Tips for UEFA Champions League

Fully 37 years Europe had a main competition to determine which club was playing best football on this continent which was called European Champions' cup. From 1992/93 season the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has announced completely new, silly, complicated format with a group game system in between. This 'little mix up' means more matches played, additional teams from one country and a new name for the tournament: UEFA Champions League (popularly known as Champions League). In other words, only the top 15 countries are allowed to have more teams (up to 4) in the newly formed competition based on a coefficient list, more running, sweating, midweek action and (constant) injury of the players from so many matches. From that big change and through the years, Champions League has become one of the known brand of European football who, of course, everybody wants to participate in it. But unfortunately small countries with their respective and true champions cannot (or very rarely) feel the air of Champions League spirit who wants to play before their own crowds. That is why clubs from well known 5 'best' top European leagues are constantly winning this trophy (with the exception of few years).

This annual Champions League 2015/16 season is now entering the final phase. Excitement with the 8 groups from last fall are now over, but the real things will follow now: with the knock-out phase. Fourteenth of December UEFA has conducted the draw for round of 16 where games will be playing in 2 months. Tips of those games can be found here with the following pairs:

16 February, leg 1: Benfica - Zenit St. Petersburg and Paris St. Gemain - Chelsea.

17 February, leg 1: Gent - Wolfsburg and Roma - Real Madrid.

23 February, leg 1: Arsenal - Barcelona and Juventus - Bayern Munich.

24 February, leg 1: Dynamo Kyiv - Manchester City and PSV Eindhoven - Atletico Madrid.

08 March, leg 2: Real Madrid - Roma and Wolfsburg - Gent.

09 March, leg 2: Zenit St. Petersburg - Benfica and Chelsea - Paris St. Germain.

15 March, leg 2: Atletico Madrid - PSV Eindhoven and Manchester City - Dynamo Kyiv.

16 March, leg 2: Barcelona - Arsenal and Bayern Munchen - Juventus.

All games from Champions League starts in their regular time slot - 20.45 CET, except from St. Petersburg where Zenit entertain Benfica from 18.00 CET.

Overview in 2015 and expectations in 2016: Whoever passed the groups has passed, there is no going back now. However, from February things will be really interesting. Some derbies are already drawn and with full excitement we are waiting for them. But the real thrill will have to answer the 23-year old 'curse': since this new format was introduced no club has ever defend its Champion Leagues title. For that to find out we have to be patient until 28 May when final will be played in Milan's San Siro stadium (officially known as Stadio Giuseppe Meazza).