunities. They were both solid in defense, with Atletico causing more problems than Inter was, but in the end there were only some shots which fizzed wide from Eto'o and Aguero in the first half.

Reyes celebrating the first goal

The second half was a different affair, Atletico began to keep possession, they created more and more chances, keeping the ball away from Inter's front line. Diego Milito barely touched the ball, Eto'o was dangerous but isolated, and Stankovic wasn't a smart choice for starter from Rafa Benitez. Eventually the breakthrough came, Julio Cesar had already saved a couple of insidious shots, but Reyes found a way to slip it past him in the 62nd minute.

There wasn't a reaction from the Inter players, Benitez took off Stankovic and put on Pandev, giving a bit of creativity, but soon enough the Macedonian found himself unable to change the situation. Then the Inter coach decided to take out a disappointing Sneijder and put in the young Brazilian talent, Philippe Coutinho. But right after the switch, Atletico scored again with Aguero. A simple tap-in which was due to Inter's back line falling asleep, Chivu ignored the Argentinean's run into the six yard box and basically let him finish off the team.

There was more reaction after this goal from the Inter player than the first, they pushed more, and eventually substitute Coutinho almost unlocked the situation, creating an attack which earned Inter a penalty in the dying minutes. Diego Milito stepped up to take it, but David De Gea parried the shot well, keeping a clean sheet for Atletico as they went on to defeat the Champions League winners, and conquer the UEFA Supercup.

Lyon hold firm to oust Bordeaux

FC Girondins de Bordeaux 1-0 Olympique Lyonnais (agg: 2-3)
Marouane Chamakh's goal at the end of the first half was not enough to prevent the visitors reaching the semi-finals for the first time.

Olympique Lyonnais withstood a barrage of pressure to clinch a gritty aggregate win against FC Girondins de Bordeaux and book their place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time.
Leading 3-1 from the first leg, the visitors defended with fierce determination to protect their advantage, although it took another sensational Hugo Lloris save in the closing moments to ultimately seal the triumph. Marouane Chamakh had halved the deficit with his fifth European goal of the season just before the break, setting up a thrilling second half in which Les Girondins poured forward relentlessly. Lyon stood firm, however, thus ensuring they will compete in a semi-final after falling in the last eight three times in the previous six years.

Les Marine et Blanc entered the contest boasting a perfect home record in this season's competition yet three defeats from their last three outings was clearly playing on the French champions' confidence. As Laurent Blanc's men struggled to find their passing game, OL warmed to the task and twice threatened to extend their aggregate lead early on. Michel Bastos rifled a powerful free-kick narrowly wide and Bafétimbi Gomis nodded César Delgado's corner over before the hosts gradually got a foothold.

Not surprisingly, when Bordeaux stirred on 18 minutes the danger came from a free-kick. Wendel's superb delivery from the right drew Lloris off his line but Yoann Gourcuff failed to add to Bordeaux's 11 set-piece goals this term, glancing his header over. The opening brought the crowd to life, though, and suddenly the momentum was firmly with Bordeaux. Only a series of towering headers from Cris kept Claude Puel's side afloat as Benoît Trémoulinas and Wendel fizzed over crosses from either flank.

Les Girondins were out of luck on 44 minutes when former Lyon midfielder Alou Diarra thundered a dipping volley against the crossbar from distance, although the home fans were soon celebrating. Seconds before the interval, the marauding Trémoulinas collected Jussiê's return ball on the left, surged to the byline, and when Jaroslav Plašil flicked on his near-post cross, Chamakh was on hand to force in his second goal of the tie from close range.

If Les Gones were struggling to create chances without their suspended talisman Lisandro, his replacement Gomis was quick to show in the second half. Directly from the restart, the French international broke free on the right side of the penalty area and evaded the advancing Cédric Carrasso, only to shoot tamely at covering defender Marc Planus from a testing angle.

Bastos then fired a volley wide before the French champions seized control and threw everything at Lyon in the last half-hour. Chamakh was a constant menace yet with Cris and Jean-Alain Boumsong typically combative, the Moroccan international could not forge a clear opportunity. Bordeaux always looked capable of scoring the all-important second from a set piece, but for once their favoured weapon failed to deliver. Ludovic Sané headed Gourcuff's corner wide with ten minutes remaining and Lloris pulled off a stunning save from Wendel's header on 87 minutes as time ran out on Bordeaux.

