18.03.2010 17:48
The seven possible opponents
Jordi Clos
Arsenal, Bayern, CSKA Moscow, Girondins, Inter, Manchester United and Olympique Lyon are the clubs that Barça could be paired with in the draw for the Champions League, which will take place in Nyon on Friday.
Arsenal
The young and talented side managed by Arsene Wenger are a regular feature of the latter
stages of the Champions League and in 2006 met Barça in the final in Paris. There are few survivors
of that game, but the attacking style of play is the same. They are the leading goalscorers in the
tournament so far with 18 goals. Led by Barça youth product Cesc Fàbregas, they are enjoying their
strongest spell of the season and are still in the Premiership title race along with Manchester
United and Chelsea. They thrashed Porto 5-0 at the Emirates.
Bayern Munich
Coached by former Barça manager Louis Van Gaal, Bayern have a solid block of players
that are keen to establish the side as one o the strongest in Europe. The Bavarians have two first
class wingers in Ribery and Robben. They are also on the rise and haven’t lost in 18 outings
and are leading a very competitive Bundesliga. They qualified for the round by beating Fiorentina
on away goals.
CSKA Moscow
The 2005 UEFA Cup winners are, like Zenit Saint Petersburg and Shakhtar Donetsk, another of
the clubs from the former Soviet Union that have had such an impact on European football of late.
The club, managed by Leonid Slutski, has managed to hold onto the stars that have brought them so
much success, including Chilean Mark González and Serbian Milos Krasic. Against Sevilla in the
previous round, they showed the world what they are capable of doing.
Girondins Bordeaux
Former Laurent Blanc has managed to bring the same elegant football out of his
players that he displayed himself as a defender. After finally ending Olympique’s domination
of the French championship, they are now seeking a place in the continental elite. They play
excellent combination football that has often been compared to that of Barça, and youngsters
Gourcuff and Chamakh are the latest sensations in France. And in defence they have a startling
record: they have only conceded three goals in the Champions league this season.
Inter Milan
Barça met this side in the group stages, and the Italians have now gone
and eliminated one of the favourites, Chelsea, in José Mourinho’s triumphant return to
Stamford Bridge. The Portuguese maestro has inflicted his winning mentality on the team, which is
once again top of Serie A. This side has seen more yellow cards than any other (22), but can also
play quality football. The neroazzuri have a top class squad, all the way from goalkeeper Julio
César to creative midfielder Snejder and the lethal Eto’o up front.
Manchester United
The Red Devils are among the favourites as usual, and last year became the first team in
fifteen years to make the final twice in a row. Sir Alex Ferguson once again has a beautifully
streamlined team, even without Cristiano Ronaldo, and in Rooney has, along with Messi, one of the
two most in-form strikers in the world, as he showed in United’s convincing win against the
mighty AC Milan.
Olympique Lyon
Not many pundits had Lyon down as potential quarter finalists. Without stars like Juninho and
Benzema they no longer dominate Ligue 1 as they did for so many years, but they have progressed by
beating such sides as Liverpool and Real Madrid. They may lack the sparkle of recent years, but
still have a compact team with enough firepower in attack. Pjanic, Gomis, Lisandro López and César
Delgado are all capable of causing damage.