Bayern Munich Win the Champions League Final

2013 Champions League Final:
Bayern Munich defeat Borussia Dortmund 2-1
Man of the Match: Arjen Robben

Arjen Robben went from going goalless in the first 88 minutes of the game to the hero with his game winning goal in the 89th minute to give Bayern Munich a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League Final.

In what was one of the most exciting games I've ever watched, this game was a tale of two halves. The first half featured Borussia Dortmund with many opportunities against Bayern Munich's goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, and the second half was all-Bayern Munich for the most part.

With the game nearing extra time, Robben was able to get past the Dortmund defense and strike the ball past Dortmund's goalkeeper, Roman Weidenfeller. Robben had many chances throughout the game, and due to his poor right foot, went scoreless until the 89th minute.

If not for his late goal, I would have labeled Robben as the scapegoat had Dortmund somehow won this game. Robben was everywhere for Bayern and had opportunity after opportunity before putting a little bit of finesse on the game winner.

In the 72nd minute of the game, Dortmund defender Neven Subotic made the play of the game. Subotic was able to save a possible goal from Thomas Muller after Muller had an open net strike. The shot would have put Munich back ahead 2-1 much earlier in the game, but Subotic was able to keep the game tied for a little bit longer.

Neuer only let up the one goal in the game as Ilkay Gundogan scored on a penalty kick in the 68th minute of the game. Bayern defender, Dante, gave up the penalty because of a stupid challenge against Dortmund's Marco Reus inside the 18 yard box. Gundogan was able to score the penalty kick rather easily as Neuer guessed the wrong side.

The scoring started in the 60th minute when Mario Mandzukic got on the board for Bayern Munich. While his goal was very huge for Bayern Munich, he should have scored multiple goals in today's game as he also like Robben had many opportunities. His goal was assisted by Robben after Robben was able to attract the attention of Weidenfeller and cross the ball to Mandzukic for the goal.

At the end of the first half I couldn't help but think that eventually the goals would start pouring in. Both teams were able to get many good looks throughout the first half, with each team's goalkeeper somehow keeping both teams from scoring.

Neuer and Weidenfeller had their hands full as Neuer was busy stopping Reus from putting the ball in the back of the net on many occasions while Weidenfeller had to deal with the same from Mandzukic and Robben.

With the game now over and the 2012-2013 European season coming to a close, it's almost time to start looking at next season. As good as Bayern Munich played this year behind manager Jupp Heynckes, the team will likely look better next season as they bring in Pep Guardiola who used to be coach of Barcelona a year ago.

Guardiola has already been given a lot of money to try and bring in new players for next year's squad, and with the already addition of Mario Gotze, I think Bayern Munich have to be the favorite for next year's Champion's League.

While Chelsea probably weren't the most deserving team of the championship last year, you can't argue that Bayern Munich weren't the best team in Europe at the end of this tournament.

UEFA Champions League Final Preview

UEFA Champions League Final: Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund

How'd They Get Here:
Bayern Munich:
Round of 16 vs. Arsenal - Leg 1: Bayern Win 3-1, Leg 2: Arsenal Win 2-0, AGG: Draw 3-3 (Bayern Wins on Away Goals)
Quarterfinals vs. Juventus - Leg 1: Bayern Win 2-0, Leg 2: Bayern Win 2-0, AGG: Bayern Win 4-0
Semifinals vs. Barcelona - Leg 1: Bayern Win 4-0, Leg 2: Bayern Win 3-0, AGG: Bayern Win 7-0

Borussia Dortmund:
Round of 16 vs. Shakhtar Donetsk - Leg 1: Draw 2-2, Leg 2: Dortmund Win 3-0, AGG: Dortmund Win 5-2
Quarterfinals vs. Malaga - Leg 1: Draw 0-0, Leg 2: Dortmund Win 3-2, AGG: Dortmund Win 3-2
Semifinals vs. Real Madrid - Leg 1: Dortmund Win 4-1, Leg 2: Madrid Win 2-0, AGG: Dortmund Win 4-3

The Lineups:
Bayern Munich:
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer
Defense: Dante, Jerome Boateng, Philipp Lahm, David Alaba
Midfield: Franck Ribery, Javi Martinez, Arjen Robben, Thomas Muller, Bastian Schweinsteiger
Forward: Mario Mandzukic
Bench: Tom Starke, Daniel van Buyten, Xherdan Shaqiri, Luis Gustavo, Anatoliy Tymoschuk, Claudio Pizarro, Mario Gomez

