UEFA Champions League last-16 round: The complete preview!

The UEFA Champions League has finally reached its final rounds and having in mind this is the competition every player in Europe dreams about winning, we're certainly in for a treat.Real Madrid and Ronaldo will lock horns with Schalke 04, but it's the Manchester City vs Barcelona and Arsenal vs Bayern Munichclashes that inevitably stand out the most from this last-16 draw.
Lisbon will host the UEFA Champions League final next May 24, exactly 19 days before the 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off [June 12], in Brazil. Sixteen teams have made it through the group stages of the competition and earlier this Monday, they've all met the name of their next opponent for the last-16 round of the Champions League. The draw was held in Nyon, Switzerland and as expected, just by looking at the match-ups we came up with, there are few doubts being raised about the high-level of excitement we'll have in the games ahead. Even though the top 3 favorites to be crowned European champions remain being Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid, let's still take a closer look at all the teams and clashes taking place next February and March of 2014.

The UEFA Champions League 2013-2014:

Manchester City vs Barcelona

Let's start with one of the blockbusters ties of the season, putting two of the strongest teams of the competition face to face right away. Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City has reached the last-16 round of the Champions League for the very first time in the club's history and they are certainly striving to make an impact now that they are in town. The Citizens qualified from Group D together with big favorites Bayern Munich and they are definitely talented enough to put on a good fight to any team out there. Barcelona in the other hand, is far from looking as dominating as they've been a couple years ago, but they are still a force to be reckoned as long as Lionel Messi is fit. The Argentinian has been struggling with injuries since the beginning of the season, but is expected to return on January 2014, more than in time for the last-16 first leg tie at the Etihad Stadium, scheduled for February 18. You can get your Champions League tickets here, so if you're planning on watching this game live, we advise you to book your tickets as soon as possible.

1st Leg (February 18): Manchester City vs Barcelona
2nd Leg (March 12): Barcelona vs Manchester City

Olympiakos vs Manchester United

The Greek champions Olympiakos made it out of Group C behind PSG, but got the better off Benfica in the standings, over the course of the group's six fixtures. They'll be trying to at least repeat their best campaign ever in the Champions League and which dates back to 1999, where they've managed to reach the competition's quarter-finals. They will heavily rely on Konstatinos Mitroglou's prolific goalscoring capabilities, but they are set to go head-to-head with the current English champions Manchester United, and that immediately makes them the obvious underdogs.Ronaldo's old club Manchester United face off against Olympiacos, in a season of the adaptaton process to their new manager ideas [David Moyes], has had its fair share of bumps already. The Red Devils have been quite poor in the English Premier League this season but somehow, they've managed to finish on top of Group A without even knowing what the bitter taste of defeat feels like. They may not be one of the strongest contenders to the Champions League title this year, but they were definitely lucky in the draw and now they are more than favorites to reach the quarter-finals.

1st Leg (February 25): Olympiakos vs Manchester United
2nd Leg (March 12): Manchester United vs Olympiakos

AC Milan vs Atletico Madrid

Here is a game where the odds to go through might seem as if they were turned around, at least for those who haven't been following these two teams over the past couple of years. Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid will go into this tie against AC Milan clearly carrying the favorites tag, which wouldn't make much sense to many football enthusiasts if we were talking about any other period in History other than these last couple of years. The Colchoneros imposed their law on Group G, finishing ahead of all competition with 5 games and 1 draw. They are one of the most solid teams in this Champions League edition and with David Villa and Diego Costa in their attack line, they have enough power upfront to intimidate any opponent. In the other hand, AC Milan is no longer close to be that team capable of dictating terms in Europe as they've done it for so many years and even if Mario Balotelli finds his best form by February, it's not very likely that they'll make it through into the next stage of the competition.

1st Leg (February 19): AC Milan vs Atletico Madrid
2nd Leg (March 11): Atletico Madrid vs AC Milan

Bayer Leverkusen vs PSG

Leverkusen is one of the few sides that made it to this stage by qualifying with a negative goal aggregate (9 goals forward and 10 goals against). They outplayed both Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Sociedad as they paved their path to the last-16 rounds and they only came short to Manchester United in Group A standings. They are probably the third strongest German side of the moment, but they'll have very few chances of repeating their most succesful campaign of 2002, a year where they reached and lost the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid by 3-0. At the other side of the barricade is PSG, the current French champions and definitely one of the sides to have into consideration when talking about serious Champions League title contenders. They have never made it through this competition's semi-finals, but they have high hopes of doing so this season, especially with players such as Edison Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic feeding their dreams.

