UEFA Champions League Knockout Stage Preview
The business end of Champions League is about to begin. Get the lowdown on each team and each tie with Debojyoti Chakraborty
2011-12 has been a landmark year for the Champions League as it has probably taken a step to show it is no longer an elitist domain. With no fewer than nine countries being present at this stage, the UEFA President can boast of his Spread the Game campaign. One time undisputed superpower, Italy has the envious record of having at least three teams – and this time the only country to be so – for the seventh time in a row. Other giants in European football – England and Spain – are going through one of the worst seasons for years as they have only two representatives. That is the same number Russia have achieved this year, for the first time in their history, along with the usual attendees like Germany and France. Russia should not feel lonely as Eastern Europe has another representative in the form of knockout stage debutants APOEL Nicosia from Cyprus. Together with FC Basel of Switzerland, the other knockout stage debutants they have shocked quite a few with their strong showing in the group stages and it would be dangerous to demean their chances in the business end. Joining the league of debutants is the rejuvenated club from Italy, FC Napoli who are basking in Champions League glory for the first time ever. They could do well to emulate Real Madrid who is making a record 15th consecutive appearance at this stage of the competition, followed closely by Arsenal with 12th straight show down. Not surprisingly, Real also holds the record of winning the title for a record nine times. Milan is at second place with seven winners’ medals to their name. Current champion and hot favourite Barcelona have won this competition four times, same number as that of Bayern Munich, another giant in European football. Following the pack are Inter (three titles), Benfica (two titles) and Marseille (one title). When the round of 16 draw was made in Nyon, Switzerland about two months back, everybody knew that the teams from same group or same country could not be drawn together, but very few would have anticipated such delectable ties.
 |
APOEL FC vs. Olympique Lyonnais |
 |
|
|
14th February, 2012 |
Stade de Gerland, Lyon (FRA) |
GSP Stadium, Nicosia (CYP) |
7th March, 2012 |
|
Road to Knockouts |
Road to Knockouts |
||
|
FC Zenit St Petersburg (H) 2-1 |
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (A) 1-1 |
AFC Ajax (A) 1-1 |
Real Madrid CF (H) 0-2 |
|
FC Porto (A) 1-1 |
FC Porto (H) 2-1 |
GNK Dinamo Zagreb (H) 2-0 |
AFC Ajax (H) 0-0 |
|
FC Zenit St Petersburg (A) 0-0 |
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (H) 0-2 |
Real Madrid CF (A) 0-4 |
GNK Dinamo Zagreb (A) 7-1 |
|
Talking Point |
Talking Point |
||
| Surprise package of the season. With a paltry annual team budget of €10 million – close to the amount Emmanuel Adebayor earns from Manchester City, and he is not even considered good enough for a substitute role – this small club created history by coming this far. They are the first team from Cyprus to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League. They are not favourites to win this tie but they were not tipped to top the group stages either. | Rode their luck to a great extent as two perfect results on the final matchday of the group stages saw them through to the knock out stages. But their second half display against Dinamo Zagreb on that day, when they unleashed six goals en route a 7-1 win, showed they meant business. A few were suspicious of this unlikely result, specifically with the second half showing, but that should not distract Lyon much. Hugo Lloris has been sensational for them under the bars with the most number (30) of saves in the competition so far. Except for the games against Real Madrid, he has conceded only once in four matches. Lyon faces an uncomfortable second leg away from home and hence should try to seal the tie in the first leg itself. | ||