Borussia Dortmund:
Goalkeeper: Roman Weidenfeller
Defense: Marcel Schmelzer, Mats Hummels, Neven Subotic, Lukasz Piszczek
Midfield: Ilkay Gundogan, Sven Bender, Kevin Grobkreutz, Marco Reus, Jakub Blaszczykowski
Forward: Robert Lewandowski
Bench: Mitchell Langerak, Felipe Santana, Sebastian Kehl, Moritz Leitner, Nuri Sahin, Oliver Kirch, Julian Schieber

The Game:

At the beginning of the semifinals, if you told me that the two teams in the final would be from the same country, I definitely would've thought it was Barcelona and Real Madrid. Those two Spanish teams were the favorites all season long and at the end of the semifinals it was the German squads that pulled off the upsets.

Both teams have won the Champions League Trophy before as Bayern Munich has won it four times, as most recently as 2001 and Borussia Dortmund winning the title their only time in 1997.

The key missing piece to this game is Borussia Dortmund midfielder, Mario Gotze. Gotze has been the key piece to the success of Dortmund all season with his superb play in the center of the midfield and he will be on the sideline for this game. Having Gotze on the field would've made for a huge story as he is moving to Bayern Munich over the summer.

Even with Gotze on the pitch, Bayern Munich were the better team all season, so without Dortmund's key player I just can't see Dortmund coming away victorious in this game. In the German Bundesliga this season Munich finished 25 points ahead of second-place Dortmund and only tasted defeat once to a German side all season long.

When I look at the starting lineups for today's game I am not surprised by anything. Each team is going with the lineups that have gotten them to this point in the season. When I compare the two's different parts of the lineups, I have the two teams coming out even:

Lineup Comparison:
Goalkeeper: Advantage Bayern Munich
Defense: Advantage Borussia Dortmund
Midfield: Advantage Bayern Munich
Forward: Advantage Borussia Dortmund

While I have the two teams coming out even with each having the advantage in two places, Bayern's advantages are much greater at goalkeeper and midfield while Dortmund doesn't have too big of an advantage at defense or the forward position.

The main difference between the two teams is the goalkeeper position. I have been saying all year that Manuel Neuer was the best goalkeeper in the world and I still believe it. While Weidenfeller isn't a slouch, I don't think he's in the same league as Neuer. Neuer will be the key in this game as he will have his hands full with Robert Lewandowski and Marco Reus. Both of those guys will likely get a goal in this game, but Neuer will likely save around 10 throughtout the 90 minutes.

I think Mario Mandzukic and Franck Ribery will do the some of the scoring early for Munich with Mario Gomez coming on in the second half for Mandzukic and scoring the game winner. Dortmund rely on two guys for most of the scoring, but Bayern has five or six guys in their lineup that could possibly do the damage today.

I'm expecting a close game for 90 minutes and wouldn't be shocked if this somehow went past the 90 minutes. I'm just hoping that this game doesn't come down to the crap shoot that is the penalty shootout.

My Prediction: Bayern Munich win 3-2
Man of the Match: Manuel Neuer
Goals: Bayern - Mandzukic, Ribery & Gomez / Dortmund - Lewandowski & Reus

Champions League Semifinals Leg 2

The second legs of the Champions League semifinals are today and tomorrow at 2:45 pm on Fox Soccer. To the surprise of many, both of the German sides were able to come out victorious in the first legs with each winning rather handily over the Spanish opposition. Borussia Dortmund were victorious 4-1 over Real Madrid with Bayern Munich winning 4-0 over Barcelona.

Borussia Dortmund @ Real Madrid (Tuesday @ 2:45 on Fox Soccer) (AGG: Dortmund 4-1)

The key for this game is whether or not Real Madrid can STOP Robert Lewandowski. Lewandowski managed to score all four goals against Real Madrid in the first leg and was unstoppable. He had his way with Madrid's back four and made goalkeeper, Diego Lopez, look like he didn't belong out there.

I'm shocked to see Diego Lopez has been named the starting goalkeeper after the last performance and thought that Real Madrid should definitely change it up and go with their captain, Iker Casillas. Casillas has been the guy in front of net for years now and has managed to lose his starting job due to injury. He should have been the first choice in front of goal for Madrid and it shouldn't have even been a question.