1st Leg (February 18): Bayer Leverkusen vs PSG
2nd Leg (March 12): PSG vs Bayer Leverkusen

Galatasaray vs Chelsea

One of the biggest group stage stunts was pulled off by Galatasaray, the current Turkish champions. They made it out in second place in Group B behind Real Madrid, but surprisingly ahead of the Italian champions Juventus. They rely on the talent and experience of the likes of former Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, as well asWesley Sneijder and Burak Yilmaz, but they're on the verge of going into a mission who many believe to be doomed to failure. Galatasaray will lock horns with José Mourinho's Chelsea FC, a team that can only get better with time and that currently holds one of the strongest mixes of youth and experience in the game. Drogba will most likely earn a very warm welcoming at the Stamford Bridge next March 18, but it's his old club Chelsea FC who seems to be clearly ahead on this particular race to reach the quarter-finals.

1st Leg (February 26): Galatasaray vs Chelsea
2nd Leg (March 18): Chelsea vs Galatasaray

Schalke 04 vs Real Madrid

The Miners [Schalke nickname] have never went beyond the UEFA Champions League semi-finals and if we had any money available to bet on this tie with Real Madrid, we would safely say that Schalke 04 have minimal chances of going through into the next round. They qualified behind Chelsea FC in Group E, precisely the only team to have beaten them in the competition this season. Their opponent on this knockout stage will be the all-mighty Real Madrid, 9-time European champion and currently the second top favorite to win Champions League the trophy in May.Cristiano Ronaldo will lead the charge and his form in the competition has been beyond impressive, even for his standards. He has already scored 9 goals out of the 5 games he has played, setting a new all-time record for the most goals scored during a UEFA Champions League group stage. Just like in previous years, the Merengues have high hopes and expectations that this will be the year they take "La Décima" home [the club's 10th Champions League trophy].

1st Leg (February 26): Schalke 04 vs Real Madrid
2nd Leg (March 18): Real Madrid vs Schalke 04

Zenit vs Borussia Dortmund

When we look at the UEFA Champions League Group G and Group F, we can't help but to feel a little taste of injustice. While Zenit qualified by finishing second in their group after completing 6 points that resulted of 1 win and 3 draws, Napoli in Group F went out of the competition after finishing third with 12 points and earning 4 wins. That's just the way it is though and Zenit will now have to do a lot better if they want to have legitimate hopes of beating Borussia Dortmund, precisely the side who finished on top of Group F, tied in points [12] with both Arsenal and Napoli. Jurgen Klopp's pupils seem to have lost some of the gas they have always had in the tank last season, but they are still a force to be reckoned and respected in this competition. They will eagerly look to do better than last season, when they finished as the runners-up on the UCL final against Bayern Munich.

1st Leg (February 25): Zenit vs Borussia Dortmund
2nd Leg (March 19): Borussia Dortmund vs Zenit

Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

The Gunners could hardly have asked for a more difficult campaign so far in the UEFA Champions League. They first had to deal with this year's group of death, where they've managed to beat every team at least once. They managed to finish second, tied in points with Borussia Dortmund and Napoli and now they got drawn with the competition's main favorites, the reigning champions Bayern Munich. Arsene Wenger's men have had a great start this season and despite their loss against Manchester City last weekend, they are still leading the English Premier League, 2 points clear of the chasing peloton. But it's also fair to say that if Wenger has reasons to be upset with the outcome of the draw, so does Pep Guardiola. Bayern Munichlook as strong (if not stronger) than last season and having in mind that they have won a historic treble with Jupp Heynckes just a few months ago, that's probably enough of a statement already to show how impressive and powerful they are these days.

1st Leg (February 19): Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
2nd Leg (March 11): Bayern Munich vs Arsenal

Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Real Madrid will be against Olimpic Xativa for the Copa del Rey, this next Wednesday (December 18, 2013). You can watch Real Madrid vs Olimpic Xativa, Barcelona vs Cartagena, Stoke City vs Manchester United and Sunderland vs Chelsea, all matches provided from oursoccer live section.

