The Champions League draw resulted in three interesting matches featuring Inter taking on Chelsea, Milan going head-to-head Manchester United, and Bayern Munich against Fiorentina.

The first clash will witness the return of the outspoken Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge to face his previous club. Chelsea are now led by former Rossoneri coach Carlo Ancelotti, whose relationship with the attention-seeking Portuguese boss was often frosty at best.

The encounter will pit two teams which pride themselves on defensive strength, solid organisation, and efficiency. The Stamford Bridge outfit and Inter are on top of their respective leagues and both made coaching changes in order to bring European glory.

Obviously, one of the two coaches will have already failed by the end of the first knockout round. The Nerazzurri will need to have their best line-up to be able to contend with the physical strength and power of the London-based club, as displayed by the likes of Didier Drogba and Michael Essien. Inter’s protagonists will likely be Javier Zanetti, Maicon, Wesley Sneijder and Samuel Eto’o, while John Terry, Frank Lampard and Drogba will be key to the success of the Blues. Both sides are capable of going all the way but they are both beginning to show cracks with results and performances becoming more inconsistent as the season progresses. Chelsea will have a slight advantage as the return tie will be played in London.

In the second dual featuring an English side taking on an Italian club, Manchester United will have to go through Milan to progress to the quarter-finals, and this will not be as easy as some may think. The Red Devils have lost much of their lustre since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, while Carlos Tevez’s move across the city lines to join Manchester City has hindered the offensive output of the side.

But Sir Alex Ferguson remains one of the best managers in the business and he will surely have the experience and knowledge over his Milan counterpart Leonardo, but it remains to be seen if this will be enough to overcome the Rossoneri.

United need to have their defenders back in action, as many of their rearguard are missing due to injuries. As for il Diavolo, the focus will be on young striker Alexandre Pato and veterans Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Nesta as well as Brazilian Ronaldinho.

The English remain dangerous considering the talented striker Wayne Rooney is still with the club while Ryan Giggs is rolling back the years with some impressive contributions, while a healthy combination of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in defence will form an impenetrable wall for the Milan forwards. The Premier League club have a slight edge as the return leg will be played at Old Trafford, but it would be wrong to use it as a reason to underestimate the capability of the San Siro giants, as seasoned veterans such as Seedorf and Filippo Inzaghi usually tend to do well in a European competition.

Another intriguing clash will see Bayern Munich take on surprise package Fiorentina. The Germans were able to dispose of Juventus in what turned out to be a humiliating defeat for Ciro Ferrara’s charges, while the Gigliati have taken Europe by storm as they recorded five straight victories following the narrow defeat to Lyon.

La Viola coach Cesare Prandelli is one of Italy’s rising stars in terms of training and tactics, as he has shown considerable ability to cope with injuries and other trying circumstances while guiding the side to the Round of 16. The tactician was rumoured to be a Bianconeri target prior to the start of the season, and his name is now being associated with la Nazionale job once Marcello Lippi steps down.

The Tuscan club rely heavily on Alberto Gilardino’s goals and Juan Manuel Vargas’ marauding runs, as well as emerging young sensation Stevan Jovetic. The Montenegrin gunned down Liverpool with his brace at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, which basically paved the way for the club’s revival in the Champions League.

Bayern will be counting on the return of French star Franck Ribery. The win in Turin against the Old Lady was a massive result that has given the Bavarian side a great boost. This will be a close encounter but the fact la Viola will host the return match in Florence may play into Prandelli’s hands.

In other ties, holders Barcelona ought to have few problems overcoming German club Stuttgart, while Real Madrid may have too much firepower for Ligue 1 side Lyon. Arsenal will travel to Porto for the first-leg and will be looking to achieve a decent result before the return at the Emirates.

Greek club Olympiacos take on French champions Bordeaux, who will be the favourites after topping their group, despite having to contend with Bayern Munich and Juventus. In the last fixture of this round CSKA Moscow of Russia take on Spanish side Sevilla in a tie which will slightly work to Sevilla’s advantage, since they will play the second leg at home. The Spaniards have enough firepower with Luis Fabiano and Frederic Kanoute.

Rami Soufi, Football Italiano