Madrid will need to win this game either 3-0 or 4-1 most likely if they are going to advance. They need to outscore Dortmund by at least three goals in order to tie up the aggregate. If the game ends 3-0 Madrid they would advance. If it ended 4-1 it would go to penalty kicks. If Dortmund scored two or more goals then Madrid would need to win by at least four goals.

Dortmund will likely come into this game trying to play defensively. They have the three goal lead and will be trying to do everything in their power to keep that lead. Expect the center backs of Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic to have their hands full today, but they should be able to keep it from not getting too out of hand.

If Madrid is going to win they are going to need a surplus of goals that they just weren't able to get in the first leg. Gonzalo Higuain is getting the start with Karim Benzema likely coming on at halftime. They will both need to score if they are going to want to end up in the final. Cristiano Ronaldo will likely get one goal so they will need their defense to step up and possibly keep Dortmund scoreless. Ronaldo was the only man for Madrid to get a goal in the first leg.

While I think Madrid will get a good amount of goals, I'm not sure if they have a four-goal night in them today. I think Dortmund will be able to get the one goal they'll need as they will keep this game close enough to advance.

Prediction: Real Madrid wins 3-1 (Borussia Dortmund Advances on Aggregate 5-4)

Bayern Munich @ Barcelona (Wednesday @ 2:45 on Fox Soccer) (AGG: Munich 4-0)

As crazy as it was to see Real Madrid lose by three goals, it was even crazier to see Barcelona go down by four. Thomas Muller led Bayern Munich with two of their four goals with Arjen Robben and Mario Gomez each adding one apiece.

The team that is considered the best in the world manage to go scoreless in one of the biggest games of the year and they will have to change a lot if they are going to advance to the final. Their defense allowed four goals, which is unheard of for Barcelona. Their four or five defenders that they use are all arguably a part of the top 10 defenders in the world right now.

Barcelona can't afford to let in a single goal tonight and if they do it will likely be over. If one goal is to go in for Munich, Barcelona would have to score at least six in order for them to advance. If Barcelona is going to advance they are going to have to pull off the impossible.

I'm expecting Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas will have to come out and try to get some goals on the board early. They can't afford to wait too far into the game to start racking up the goals. I could even see Barcelona going to a three-man defense in back and trying to play a much more offensive game.

In all seriousness I just don't think Barcelona has a shot in hell at advancing. There's no way that Bayern Munich is going to slow down their scoring and there's no way Barcelona is going to score five or six goals. Manuel Neuer will have a long night tomorrow, but it will be worth it when his team is playing in what will likely be an all-German Champions League Final.

Prediction: Barcelona wins 3-2 (Bayern Munich Advances on Aggregate 6-3)

Champions League Semifinals Leg 1

The Final Four of soccer is starting up in a couple of hours as the Champions League semifinals will feature the two best teams from Spain and Germany. Barcelona and Real Madrid will try to prove why Spain has the best two teams in the world today, while Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will try to prove that their German teams are right up there with them.

Barcelona @ Bayern Munich (Tuesday @ 2:45 on Fox Soccer)

Barcelona and Bayern Munich have been the best two teams in Europe so far this year. They have both gone on to win their league titles relatively easy and have dominated just about everyone on their way to this semifinal match-up.

Lionel Messi has been cleared to play for Barcelona for this game and he will be the man to watch. He has been the best player in the world the last few years and hasn't shown any signs of possibly losing the top spot. With a healthy Messi, Barcelona are considered to be the favorites to win the Champions League as he has managed to score 57 goals in the 46 games he has played so far this year.

While Messi is the man to watch for Barcelona, they still feature many other world-class players in Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas. The three of them are considered to be some of the best midfielders in the sport of soccer today with Xavi and Iniesta both being perennial runners for player of the year award.

Barcelona's back four has switched depending on who has been healthy this year, but the five main guys splitting time back there have been Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano and Carles Puyol. The five of them have done a great job in helping goalkeeper Victor Valdes protect the goal all season long.

The man to watch for Munich is goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. With Madrid's Casillas being injured for a majority of this season, Neuer has stepped up as the world's best goalie. Neuer has been the key to Munich's resurgence as the top team in Germany and one of the best teams in the world. Prior to his arrival they were relying on lesser-caliber goalkeepers that had trouble when playing against the world's best.