Real Madrid next game:

Real Madrid vs Olimpic Xativa kick-off time (14-12-2013):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 02:30

Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 21:30

Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 20:30

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-3: 16:30

New York (United States) | GMT-4: 15:30

Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 12:30

Beijing (China) | GMT+8: 03:30

Sources: ronaldo7.net / uefa.com / theguardian.com / espnfc.co.uk / mirror.co.uk

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Cristiano Ronaldo can have the Ballon d'Or, I already know that I am the best

Cristiano Ronaldo is favourite to win Fifa's Ballon d'Or award ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Franck Ribery and Lionel Messi

High and mighty: Zlatan Ibrahimovic is very confident in his own ability Photo: REUTERS

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has told Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery they can have the Ballon d'Or because "I know I am the best".

The Swedish striker has been in superb form this year for Paris St Germain, scoring eight goals in this season's Champions League - as many as Ronaldo.

However, the Portuguese has emerged as favourite for Fifa's Ballon d'Or award after netting a hat-trick for his country in last week's 3-2 World Cup play-off victory over Sweden - with Portugal qualifying for the 2014 finals in Brazil.

Meanwhile, France winger Ribery helped Bayern Munich secure the treble last season and was an early favourite for the award, won three times in a row by Barcelona's Lionel Messi, until Ronaldo garnered late support for his performances with Portugal.

"I don't need the Ballon d'Or to know I'm the best," said Ibrahimovic, who played a key role in PSG's Ligue 1 title triumph last season. "It matters more to some players.

"It's not something I think about and it is something that is not important for me."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Biography

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Biography


Zlatan Ibrahimović (IPA: ['zlatan ɪbra'hiːmovɪtɕ], Bosnian pronunciation; born October 3, 1981). He plays as a striker. He currently plays for Inter Milan, in Italy, and for the Sweden national football team.

Early life
Ibrahimović was born on the street called RosengÃ¥rd, SkÃ¥ne County (then MalmÃhus County), the son of immigrants from former Yugoslavia, his Bosnian father Å efik was born in Bijeljina and his Croatian mother Jurka was born in Zadar. His parents met in Sweden, and he grew up in RosengÃ¥rd, a Malmà neighborhood known for its immigrant communities, where he also successfully completed junior high school (ninth grade). Although, thereafter admitted to Borgarskolan in MalmÃ, he soon discontinued high school in order to focus on his football career.

Ibrahimović began playing football at the age of ten. His initial local club was called FK Balkan (meaning FC Balkan), whose participants unsurprisingly were Bosnian and Somalian immigrants of the RosengÃ¥rd neighborhood. In 1995 he joined Malmà FF.

Professional career
Ibrahimović started professional football with the Swedish club Malmà FF in the 1999 season (Allsvenskan, the Swedish top division, begins in spring, not in autumn like in Central and Southern Europe). During his stay at the club, Arsène Wenger tried to persuade him to join Arsenal but Malmà did not allow the transfer.

Other than Wenger, Leo Beenhakker also showed interest in Ibrahimović after observing him practicing in La Manga, Spain. Watching Ibrahimović score an amazing goal in a training game against Norwegian side Moss, Beenhakker became convinced of his talent. He went back to Amsterdam and on March 22, 2001, a deal between Ajax and Malmà regarding Zlatan's transfer to Amsterdam was announced and in July of the same year, he joined Ajax for record-breaking €7.8 million. The deal is by far the most lucrative any Swedish side has struck.

Under manager Co Adriaanse, Ibrahimović received little exposure. Adriaanse was sacked in November 29, however, and Ibrahimović's fortune started to change with the arrival of Ronald Koeman. Following Koeman's arrival, Ibrahimović was consistently chosen in Ajax's starting lineup. Ajax then went on to win the Eredivisie.

The next year Ibrahimović had a major breakthrough at the biggest stage of European football, UEFA Champions League. In his first game ever in the Champions League against French Champions Olympique Lyonnais, Ibrahimović scored two goals, including a true masterpiece when he dribbled past Brazilian Edmilson before shooting past the goalkeeper from a difficult angle. He helped Ajax make it all the way to the quarter-finals where they were narrowly beaten by eventual winners A.C. Milan.

