UEFA Champions League 2009 - The second leg of the Round of 16

First Leg: Chelsea 1 - 0 Juventus

One Straight point. I did not expect this first leg result. I was expecting a 0 - 0. Drogba put in an early goal, and that could just manage to take Chelsea through to the next round.

Guus Hiddink will be a happy man. There is always the fear of Juve squeezing a draw back home. And this victory will put that fear behind. Juve will have to attack now, atleast in the last 30 minutes. And judging by the first leg, blocking delPiero and Nedved could be an easier assignment to take care of for Guus than we'd have imagined. But then, accept the bitter piil, Chelsea were more unconvincing than ever before at Stamford Bridge, and that is a point of concern for the English Club.

That could well be the case Ranieri will be dreaming about.. Yet another such display from Chelsea. He has a biggg task on his hands, and unless Chelsea fail to deliver miserably, he can kiss this league Goodbye. Add to it the not so convincing recent home record for the Italians. The only thing he can harp on is the second place in Serie - A, ahead of AC Milan. If they can manage that, why not this! Also, Nedved will be ready to give his best ahead of his retirement. So, Juve can turn out to be that magic pot which doesn't even know what it will throw up next!

My Prediction. Chelsea's through, either with a draw or with an Anelka brace.

UEFA Champions League 2009 - The second leg of the Round of 16

First leg : Manchester United FC 0 - 0 FC Internazionale Milano

Manchester United, going by reviews, looked every bit the better side at Milan, but the fact is, it could not get that elusive away-goal. Several media reports claim SAF won the first round against Jose Mourinho in this bout, but I seriously doubt it. Going by the game, yes. Going by results, No. Because at the end of it all, Results are all that matter.

Starting with Mourinho's side. Inter has got a consistent away record of late, winning all of their recent matches. Mourinho has been there at Old Trafford and done that before. Zlatan, for the second leg, should be in a freaking kicking mood, after he was criticised for failing 'again' against an English side. He's netted 14 times in the Serie-A this season so far and that's not bad by any yardstick. If I were SAF, I'd watch out. And I bet he will, too. Other people who could prove decisive are Zanetti and Cesar, with Cesar widely believed to be on top of his game, and a better bet than Edwin van Der Sar at the moment. One match of importance, leading up to the second leg, could be the upcoming Roma - Inter match this week.

ManU has been equally consistent of late too, if not better. Rooney, Ronaldo and Berbatov should prove a very tough challenge for the Inter defence, but given that Inter would look at drawing the match, if they get away with an early goal, it is ManU's defence that comes under the scanner. Again here, we are looking at consistency and a team that is setting a record of sorts with the number of clean sheets this season. Van der sar will be the key on the European Night, one more time.

ManU are comfortably placed, but one shocker of a strike from Zlatan or Adriano or the solid old Inter horses in the Midfield could just seal it then and there.

Prediction? Fingers crossed, that's all.

All the Best to Jose Mourinho, though. If he can pull this rabbit, he is most definitely "the Special One" out there.

UEFA Champions League 2009 - The second leg of the Round of 16

First leg : Arsenal 1 - 0 Roma

We start with Arsene Wenger's side. A side, I'd say, that is very low on Morale and confidence, whatever you may say. A match without Fabregas or Arshavin will not be their pick, but it has to stay that way. Bendtner, though better than Ade, is misfiring more often than not, and that should remain on the top of Arsene's to-do list before sending the team out for the second leg. Arsenal's defence has been outstanding, to say the least. But their strikers find it increasingly difficult with every game. Eduardo's return match was the only saving grace. If he's in shape for the second leg without any further injuries, Arsenal could walk away with the away goal and the progression. If not, it's going to be a tough encounter.

Roma, on the other hand, have lost one and drawn one match out of the last two games away from home in Serie-A, but have convincingly won their home fixtures. This should be their confidence booster. When a club like Atalanta (the last game away from home) could beat them 3 - 0, Arsenal could manage only a 1 - 0. Oh, but I am not sure if they played their full strength in that league match. Roma has proven in the past that they could be deadly in set pieces, and given Chelsea found it hard at Rome last time it went there, we are in for a Roma Special!

My Prediction for the Second Leg.

It's either

Arsenal 0 - 0 Roma
(or)
Arsenal 1 - 1 Roma

Either way, We can hope to see more of RVP this year in Europe.