 |
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. FC Barcelona |
 |
|
|
14th February, 2012 |
Bay-Arena, Leverkusen (GER) |
Camp Nou, Barcelona (ESP) |
14th February, 2012 |
|
Road to Knockouts |
Road to Knockouts |
||
|
Chelsea FC (A) 0-2 |
Valencia FC (A) 1-3 |
AC Milan (H) 2-2 |
Chelsea FC (A) 0-2 |
|
KRC Genk (H) 2-0 |
Chelsea FC (H) 2-1 |
FC Bate Borisov (A) 5-0 |
KRC Genk (H) 2-0 |
|
Valencia FC (H) 2-1 |
KRC Genk (A) 1-1 |
FC Viktoria Plzen (H) 2-0 |
Valencia FC (H) 2-1 |
|
Talking Point |
Talking Point |
||
| Beating the best team in the world, or arguably the greatest club team ever to embrace the game of football, is not a cakewalk. But they have scalped one Spanish side in the group stages already and that should give them some hope. Still it would need much more than the famous German steel, the undying spirit of a certain Michael Ballack and a great bit of luck – and a Bengali in the form of Robin Dutt at the helm of things – to come out of Nou Camp with their heads held high. | Barcelona have not been beaten this season in the Champions League and it seems this record won’t be broken any time soon. Leo Messi and company could have got a trickier tie but they would settle for this with the second leg at home. Their La Liga form is not spectacular, but it would take some doing for any team to beat them over a two-legged tie. Their midfield has not come to the party as yet in this competition but this should be the ideal stage to stamp their authority on Europe. | ||
 |
FC Zenit St Petersburg vs. SL Benfica |
 |
|
|
15th February, 2012 |
Stadion Petrovskiy, St Petersburg (RUS) |
Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisbon (POR) |
6th March, 2012 |
|
Road to Knockouts |
Road to Knockouts |
||
|
APOEL FC (A) 1-2 |
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (H) 1-0 |
Manchester United (H) 1-1 |
FC Basel 1893 (H) 1-1 |
|
FC Porto (H) 3-1 |
APOEL FC (H) 0-0 |
FC Oţelul Galaţi (A) 1-0 |
Manchester United (A) 2-2 |
|
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (A) 2-2 |
FC Porto (A) 0-0 |
FC Basel 1893 (A) 2-0 |
FC Oţelul Galaţi (H) 1-0 |
|
Talking Point |
Talking Point |
||
| This would be the home coming for the Portuguese duo Bruno Alves and Danny. Zenit would like to take the full advantage of the first leg at home under freezing Russian weather, but that’s not their only talking point. They have two of the top defenders in the Champions League this season in Nicolas Lombaerts and Tomas Hubocan with most number of balls recovered so far. Besides the return of influential star striker Alexander Kerzhakov from injury would be a major boost for them. However, Zenit would severely lack match sharpness as their domestic season will start only days before the second leg match. | Topped the group which had Manchester United and thus were able to avoid other group toppers. They have also been fortunate not to be drawn against some strong runner up teams from the group stage like Milan or Lyon. A trip to Russia will not be a stroll in the park though a second leg at home might just suit them. Nicolas Gaitan has eclipsed his more illustrious contemporaries to become the most influential playmaker in the tournament with the most number of assists so far and Benfica would look upon him as an inspiration. | ||
 |
AC Milan vs. Arsenal FC |
 |
|
|
15th February, 2012 |
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan (ITA) |
The Emirates Stadium, London (ENG) |
6th March, 2012 |
|
Road to Knockouts |
Road to Knockouts |
||
|
FC Barcelona (A) 2-2 |
FC Bate Borisov (A) 1-1 |
Borussia Dortmund (A) 1-1 |
Olympique de Marseille (H) 0-0 |
|
FC Viktoria Plzen (H) 2-0 |
FC Barcelona (H) 2-3 |
Olympiacos FC (H) 2-1 |
Borussia Dortmund (H) 2-1 |
|
FC Bate Borisov (H) 2-0 |