The Champions League success took its toll in the domestic league, however, and Ajax finished second behind PSV. In the 2002-2003 season, Ajax was back at the top of Eredivisie, though. Ibrahimović continued to do well both in the league and, in particular, in the Champions League, scoring another spectacular goal against Celta Vigo, while in a Group H match against Milan on September 16, 2003, Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso was sent off late in second-half injury time after backhanding Ibrahimović in the face. In spite of these incidents Ajax did not advance past the group stage.

The next season started brightly for Ibrahimović. On August 22, he scored an incredible goal against NAC Breda which was eventually voted the best goal of the year by Eurosport's viewers. Maradona-like, he dribbled past more or less the entire defense, feinting continuously and even fooling the cameraman in one of his fake shots before beating the goalkeeper and calmly putting the ball in the back of the net. On August 31, 2004, the final day of the summer transfer window, Ibrahimović moved from Ajax to Juventus for a €19 million transfer fee. He made it rather quickly in to the starting eleven. This was due in part to the fact that the team's top scorer, David Trézéguet was injured, in part to Zlatan being one of coach Fabio Capello's favorite players (Capello had tried to get him already at Roma), but mostly thanks to Ibrahimović's fine performances. He scored 16 goals, and this was in a league that is considered to be very hard for strikers to score in (especially for a foreign striker).

Near the end of the Serie A season Juve reportedly rejected a €70 million bid for him from Spanish power Real Madrid. This later proved to be nothing more than a PR stunt initiated by Ibrahimović's agent in order to raise his market value. Nonetheless, he was voted the player of the season in 2004-05 by the fans of Juventus. Zlatan was nominated to the 2005 FIFA world player of the year along with thirty other top players and finished as number eight. On November 14, 2005, he was awarded Guldbollen, a prize given to the best Swedish footballer of the year.

The following season was a more turbulent one for Ibrahimović. He had always had problems with Swedish journalists and these problems mounted as his success grew. During autumn, Ibrahimović's role in Juventus attack changed, and he became less of a goalscorer. He moved more and more to the sidelines, taking much part in the build-up play, especially as a target player, a role for which he was suited considering his exceptional physical strength. He thus started to make more assists than goals.

Even though he played well, arguably the best football he had produced so far, criticism against the lack of goals started to increase. And in spring, when Ibrahimović lost most of his fine form in the game outside the penalty area as well, criticism rose to a thunderstorm, both in Italy, where fans and journalists preferred Juve icon Alessandro del Piero, often sidelined for Ibrahimović's benefit, and in Sweden. Even so, he retained his place in the starting eleven and Juventus eventually won the Serie A again. Ibrahimović was also considered arrogant and troublesome, especially in Sweden where these feelings were strengthened due to several incidents between Zlatan and Swedish media.

In mid 2006, Juventus and Ibrahimović lost the league titles of the two previous seasons, due to Serie A scandal: Juventus were also relegated to Serie B. The new staff tried to persuade Zlatan, and other top players, to stay in Juventus, but Ibrahimović and his agent were adamant to move. Mino Raiola even threatened legal action in order to extricate Ibrahimović from his contract. He signed a four-year contract to Inter Milan for € 24.8 million on August 10, 2006.[2]

Ibrahimović started his spell at Inter with a good match against Fiorentina, assisting one goal and scoring another. After that he was somewhat inconsistent for a time, having notable troubles, along with the rest of the team, in the Champions League. However, after the spectacular 4-3 win in the derby against AC Milan everything worked out for Ibrahimović and Inter. They went on to a record seventeen wins in a row in Serie A, and Ibrahimović was coach Roberto Mancini's first choice in attack. Ibrahimović's performances have prompted Mancini and Livorno striker Cristiano Lucarelli to compare him with the legend Marco van Basten.

National career
Ibrahimović made his debut in the Swedish national team in a goal-less friendly match against Faroe Islands January 31, 2001. The match only featured players from the Scandinavian Leagues. The first competitive game he played in for the national team was the World Cup qualifying game against Azerbaijan in October 7 the same year. Ibrahimović was included in Sweden's 2002 World Cup squad that managed to go through to the finals despite playing in the Group of Death against Argentina, England and Nigeria. He only played for 45 minutes in Sweden's defeat from a Golden Goal, against Senegal.