Munich has many players on their side that could add goals for the German squad. Mario Mandzukic and Mario Gomez will split the time at striker for their side with Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery providing the help on the wings. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller will be the guys in the central midfield trying to control the game that will likely be controlled by Barcelona's passing. Munich will have to try and keep possession between those three guys as Barcelona has shown all year that they can keep possession for the majority of the game on their way to victory.

This game will feature two of the best offensive squads in the world with both teams trying to just contain the other squad rather than stop them altogether. Messi and Mandzukic will both find the nets for their squads, it's just a matter of who else will end up finding the net that will change the outcome of the game. With Munich playing at home today, I like them to come up victorious as Messi might not be 100 percent fit.

Prediction: Bayern Munich win 3-2

Real Madrid @ Borussia Dortmund (Wednesday @ 2:45 on Fox Soccer)

When you look at the prestige of these two clubs and the names that will be featured in this game, you'd expect Real Madrid to run all over Borussia Dortmund. However, that is not the case as the German side has already shown twice this season. In group play the two teams played twice with Dortmund winning one game and the other ending in draw. In the first game Dortmund won 2-1 with goals coming from Marcel Schmelzer and Robert Lewandowski with Cristiano Ronaldo getting the lone goal for Madrid. Alvarao Arbeloa scored an own goal while Marco Reus adding one of his own for the Dortmund side in the second game which ended in a 2-2 draw. Pepe and Mesut Ozil added the two goals for Real Madrid.

Neither of these teams will be winning their respective league titles as the two teams playing in Tuesday's game will be claiming those trophies. Madrid will be trying to win their tenth European title this year and are the favorite to come out of this pairing. They haven't been able to defeat the German side yet this year, but with them setting all of their focus now on the Champions League, they should be able to come out victorious.

Whenever people talk about Real Madrid the first name that comes to mind is Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is the main key to Madrid's chances, but he is not who I am worried about. All year long fans and journalists have complained about the lack of goals coming from strikers Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain. Both Benzema and Higuain have struggled this season with finding the back of the net and there have been many rumors of Madrid trying to go after some new strikers in the summer transfer market including Falcao of Atletico Madrid and Edinson Cavani of Napoli.

If Madrid is going to advance they are going to need Benzema and Higuain to step up or they will likely end up going home. If they can each manage to get at least one goal out of the two games that should be enough with Ronaldo and others being able to get in some others to advance.

Dortmund will be relying on their big three of Lewandowski, Reus and Mario Gotze for their scoring. Lewandowski and Reus have done most of the scoring for Dortmund this year with Gotze being the main playmaker for their side. Gotze has been a player on most team's radars with the summer transfer market coming up and has shown to be one of the best attacking midfielders in all of Europe.

With Madrid's usual starting goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, possibly sitting on the bench for this game, I think there will be plenty of goals to come from this week's game. Madrid was unable to defeat Dortmund so far this season and with this week's match-up taking place on the road, I'm expecting this game to end in a draw.

Prediction: Draw 2-2

Champions League Quarterfinals Leg 1 Part 2

The second set of leg 1 of the quarterfinals will be played today. The second leg of these match-ups will be played next Tuesday. During yesterday's quarterfinal games Bayern Munich defeated Juventus 2-0 and Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona played to a 2-2 draw.

Today's Games:

Galatasaray (Turkey) @ Real Madrid (Spain)

Real Madrid are currently on their quest for "La Decima," which would be their tenth European Cup title. Madrid struggled all season during La Liga and will likely have no shot at catching Barcelona the rest of the way so winning the Champions League is the only trophy they really have a shot at the rest of this season.

Real Madrid have been carried by the play of Cristiano Ronaldo all season due to some goal struggles by both Karim Benzema and Gonzala Higuain. It is likely that during the summer they will offload one of them if not both and bring in Falcao from Atletico Madrid or Neymar from Santos. Ronaldo will likely score at least one of Madrid's goals today as he will be trying to match Messi who was able to score one of Barcelona's goals yesterday.

Jose Mourinho will be coaching against two of his former players today in Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder. Both were brought into Galatasaray over the winter transfer window and will be the key for the Turkish side if they will be able to advance past the Spanish giants. Mourinho coached Drogba while at Chelsea and Sneijder during his time at Inter Milan.

Drogba will likely do the scoring for Gala during today's game, but I don't see their squad getting any more than one goal against Madrid's defense. Madrid has way too much talent in their back four and Diego Lopez has been playing very well in the absence of captain Iker Casillas. I think Madrid will be able to get multiple goals from their squad, it's just a matter of how many they will finish with.