FC Viktoria Plzen (A) 2-2 |
Olympique de Marseille (A) 0-1 |
Olympiacos FC (A) 1-3 |
|
Talking Point |
Talking Point |
||
| A battle of experience vs. youthful exuberance, a tussle between composure and agility – this is a mouth-watering clash. Milan started the campaign brightly with a 2-2 draw at Nou Camp. But they faded off afterwards and managed only two points in the last three matches. That did not prevent them from qualifying for the next stage but they finished a good seven points behind the group winner, Barcelona. They have been presented a second leg away from home which may very well suit their counter-attack based football. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored in all the CL matches he has played so far and Milan will hope that this trend continues. | Arsenal have been historically drawn against tough oppositions quite early in the recent years of Champions League draw. This time too they feature in The match of the round like last year. Arsenal could enjoy a free flowing passage of play against Milan but they have to be careful of their defensive lapses which could well be exposed by the counter-attacking threat of Milan. It raises a few eyebrows if Robin van Persie does not feature in the score sheets. It will be good show down with Ibra, but can his young and inexperienced teammates see Arsenal through? The second leg at the Emirates could well be the decider. | ||
 |
PFC CSKA Moskva vs. Real Madrid |
 |
|
|
21st February, 2012 |
Stadion Luzhniki, Moscow (RUS) |
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid (ESP) |
14th March, 2012 |
|
Road to Knockouts |
Road to Knockouts |
||
|
LOSC Lille Métropole (A) 2-2 |
Trabzonspor AŞ (A) 0-0 |
GNK Dinamo Zagreb (A) 1-0 |
Olympique Lyonnais (A) 2-0 |
|
FC Internazionale Milano (H) 2-3 |
LOSC Lille Métropole (H) 0-2 |
AFC Ajax (H) 3-0 |
GNZK Dinamo Zagreb (H) 6-2 |
|
Trabzonspor AŞ (H) 3-0 |
FC Internazionale Milano (A) 2-1 |
Olympique Lyonnais (H) 4-0 |
AFC Ajax (A) 3-0 |
|
Talking Point |
Talking Point |
||
| Beating Inter at their own backyard was not the only requirement; CSKA also needed a draw between Lille and Trabzonspor on the final matchday to secure a knockout stage berth. Fortunately CSKA got the result they wanted but their luck may run out against a rampant Real Madrid. They are a decent side who like to play open attacking football. Seydou Doumbia is one of the leading goal scorers in the tournament with five goals in five appearances and he would love to portray his skills in front of a wider audience. But even a star shot stopper in Igor Akinfeev could prove to be not much against Cristiano Ronaldo and company. Also they are handicapped by the same problem as that of Zenit – lack of match sharpness. | Real has been in superb form and their statistics prove that. They have scored nineteen goals in the group stages – only archrivals Barcelona have been able to better that by one goal – and have conceded two goals, the least by any team. Sergio Ramos Garcia has been a star performer as Real are yet to concede any goal in 400+ minutes with him on the pitch. Real have proved that they are much more than Cristiano Ronaldo alone as they have marched past the last two matches without their star striker. But Jose Mourinho should not take this Russian side lightly. They are favourites to progress and they should, unless complacency gets the better of them. | ||
 |
SSC Napoli vs. Chelsea |
 |
|
|
21st February, 2012 |
Stadio San Paolo, Naples (ITA) |
Stamford Bridge, London (ENG) |
14th March, 2012 |
|
Road to Knockouts |
Road to Knockouts |
||
|
Manchester City FC (A) 1-1 |
FC Bayern Munchen (A) 2-3 |
Bayern 04 Leverkusen (H) 2-0 |
KRC Genk (A) 1-1 |
|
Villarreal CF (H) 2-0 |
Manchester City FC (H) 2-1 |
Valencia CF (A) 1-1 |
Bayern 04 Leverkusen (A) 1-2 |
|
FC Bayern Munchen (H) 1-1 |
Villarreal CF (A) 2-0 |
KRC Genk (H) 5-0 |