Ibrahimović was a regular starter for Sweden in the campaign for Euro 2004, and after a fine season in Ajax he was well prepared for Euro 2004 in Portugal. He joined a fine Swedish team featuring Celtic star Henrik Larsson and Arsenal winger Fredrik Ljungberg. Ibrahimović did well, scoring a penalty goal against Bulgaria and rounding off a fine performance against the solid defense of Italy by scoring an amazing late equaliser. He jumped up in the air with his back to goal and kicked the ball one-and-a-half meters above the ground with his back heel into Buffon's top corner. Ibrahimović is well known for his agility and his ability to score goals with his feet high up in the air, and perhaps this stems from the fact that he practiced tae kwon do as a youth.[citation needed] The tournament ended, though, with Sweden losing to Holland on penalties in the quarterfinals. Zlatan was one of the Swedes who missed a penalty.

Ibrahimović contributed heavily to Sweden's successful attempt to qualify to the 2006 World Cup. Both Sweden and Ibrahimović were thought to under-achieve in the tournament, though. He was substituted at half time in one game, against Paraguay, and did not participate in another, against England, due to a groin injury. How much his performances in the other games were affected by this is hard to know. Sweden was knocked out in the 2nd round by Germany.

Not long after his awaited transfer to Inter, Ibrahimović was called up to the Sweden squad to face Liechtenstein in the European Championship Qualifiers. While the squad was gathered at the players hotel, Zlatan and his teammates Christian Wilhelmsson and Olof Mellberg decided to break the squad curfew by going out to a nearby nightclub. Notable is that none of the players stated above had anything to drink. The coaches of the national team, Lars Lagerbäck and Roland Andersson, decided that the three players should be sent home. Thus, they did not take part in the game against Liechtenstein.

Mellberg and Wilhelmsson grudgingly accepted the punishment, but Ibrahimović felt that it was unjust. Thus, he refused to take part in the following games against Iceland and Spain. Sweden went on to win these matches without Ibrahimović. He also refused to take part in a friendly match against Egypt on February 7, but it has been reported lately that Ibrahimović agreed to return to Swedish national team. On March 28th, 2007, in a European Championship Qualifier game, Zlatan made his return. He had one shot rejected on the line.

Playing style
Ibrahimović is 192 cm tall and powerfully built, and thus physical strength is one of his greatest assets. Since his arrival in Italy, he has become even stronger, since coach Fabio Capello, who is known to prefer physically strong players, ordered him to undergo a gym training program. It has been suggested by Ibrahimović himself that he might have added a couple of kilos too much, and that this contributed to the poor form in the spring of 2006.

Ibrahimović is, though, also known for his technical ability, and this unusual combination of technique and strength is what has taken him to the top clubs in Italy. None of the wondergoals described above could have been made by a less technically gifted player. He is also well known to be a good provider of spectacular assists.

His technique consists mainly in his great dribbling skills, but he can also shoot very hard, though not always accurately, and has taken free-kicks in both Inter and Juventus. He is also a good passer of the ball, though he sometimes seem to have concentration lapses and thus makes simple mistakes. Ibrahimović is also quite fast, though this is rarely seen, as he prefers to meet the ball rather than try to beat the offside trap and run towards the opponents goal. When playing in a 4-4-2-formation, Ibrahimović is usually the one of the attackers who meet the ball, whereas the other attacker (most notably Hernan Crespo and Adriano Leite Ribeiro) is closer to the goal, trying to beat the offside-trap and getting first on crosses. This might be one reason why Ibrahimović scores relatively few goals but makes quite a few assists for a forward. Occasionally, when playing with players less suited for that role, such as Alvaro Recoba, Ibrahimović moves further upfront.

Ibrahimović is also thought to have a bad temper, resulting in a red card in the important game against Bayern Munich in November 2, 2005, and a two match suspension after head-butting present assistant coach SiniÅ¡a Mihajlović in the match between Inter and Juventus in April 17, 2005. He is also known to be quite a bad loser, never giving interviews after defeats. The flip side of this may be that he is a winning type, according to some.

With his strength and height, he wins most aerial duels with defenders.

In Sweden, Ibrahimović is often accused of laziness: that he does not work enough defensively. In Italy, where people never expect strikers to do much defensive work, this is less often heard. Another drawback he has is that he concedes quite a few fouls.
source: wikipedia.org

Zlatan Ibrahimovic' - Skills & Tricks

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