Prediction: Real Madrid win 3-1

Borussia Dortmund (Germany) @ Malaga (Spain)

In my opinion this is the weakest match-up of any of the four quarterfinals this year. Out of the eight teams left in the tournament I think Dortmund are the sixth best team left and Malaga is the worst team that is left in the Champions League. Neither team are the best team left from their country as Dortmund are being outplayed by Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and Malaga is currently behind both Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga.

Robert Lewandowski of Dortmund and Isco of Malaga have been each team's best offensive weapons thus far in the Champions League and those will be the two players to watch today. I don't think a lot of goals will be scored in this game as both teams will kind of even each other out. I expect Dortmund to advance between these two teams as they are the better team but with Malaga playing at home I think they will be able to play this game to a draw.

Prediction: Draw 1-1

Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg Review Part 1

There were four games played this week from teams all over Europe. The one game that got all of the attention though in this week of Champions League games was the Manchester United at Real Madrid match where Cristiano Ronaldo was making his return to Old Trafford.

Each of the games that was played this week were the second legs of the round of 16. The winners of this round have all moved on to the quarterfinals that will be played in a little less than a month. As of right now I'm currently ranked 27th on ESPN's Champions League Pick'Em.

Tuesday's Games:

Real Madrid @ Manchester United - Madrid win 2-1 (AGG: Madrid win 3-2)

It's sad how all anyone will talk about in this game is the red card that was given to Nani. All that should have been given at that point was a yellow card. A red was just too much. I thought that the game was very close up until the red card was given and thought that the game could have gone either way. Once the red card was given I thought that Madrid would be able to take this game and they did just that.

The own goal that Sergio Ramos let in was awful and to see a player of his caliber make such a bonehead play I really thought Madrid were done at that point. The goals by Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo in the 66th and 69th minutes put the game out of reach for Man U. Once those two were scored the home team had to score at least two more while playing down a man in 20 minutes and that just wasn't going to happen.

It's sad how a game that was so good will be remembered for a bad call by a referee but in the end as a Madrid fan I'm happy with the outcome. In my opinion Madrid made some great substitutions with each of them really helping their side. Kaka, Modric and Pepe all did their part when coming on for Madrid late in the game.

My player of the match though was goalkeeper Diego Lopez for Real Madrid. He made seven saves and if it wasn't for the own goal would've had the clean sheet. I wasn't a fan of him going to the ground at the end of the game to waste time, but in the absence of captain Iker Casillas I think Diego Lopez did a great job and should get a lot of credit in Madrid moving on. You could argue for Modric or Ronaldo for scoring the goals, but I think it was the goalkeeping by Diego Lopez that was really the key in keeping the game close.

I think Madrid have to be one of the favorites to win the Champions League at this point. Barcelona could be knocked out next week so it will probably come down to Madrid and Bayern Munich winning it all.

Shakhtar Donetsk @ Borussia Dortmund - Dortmund win 3-0 (AGG: Dortmund win 5-2)

This game wasn't televised live and it didn't seem like it had to be. I expected Dortmund to come out and score multiple goals on Shakhtar but I wasn't expecting them to completely dominate the entire game the way that the did. Three goals from Felipe Santana, Mario Gotze and Jacub Blaszczykowski were just way too much for the away side that went scoreless.

I hadn't really heard of Shakhtar before this because they play in Ukraine so they should be happy with the fact that they got this far in the tournament. Dortmund are now on to the quarterfinals where they will probably be the underdog against whoever they are playing. A possible Dortmund-Bayern match-up between the two best German teams in the quarterfinals could be huge.

Wednesday's Games:

Valencia @ Paris Saint-Germain - Draw 1-1 (AGG: PSG win 3-2)

This wasn't the most exciting game of the week by any means. PSG came into this game with the lead and a draw would have sent them on to the next round. They came out playing a very defensive game to make sure that they left the game with the win. When Jonas scored the first goal of the game in the 55th minute for Valencia, it was only then that PSG started to press the action in fear of possibly giving up another goal which would have possibly ended with Valencia moving on to the next round.

Ezequiel Lavezzi scored an equalizer though 10 minutes after the scoring started to even up the game for PSG which would be the end of the scoring for the day. Valencia were able to secure possession for almost two-thirds of the entire game, but were unable to get any really good chances with only three shots on target of the eight that the team took. PSG will be moving on to the next round and with the return of Ibrahimovic for the quarterfinals could have their sights on moving even further in the tournament.