At a glance

What happened
Marouane Chamakh struck on the stroke of half-time but Laurent Blanc's side were unable to find the goal that would have sent them through.

Key moment
With three minutes remaining Wendel sent a bullet header towards the Lyon goal but, not for the first time in the tie, Hugo Lloris pulled off a fabulous save.

Numbers game
Bordeaux won all five of their home games in this season's UEFA Champions League but it was not enough to keep them in the competition. 

One on one
Cris was outmanoeuvred for Chamakh's goal but otherwise held the Moroccan striker in check with a typically combative and imposing display.

Crowd pleaser
In the 44th minute former Lyon midfielder Alou Diarra unleashed a thunderous shot from 25 metres only for the crossbar to intervene.

What it means
After three quarter-finals Lyon are in the semi-finals for the first time – Ligue 1's first representatives in the last four since 2003/04.

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United buckle under Bayern strain & yesterday's UCL results

April 7th 2010

 United buckle under Bayern strain

Manchester United FC 3-2 FC Bayern München
(agg: 4-4, Bayern win on away goals)

A magnificent volley from Arjen Robben capped a stunning Bayern recovery with the home side having taken a 3-0 lead before Rafael's dismissal.

FC Bayern München fought back from three goals down on the night to oust Manchester United FC from the UEFA Champions League on away goals.

On a pulsating evening, United stormed into a three-goal lead through Darron Gibson and a Nani double. Yet Ivica Olić's goal just before the break raised Bayern hopes and after Rafael's 50th-minute dismissal, Bayern capitalised on the extra man thanks to a stunning Arjen Robben volley 16 minutes from time.

It was a repeat of the Dutchman's decisive goal in the identical away-goals win against ACF Fiorentina in the last 16 and means Bayern can look forward to their first semi-final since 2001, the year of their last European crown when they also beat United at this stage.

The home fans had a lift before kick-off with the news that Wayne Rooney would be starting, just days after Sir Alex Ferguson had said he faced "two to three weeks" out with the ankle injury sustained in the first leg.
United then made a dream start with a third-minute goal involving two other surprise names on the team sheet. Rafael, in for Gary Neville, dispossessed Franck Ribéry and played the ball to Rooney, who laid it on to Gibson. The Northern Irishman, making only his second start of 2010, side-footed a low shot inside the near post from the edge of the box for his first UEFA Champions League goal.

After seven minutes United had their second. Antonio Valencia teased Holger Badstuber out on the right before driving in a low cross that Nani, ghosting beyond the Bayern back line, turned in with a cute flick of his heel. Michael Carrick, with a shot, and Rooney, a header, then went close with Bayern were struggling to live with the pace of United's play, even with Rooney now hobbling. They duly made it 3-0 as Valencia broke down the right and crossed for Nani to drive the ball high into the net.

Two minutes later, however, Bayern pulled a goal back through Olić. Latching onto Thomas Müller's flicked header, the Croatian shrugged aside Michael Carrick and beat Edwin van der Sar from a tight angle.
Louis van Gaal sent on Mario Gómez for Müller at the interval and within five minutes Bayern found themselves with a man advantage when Rafael collected a second yellow for pulling back Ribéry.

With Rooney making way for John O'Shea, Bayern pressed for a second and Van der Sar punched clear a Ribéry drive just before the hour while Gómez skimmed the crossbar with a header. It was not all one-way traffic, not with United's counterattacking threat – twice Butt saved well from Nani, while Carrick and Gibson spurned half-chances.

With 16 minutes remaining, though, Robben broke United's resistance by levelling the aggregate scores at 4-4. Ribéry's corner found him on the edge of the box and the Dutchman drove the ball on the volley past a helpless Van der Sar and into the far corner. For United, the dream of a third successive final was over.

April 6th 2010 

Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal
Short Summary: All of Barca's goals scored by the world's best player, Lionel Messi, and one early goal from the Gunners' Nicklas Bendtner.

CSKA Moskva 0-1 Internazionale
Short Summary: Only goal of the match was scored by Sneijder, launching Inter into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2003.

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