Which team received the most fortunate Champions League Draw?

Yes, Lyon and Sporting haven't been able to show that they have that extra gear in European competition. It is a tough draw between Chelsea and Juventus. However, I have to give the edge to Juve because they have been playing better as of late and they have the home match in the second leg. Watch out for Del Piero and Amauri. Iaquinta is a solid replacement coming off the bench too. Inter vs. Manchester United should be a classic. It's likely to be a low scoring affair because both teams are tight defensively when games are important. I'll have my eyes on Berbatov. That guy is an offensive wizard.

Yes, and Bayern have been in the group stages with Sporting before and they have a good record against Sporting. I am well pleased with this pairing. It is difficult to tell how well Panathinaikos will play. They were solid in this year's group stage and handled Inter well. It isn't easy to go to Greece and come away with a win. Good thing for Villareal that they are loaded with talent. Cheers.

Yes, I agree. This is a great chance for Serie A to show that the EPL's recent dominance in European Competitions is over. It would be a great chance for the Italian clubs to showcase themselves and entice prospective talent during the summer transfer period. Real Madrid swooped down and plucked Lassana Diarra away from Portsmouth yesterday. Real Madrid has a two month break to gather themselves and turn their slumping slide around. Rafa has a great record in Champions League play and he always has Liverpool prepared to be a threat. I'd pick Liverpool to go through too. We'll just have to wait and see if that prediction will come true.

Well, you have definitely highlighted the marquee matchups. At this stage of the competition, all opposition is formidable, but the English squads do face stiff tests. It is hard to tell which English team will be most vulnerable, but judging by Champions League play to date, I would have pointed to Chelsea and then Arsenal as the two English squads most likely to exit after the round of 16. There is a two month break, and the winter transfer period seems to be heating up already, so we'll have to wait and see what the line-ups will look like at the end of February. It's good to be a Bayern fan!