Celtic @ Juventus - Juventus win 2-0 (AGG: Juventus win 5-0)

I didn't expect Celtic to come into this game and somehow pull off one of the biggest comebacks in recent history and move on to the next round and Juventus made sure that it didn't happen. Juventus scored two goals and held Celtic scoreless for the entire 90 minutes. Alessandro Matri and Fabio Quagliarella did the scoring for Juventus, while Gianluigi Buffon had a very good game in goal for the home team making five saves and not letting anything by him.

Juventus are on to the quarterfinals with a very good showing in the round of 16. Celtic were definitely not one of the best teams left in the tournament, but the way that Juventus outplayed them in the two games really gives them hope at possibly winning this entire tournament. I don't know if they are going to have enough scoring to beat Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the later rounds, but they have showed that they are one of the best defensive teams in Europe and with Buffon in back should be able to keep any game close going forward.

Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg Preview Part 1

There are four games this week in the Champions League, but only one of them is really drawing any attention at this point. In the other three games being played of the week the home teams are all favored to move on to the quarterfinals, but it's all about the other game, Manchester United vs. Real Madrid.

The games being played this week and next are the second legs of the round of 16. The winners of this round will advance on to the quarterfinals in the first week of April. As bad as I am at picking almost every other sport, I'm currently ranked 84th on ESPN's Champions League pick'em so I'm hoping my picks continue to go in that direction.

Tuesday's Games:

Real Madrid @ Manchester United (Aggregate: Draw 1-1)

While watching the first leg a couple of weeks ago all I could keep thinking was, how many goals will each of these teams end up with? At the end there was only two goals scored in the entire 90 minutes with each team scoring one apiece. The amount of great looks that each team had I was in disbelief that the game ended with such a low score.

My player to watch in this game has to be Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is making his return to Old Trafford as the enemy for the first time since leaving the Red Devils in 2009. In the first leg Ronaldo was successful in scoring and did so without celebrating afterwards in a show of respect to his former club. His goal helped tie the game up for Madrid after Danny Welbeck's goal 10 minutes earlier. The final 60 minutes of the game went goalless as both teams goalkeepers and defense kept either team from getting a real clean look.

With the aggregate currently tied at 1:1 I am expecting a very similar game to the first one, just with more goals. I could see Manchester United playing a more defensive game with Real Madrid playing a more offensive game in this one. Man U already have the one away goal and if they were able to keep Madrid scoreless would advance to the next round. If Madrid are able to score two-plus goals, chances are that they will be the team moving on.

My prediction: Madrid win 3-2 (AGG: Madrid 4-3)

Shakhtar Donetsk @ Borussia Dortmund (Aggregate: Draw 2-2)

The first game between these two teams had four goals scored between the two teams evenly with two apiece. Robert Lewandowski and Mats Hummels did the scoring for Dortmund with Darijo Srna and Douglas Costa adding the goals for Shakhtar.

With Dortmund returning home for the second leg they are the favorites to win this game. I think they will be able to score multiples goals and keep Shakhtar scoreless. Marco Reus and Mario Gotze both were goalless for Dortmund in the first leg and I doubt they will both remain scoreless in this one. Gotze is my player to watch in this game as he could be using this stage to get his name out there even more with the possibility of a potential move to a bigger club during the summer.

My prediction: Dortmund win 2-0 (AGG: Dortmund 4-2)

Wednesday's Games:

Valencia @ Paris Saint-Germain (Aggregate: PSG 2-1)

With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo getting all of the love for being the best players in the world Zlatan Ibrahimovic is currently showing France and the rest of the world why PSG was so smart to buy him from AC Milan over the summer. In 33 games this year Ibrahimovic has managed to score 28 goals while playing for a new team in a country he had never played in before. Ibrahimovic will not be playing in this game for PSG, however as he was sent off at the end of the game with a red card.

While Ibrahimovic is such an important player for PSG, I just don't think Valencia will be able to beat them even without Ibrahimovic on the pitch. The first leg saw goals come from Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore for PSG with Adil Rami adding one for Valencia.

I wouldn't be surprised if PSG played David Beckham in this game. Beckham's experience in big games could be a huge help to the French side and without Zlatan up front they could probably use the leadership that Beck would bring. My player to watch in this game is Lucas Moura. Lucas has recently joined PSG during the winter transfer session and will likely give Valencia fits all evening. I'm expecting the same score as the first leg in this one.

