The draw has been made and here's the results:

Manchester United vs Real Madrid
Barcelona vs AC Milan
Juventus vs Celtic
Bayern Munich vs Arsenal
Borussia Dotmund vs Shakhtar Donetsk
Malaga vs Porto
Schalke vs Galatasaray
PSG vs Valencia

Has there ever been a season with no English teams in the last 8. It looks like there won't be this year.

Arsenal has the tougher draw in my opinion. I just dont see them having the depth to play two ties with a very strong Bayern squad. I honestly see United getting by Real. They havent shown any consistent quality this season, while United has played far better than expectations (of late) and seem to be getting comfortable with RvP and Kagawa in the squad.

Manchester United vs Real Madrid (United)
Barcelona vs AC Milan (Barca)
Juventus vs Celtic (Juve)
Bayern Munich vs Arsenal (Bayern)
Borussia Dotmund vs Shakhtar Donetsk (Dortmund)
Malaga vs Porto (Malaga)
Schalke vs Galatasaray (Schalke)
PSG vs Valencia (PSG)

I am really starting to like the chances of Dortmund and PSG to make deeper runs in the tournament. Would love to see the final 8 look like above (with a Dortmund, PSG, Barca, United final 4?).

I don't see United beating Real.

I think Hawkspur is right, no british teams in the last 8 this year.

_________________
Rzzzzz...

Manchester United vs Real Madrid
So many subplots in this matchup. Ronaldo returns to United, Fergie's possible heir vists Old Trafford. This was probably the matchup everyone was hoping for simply because of the subplots and after that, the teams themselves. United's defense is still suspect and we all know what happens when Ronaldo is given even a sliver of time and space. This one is probably fairly even and could go either way in the end.

Barcelona vs AC Milan
A rematch of both the Group stage and Elite 8 from last year. The main difference being that there's no Ibrahimovic on Milan. While Milan is a shadow of what they were last year they might have the most intriguing player in El Sharrawry, who has been resposible for most of Milan's success this season. I don't think this will be anywhere near the level of play from last year and Barca should easily get through Milan.

Juventus vs Celtic
How easy should it be to write off Celtic with this matchup? It shouldn't considering The Hoops were given less than no chance of even finishing 3rd in the group stage. While Juventus is clearly the better team, you need to remember that Celtic almost took 4 points off of Barca if not for a late late goal in the Nou Camp and if the Celtic-Barca matchup had been in the Knockout stage, they would have gone to extra time and possibly penalties. It'll be a mountain to climb for Celtic if they hope to advance, but it's not impossible and Juve should be cautious otherwise they could be the next giant that The Bhoys slay.

Bayern Munich vs Arsenal
I don't see this matchup in the same way as Si. This could be the most competitive tie of the Last 16. And considering Arsenal actually was the third team picked out of the pot, with Barca, PSG and Dortmund still up on the board, it could have been worse for them. While Bayern is clearly the best team out of the Bundesliga right now, and much improved over last year's squad, this is by no means an easy pass for the Bavarians. You have to remember that despite the Gunners roller coaster league form, they've excelled in the Champions League(albeit against significantly lesser opponents than Bayern). Arsenal can push forward if they make the right moves both on and off the field. This matchup has the best potential to go all the way down to the wire.

Borussia Dortmund vs Shakhtar Donetsk
This one is equally tough, especially considering Shakhtar came a goal short of actually winning their group which included Juve and Chelsea. Both teams are dark horses, Dortmund less so, and both involve brilliant managers, according to ESPN it's basically the Old Sage(Lucescu) vs the Mad Scientist(Klopp). This matchup may prove to be entertaining and could, just like Man U-Madrid and Bayern-Arsenal, go either way.

Malaga vs Porto
This matchup features possibly two players who are future superstars, Isco and James Rodriguez, and both boast bright futures provided they don't lose key players. Malaga was a victim of the same careless spending that City and PSG are somehow pulling off and it cost them some good players, i.e. Santi Cazorla, and Porto is the Portuguese "Arsenal" in some opinion circles. Porto, just like Shakhtar came oh so close to winning their group and as a result may have been given a seriously tough challenge to make it through to the next round.

