Mike's Reaction to the Champions League Draw

Manchester United (England #2) and Celtic’s (Scotland #1) stadiums are only a three-hour drive away from each other, both have an illustrious history in their domestic leagues and both have won the European Cup, but have never faced each other in a competitive fixture until now.
This is easily the most interesting match-up of what is, in my mind, the most interesting group. The Red Devils and the Hoops have also been paired with Lisbon's Benfica (Portugal 3rd place) and Champions League newcomer FC Copenhagen (Denmark #1) in Group F. Copenhagen has the poor run of luck to be drawn against three teams that have already won the European Cup. I see Celtic and Man United moving on, unless there’s another meltdown at Old Trafford or Celtic Park (both of which have happened in the last year) before Christmas, which will clear the way for Benfica to advance, much as they did last season.

2005 Champions Liverpool will face off against USA international DaMarcus Beasley’s Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven. ‘Pool finished third in the English Premier League and PSV were Dutch Champions last year. Their experience in European competition should put them head and shoulders above the rest of Group C, which includes Turkish champions Galatasray and French runners-up Bordeaux.

For me, the weakest and possibly least interesting group is group D. It includes Valencia CF (Spain 3rd place), Shakthar Donetsk (Ukraine #1) Olimpiacos (Greece 1st place), and AS Roma (Italy 5th place), who are in the competition only because of their lack of involvement in the Italian match-fixing scandal. This group is the equivalent of the champion of the CAA playing the 5th place team in the Big 10 in the NCAA tournament. Despite the lack of starpower and big-name clubs, I like Olimpiacos and Roma to move on and be the proverbial bug on the windshield in the Round of 16.

AC Milan was able to sneak into the tournament having been previously banned due to their role in the match-fixing scandal. They were rewarded with a relatively easy draw in group H against Lille (France 3rd place), AEK Athens (Greece 2nd Place), and Anderlecht (Belgium 1st place). Milan has lost their offensive centerpiece in Andriy Shevchenko, but are still a formidable foe and should progress to the knockout stages. The second spot is up for grabs, but I’m going to go with AEK Athens, who looked like a team on the rise in dispatching Scottish runners-up Hearts in the Third Qualifying round.

Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho complained about Chelsea’s seeding as a #2 seed before the draw, claiming that even though they were English champions the past two seasons, that there was a 1-in-5 chance they could end up meeting European Cup holders FC Barcelona in the group stages. In a cruel twist for the man who calls himself “The Special One,” the Blues were the first team drawn from Pot 2 and will face Barcelona twice in the month of October in a rematch of last year’s Round of 16 tie. Group A also holds German runners-up Werder Bremen and Bulgarian champions and European newcomers Levski Sofia in one of the more interesting groups in the competition. I expect Chelsea and Barca to go through to the knockout stages, but don’t discount Werder Bremen from picking Chelsea off.

If there was one winner of the Italian match-fixing scandal it was Internazionale Milano. Inter Milan was awarded the 2005-2006 Italian championship, despite finishing in third place, and reaped most of the rewards of the summer slaughter of disgraced Italian champions Juventus on the summer transfer market, picking up several high-profile stars including French international Patrick Viera and Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Inter is also stocked with World Cup head-butt recipient Marco Materazzi, Brazil’s Adriano, Portugal’s Luis Figo, and Hernan Crespo on loan from Chelsea. Inter should easily roll through Group B to the knockout stages, and at this point, I’d feel comfortable picking them to go to at least the semifinals. They will advance out of group along with weakened German champs Bayern Munich. Look for Sporting Club of Lisbon (Portugal #2) to make some waves, possibly claiming an upset scalp, but not a knockout stage berth. Russian runners-up Spartak Moscow should cancel their travel plans and hang the mistletoe. They will be home by Christmas.

Looking at Group E, it SCREAMS potential upsets. Real Madrid should make it to the Round of 16, but they are a team in flux. Dutch international Ruud van Nistelrooy rejoins former teammate David Beckham after a summer transfer from Manchester United. AC Milan is making a bid for Madrid's World Cup star Ronaldo, and the all-whites could find themselves without his services. Lyon reached the quarterfinals of the competition last year and were minutes away from advancing to the semifinals before AC Milan snatched it from them late. Romanian Champions Steaua Bucharest have won the competition before, and Ukranian runners-up Dynamo Kiev should be knocked out this round, but should not be taken lightly.

2006 Runners-up Arsenal round out the group stages, being paired with 2004 Champion FC Porto of Portugal. Russian champs CSKA Moscow should provide a stern test in the Russian winter, and Hamburg SV is making their first appearance in the Champions League in several years, but nearly finished second in the German top-flight last season, making a trip to AOL Arena a dangerous one for any club to take them lightly. I like Arsenal and Hamburg.

The Round of 16 Draw will be held after all group stages are completed, and the teams awaiting their fates then should be Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United, Celtic, Liverpool, PSV, Olimpiacos, Roma, AC Milan, AEK Athens, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Lyon, Arsenal, and Hamburg.