My prediction: PSG win 2-1 (AGG: PSG 4-2)

Celtic @ Juventus (Aggregate: Juventus 3-0)

This game couldn't be any more over before it started than it already is. Juventus managed to score three goals in the first game on the road and would have been the favorite when returning home for the second leg anyways. Alessandro Matri, Claudio Marchisio and Mirko Vucinic did the scoring for the Italian side the first time around which leaves this game almost 100 percent out of reach for Celtic.

I'm guessing that Juventus won't put their best team on the pitch tomorrow because they are almost guaranteed to be moving on to the next round at this point so I'm expecting this game to be much closer than the first. I actually wouldn't be surprised if Celtic came out and drew Juventus or even won the game, but I still think Juventus will manage to win this game no matter who they put on the field. My player to watch is Gianluigi Buffon. Buffon will likely be in goal and as long as he doesn't have the worst game of his career come Wednesday his side should move on.

My prediction: Juventus win 2-1 (AGG: Juventus 5-1)

Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg Preview Part 1

The group stage is finally over and 16 teams remain with the possibility of being crowned the Champions of Europe. Half of those 16 teams will be playing games this week with two games happening today and two tomorrow.

This week's action includes 1st leg games between Juventus and Celtic, Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia, Borussia Dortmund and Shakhtar Donetsk, and the "Game of the Week" between Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Today's Games:

Juventus @ Celtic

Juventus come into this game having finished first in the Group E table while Celtic finished second in Group G. Juventus are currently sitting atop the Italian Serie A table and all signs are pointing to them winning this year's title rather easily. Celtic is also atop of their league title and currently have an 18 point lead in the Scottish Premier League.

Juventus are the major betting favorites in this game. They are the better team that plays in a much better league. Celtic hasn't really had any competition in Scotland this year due to Rangers being relegated due to financial reasons. Juventus should be able to win both games against Celtic rather easily behind their goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

My prediction: Juventus win 2-0

Paris Saint-Germain @ Valencia

This game should be the closer game of the day. PSG finished first in Group A and currently sit atop French Ligue 1. Valencia finished second in a very weak Group are F and are currently struggling in fifth place this season in Spain's La Liga.

Valencia are a slight favorite over PSG because they are the home team, but I'm expecting the now French giants to be able to win this game on the road. Valencia won't make it easy for them, but PSG just has way too much firepower up front especially with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the way.

My prediction: PSG win 2-1

Tomorrow's Games:

Manchester United @ Real Madrid "Game of the Week"

Cristiano Ronaldo is making his first appearance against his former club. Most would argue that Ronaldo is the second best player in the world right now only behind Barcelona's Lionel Messi and all of the talk is on how Ronaldo will play against his former team.

Manchester United are coming into this game after finishing first in Group H and are currently leading the English Premier league by eight points. Real Madrid aren't having as great a season as they have had as of late and are struggling to keep most of their players healthy. Real Madrid finished second in Group D and are currently third in Spain's La Liga.

Without any hopes of winning La Liga, Real Madrid have put almost all of their focus on possibly winning their 10th Champions League title (was once called European Cup as well). Manchester United have been on a roll this season and are making it known that they are once again the best team in England.

This game is going to come down to what one player does. If Ronaldo plays well then Real Madrid will walk out the winner. If he ends up struggling this game could end poorly for Madrid and Los Blancos could be on their way out of the Champions League. I'm expecting Ronaldo to rise to the occasion today and wouldn't be surprised if he added multiple goals for his side.

My prediction: Real Madrid win 3-1

Borussia Dortmund @ Shakhtar Donetsk

This game is really taking a backseat to the other game of the day. Dortmund managed to finish ahead of Real Madrid in the Group D table and are currently second in the German Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich. Shakhtar Donetsk tied Chelsea in Group E for second place, but managed to score more away goals when the two played each other which gave them the edge in the table. Shakhtar Donetsk currently sit atop their Ukrainian Premier League table and are currently dominating the rest of their league.

Shakhtar Donetsk are very small favorites over Dortmund, but I'm expecting these teams to finish even tomorrow. Expect the striking pair of Robert Lewandowski and Marco Reus to help add a goal or two for the away side and make sure that the home team doesn't walk out with a win.

My prediction: Draw 2-2