Schalke vs Galatasaray
I think we all can agree that this matchup is gonna be fueled by the passionate fans of both clubs. Galatasaray managed to stumble their way into the Last 16 and could be in for a tough 2 games against a dangerous Schalke side, who've been struggling in the Bundesliga. Both teams have talented and dangerous strikers, Galatasaray has Burak Yilmaz and Schalke has Klaas Jan-Huntelaar(remains to be seen if he'll still be a member of Schalke beyond January). If the matches are boring I'm sure we'll have plenty of entertainment from the fans.

PSG vs Valencia
It's essentially Valencia vs Ibrahimovic. PSG has spent ass loads of money to build a team that can compete with the best in Europe, I actually believe they've done a good job too, but they still heavily rely on their Swedish Striker to bail them out of bad predicaments. As for Valencia, they're in the same boat as Schalke and to a lesser extent Arsenal, good performances in the Champions League and struggles demestically failing to string together consecutive victories so far. Valencia's defense needs to step up as well, they've conceded 30 goals in just 25 games overall this year and when you go up against a team where their best player(who is arguably the 3rd, maybe 4th, best player in the world) can score from practically anywhere and anyway, you need to defend really well to have a chance.

My picks: Real Madrid 4-2, Barcelona 6-1, Juventus 3-3(away goals), Bayern Munich 4-3(extra time needed), Dortmund 5-2, Malaga 2-1, Schalke 3-1, PSG 7-2

If I had to put my own money on the match ups, id go:

Real Madrid
Barcelona
Juventus
Bayern Munich
Dortmund
Porto?
Schalke
PSG

So give or take most of the favorites I suppose. How Epic would a Bayern v Dortmund matchup be in any of the remaining stages?

BVB Dortmund uber alles!! I am not thrilled with the distance of traveling to the ukraine and hopefully they will still be as hot come February.

I would love to see Celtic pull out the upset over Juventus.

I'm happy to see that Barce finally didn't get a cake draw for the final 16. It seems like the last couples years they have had the easiest draws... These are all pretty good matchups that will make for a great start to the knockouts. I WANT to take AC Milan in this matchup, but I think Barce will win aggregate by a couple goals.

I think United has been playing really well, much more consistent than Real has been performing this season. I take them 5-4 on aggregate. RvP has been proving he is just as, if not more, dangerous with Man U. than he was at Arsenal. However, I don't think it will be a walk in the park. I think Real is one of the best attacking teams when they're on, and I don't see Man U's defense being as solid as it has been in the past.

I don't follow a lot outside of the BPL. I know Bayern has been in great form and is crushing the Bundesliga right now. They are going to steamroll Arsenal's young, soft team. Where are they in the BPL right now? 7th?

Juve v. Celtic will be interesting. I think a lot of people are curious about which Celtic team will show up. The team that can pull out solid defensive showings and play a little smash and grab, or the team that will rollover against equal/superior opposition? They proved that they can do SOMETHING against Barce, but was it a fluke? They did get out of the group stages... I take Juve by one goal on aggregate.

Beyond this, I can only speculate on the other teams involved. PSG is becoming a powerhouse and has, in my opinion, one of the best coaches in the world in Carlo Ancelotti. I think each of the other ties should be entertaining.

So, if we all had to put all our own money on one team regardless of the draw to take it all, who ya got? I'd probably take Bayern, but be tempted by Madrid.

I'd probably take Dortmund to make the final depending on the Elite 8 draw. Barca and PSG would be the easy picks for it all.

While Dortmund is my favorite team outside of Liverpool, I don't think that they are favorites. They might surprise, but id take 2 or 3 of the teams left over them easily.

I know Dortmund are longshots, but if they get through and get a favorable draw, they can do it.

I want the 3 German clubs to go as far as possible but in the end, there can only be one!!

BVB Dortmund uber alles!!

I said it in the german thread but while I would love for BVB Dortmund to win it all, I really am supporting all 3 German clubs in the CL and the 4 remaining German clubs in the EL to go as far as they can all go.

Going through are:

Manchester United
Barcelona
Juventus
Bayern Munich
Shakhtar Donetsk
Malaga
Schalke
PSG

_________________

United's squad can't deal with Real. No British clubs past the first knockout stage. Book it.

_________________
Rzzzzz...

United's only lucky break is Casillas' broken hand.

and just where the hell have you been sir?

I think I may have made my predictions a bit too soon now. Galatasaray have signed Sneijder and Drogba pretty much a week apart from each other, and now I'm starting to like their chances in the last 16 and maybe the final 8 depending on if they get through and who they end up with.

I've been quite busy, but hey I'm back now.

_________________