Valencia CF (H) 3-0 |
|
Talking Point |
Talking Point |
||
| Napoli had attracted quite a few eyeballs at the start of the season. They have done their reputation no harm by entering into the knock-out stages in their debut campaign at the expense of cash-rich Manchester City. They were in the Group of Death but their inexperience might just catch up with them here. Star forward Edinson Cavani could be in his last season at Napoli before the cash-rich clubs snatch him away and he could leave his mark before bowing out. | Chelsea are having a rocky season in the Premier League, but they have a very strong record at the knockout stages of the Champions League in this decade. Their new manager Andre Vilas Boas may be a newcomer to England, but he is no greenhorn in Europe having already won the UEFA Europa League with Porto last year. Chelsea are going through a transition phase, but getting a debutant team at this stage may just see them through. | ||
 |
Olympique de Marseille vs. FC Internazionale Milano |
 |
|
|
22nd February, 2012 |
Stade Vélodrome, Marseille (FRA) |
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan (ITA) |
13th March, 2012 |
|
Road to Knockouts |
Road to Knockouts |
||
|
Olympiacos FC (A) 1-0 |
Arsenal FC (A) 0-0 |
Trabzonspor AŞ (H) 0-1 |
LOSC Lille Métropole (H) 2-1 |
|
Borussia Dortmund (H) 3-0 |
Olympiacos FC (H) 0-1 |
PFC CSKA Moskva (A) 3-2 |
Trabzonspor AŞ (H) 1-1 |
|
Arsenal FC (H) 0-1 |
Borussia Dortmund (A) 3-2 |
LOSC Lille Métropole (A) 1-0 |
PFC CSKA Moskva (H) 1-2 |
|
Talking Point |
Talking Point |
||
| Little known players from Marseille have caught the eyes of Europe. Surged by a strong defence, they have propelled through to the knockout stages of Champions League, but they will be underdogs going into this tie. Surely they preferred an easier opponent; at least a second leg advantage at home would have given them some hope. | Inter are peaking at the right time. After starting their campaign with a shock defeat to Trabzonspor at home, they bounced back to top the group. They are not likely to be overconfident against Marseille as they bowed out to Schalke FC last year under similar circumstances. And it might be time for Wesley Sneijder to settle in and start imposing his authority again. | ||
 |
FC Basel 1893 vs. FC Bayern Munchen |
 |
|
|
22nd February, 2012 |
St. Jakob-Park, Basel (SUI) |
Fußball Arena München, Munich (GER) |
13th March, 2012 |
|
Road to Knockouts |
Road to Knockouts |
||
|
FC Oţelul Galaţi (H) 2-1 |
SL Benfica (A) 1-1 |
Trabzonspor AŞ (H) 0-1 |
LOSC Lille Métropole (H) 2-1 |
|
Manchester United (A) 3-3 |
FC Oţelul Galaţi (A) 3-2 |
PFC CSKA Moskva (A) 3-2 |
Trabzonspor AŞ (H) 1-1 |
|
SL Benfica (H) 0-2 |
Manchester United (H) 2-1 |
LOSC Lille Métropole (A) 1-0 |
PFC CSKA Moskva (H) 1-2 |
|
Talking Point |
Talking Point |
||
| FC Basel’s shot to fame was knocking out Manchester United from the group stages on the last matchday. This may end up being their high point in this year’s campaign as they look to lock horns against Bayern Munich in their inaugural knockout stage appearance. Alexandar Frei & Marco Streller have both played in Bundesliga before but their influence may not be enough. | Bayern Munich, a heavyweight in Europe will be favourites against FC Basel. Sheer professionalism of the German team would be a bit too much for Basel. Bayern would have taken a major boost from the timely return of midfield lynchpin Bastian Schweinsteiger, but his return to field was short- lived as he suffered a torn ligament in the German Cup quarterfinals. His partnership with Mario Gomez, top scorer so far in this year’s CL having scored 6 goals in less than 400 minutes in the pitch, should prove deadly going forward. | ||
About Debojyoti Chakraborty
Debojyoti Chakraborty is a follower of English Premier League and European football. You can reach him at debojyoti.chakraborty@gmail.com
