2008-2009 UEFA Champions League 2nd Round Preview

The UEFA Champions League returns at the end of the month, as the strongest 16 teams have advanced to the Knock-Out Round! They’ve had a couple of months to prepare, and, in some cases, they’ve reloaded and restocked their rosters. For many clubs, they’ve staked their entire seasons on success in the Champions League, and it all starts with the Round of 16.

From an aesthetic point of view, a lot of people think that the Round of 16 is the most exciting round in the Champions League. The lottery gods have accommodated us by giving us some truly mouth-watering matchups.

Two pre-tournament favorites will clash as Inter Milan take on Manchester United, all the while two teams whose fortunes have changed considerably since the drawing, Real Madrid and Liverpool, will meet. Elsewhere Chelsea (and their new manager Guus Hiddink) will face their old manager Claudio Ranieri and Juventus, while Arsenal and AS Roma (two teams that are slowly slipping in under the radar) will battle.

Completing the draw we find Atletico Madrid vs. Porto, Lyon vs. Barcelona (boy, do I not want to be a Lyon supporter right now) and Sporting vs. Bayern Munich.

Here’s the detailed preview for each matchup:

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2008/09 UEFA Champions League
Round of 16

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Tuesday February 24 / Wednesday March 11

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Arsenal Arsenal vs. Roma AS Roma
[Match Preview]
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Atletico Madrid Atletico Madrid vs. Porto FC Porto
[Match Preview]
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Inter Milan Inter Milan vs. Manchester United Man Utd
[Match Preview]
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Olympique Lyonnais Lyon vs. Barcelona Barcelona
[Match Preview]
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Wednesday February 25 / Tuesday March 10
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Chelsea Chelsea vs. Juventus Juventus
[Match Preview]
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Villarreal Villarreal vs. Panathinaikos Panathinaikos
[Match Preview]
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Sporting Lisbon Sporting vs. Bayern Munich Bayern Munich
[Match Preview]
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Real Madrid Real Madrid vs. Liverpool Liverpool
[Match Preview]
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Soccerlens Live Blogs

Real Madrid v. Liverpool – 1st Leg
Inter Milan v Manchester United – 1st Leg
Liverpool v Real Madrid – 2nd Leg
Manchester United v Inter Milan – 2nd Leg

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