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Wednesday night’s “other Champions League match” is one that is holding a lot of significance, as one of Spain’s giants have an uphill task. Real Madrid lost the first leg of their tie against strong French side Lyon. Lyon finished second in the group stage, behind Fiorentina, which sealed Liverpool’s exit from the competition. Now the plucky French, who, more often than not are a tricky handful to manage in the Champions League, hold a one-nil lead to take to the return leg in Madrid. Ahead of the first fixture, it was clear that the new Galacticos were not going to be in for an easy rise, and this was demonstrated perfectly in the first leg.

The final of the 2010 Champions League is at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, where Real Madrid play their home matches. They would love nothing more than enjoy the experience of the final on home turf, but first they have to overcome this tricky hurdle, against a Lyon side which have produced some incredible defensive displays recently. It has been 620 minutes in all competitions since Lyon have conceded a goal. That is roughly seven matches, and keeper Hugo Lloris has naturally played a massive part in that. Lyon are part of a trio of French sides, which are somewhat elevating the status of Ligue 1 around Europe. Naturally all focus is on the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga, but the likes of Italy, Germany and France really are not that far behind in terms of quality.

It has been over half a decade since Real Madrid have made the semi finals of the competition though, and for Lyon, the reading is worse. They haven’t managed to get past the last sixteen of the Champions League in their last three attempts. Lyon haven’t lost to Madrid in the Champions League, in fact they have been a bit of thorn in the side of the Spanish team’s ambitions, beating them out of top spot in the group stages twice before. Lyon have not lost a game in the Spanish capital, but Real Madrid have had success against French opposition already this year, when they beat Marseille in the group stages. They will be hoping to improve upon a record against French teams. The last three encounters against French sides in the knockout stages, have all ended in elimination for the Spaniards.

Lyon only need to stand firm at the back to squeeze their way through, and there is also the promise of an away goal. Lyon are a good away team, make no mistake about that, and while the stars of Real Madrid like Ronaldo will be trying to put on a show, the humble hard work of the French side, could well be their undoing. Lyon, who are putting pressure on Bordeaux at the top of the French league, have played their way into form, and if they put in one of their solid European performances, and not one of their lazy lacklustre ones, then there is every chance that they can get through this. A draw is simply good enough for them, and Lyon are good enough to achieve that in the Spanish capital on Wednesday night.

BETTING STATS

Head to Head
Lyon 1, Real Madrid 0
Real Madrid 2, Lyon 2
Lyon 2, Real Madrid 0
Read Madrid 1, Lyon 1
Lyon 3, Real Madrid 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Real Madrid: 17 For, 6 Against
Lyon: 8 For, 0 Against

Current Form
Real Madrid: W8, D0, L2
Lyon: W7, D2, L1

Win Percentage
Real Madrid have a 93.8 win percentage at home
Lyon have a 44.4 win percentage away from home

MATCH PRICES
Real Madrid to win: 1/3 at BetFred
Draw: 47/10 at Bwin
Lyon to win: 10/1 at Coral

Asian Handicap Advice: Lyon +1.50 Asian Handicap: 9/10 at Victor Chandler

Becks is back. David Beckham returns to his old stomping ground tomorrow, as his AC Milan side looks to overturn a 3-2 deficit against Manchester United in the Champions League. This is the first time back at Old Trafford for Beckham, since departing from under Alex Ferguson’s win around 7 years ago. England stalwart, who plays for LA Galaxy, but is on loan at the Italian giants so that he can play top level football to keep himself in shape for the 2010  World Cup, was mobbed as he way his way back to Manchester United ahead of the game. A legend in the Red Devils shirt, Beckham is still popular at the club, and remains the face of English football.

There is no guarantee that Beckham will start on Wednesday night, throwing some confusing on what line up coach Leonardo will go with. Despite setting up the first goal for AC Milan at Old Trafford, Beckham was largely ineffective in his central midfield role, a place where he longed to play for Manchester United. If he comes of the bench, it is fair to say that he will receive a hero’s welcome. It could be a different story however, if he scores the winner which knocks his old club out. Beckham scored twice on his last Champions League appearance at Old Trafford, for the Red Devils. Untied fans will probably have mixed feeling about the possibly of Beckham hitting the back of the net on Wednesday. They’ll probably cheer a consolation, but bite their tongue at a winning goal.

The other unquestionable start of the English show, Wayne Rooney, has been declared fit to play in the big match. United are defending a slender lead, and need their talisman up front to create problems and carry an offensive threat. This last 16 second leg fixture of the Champions League is the one which has been carrying all of the hype and excitement. After aggravating a knee problem in England’s friendly against Egypt, Ferguson had come out and said that Rooney was extremely doubtful for this crucial big match. Rooney know has seemingly made a miraculous recovery after training on Tuesday. Ferguson isn’t without him problems still though, as Ryan Giggs and Wes Brown are missing, as well as Michael Carrick following his red card at the end of the first leg. AC Milan welcome back Pato, who could have a huge influence on the game, alongside Ronaldinho.

BETTING STATS

Head to Head
AC Milan 2, Man Utd 3
AC Milan 3, Man Utd 0
Man Utd 3, AC Milan 2
AC Milan 1, Man Utd 0
Man Utd 0, AC Milan 1

Last 5 Match Goals
Man Utd: 10 For, 6 Against
AC Milan: 9 For, 5 Against

Current Form:
Man Utd: W8, D1, L1
AC Milan: W4, D3, L3

Champions League Form:
Man Utd: WWWDLWW
AC Milan: WLWDDDL

Win Percentage:
Man Utd have a 73.9 win percentage at home
AC Milan have a 52.9 win percentage away from home

LATEST MATCH PRICES
Man Utd to win: 8/11 at SkyBet
Draw: 11/4 at Ladbrokes
AC Milan to win: 9/2 at SkyBet

David Beckham Specials:
Anytime Goalscorer: 13/2 at Stan James
First Goalscorer: 20/1 at 888Sport
To Be Booked: 4/1 at SkyBet
To Be Sent Off: 20/1 at SkyBet

Wayne Rooney Specials:
Anytime Goalscorer: 11/10 at Boylesports
First Goalscorer: 4/1 at Blue Square

Wednesday night promises to be the big David Beckham and Wayne Rooney show in the Champions League clash between Man Utd v AC Milan. The first leg in Milan, ended in a pulsating 3-2 victory for Alex Ferguson’s men, but they will need to rediscover some of that home invulnerability if they are to make light work of the second leg at Old Trafford. After nearly seven years away from Old Trafford, David Beckham makes his return, courtesy of his loan spell with the Italian giants. On his last Champions League game at Old Trafford before heading to Real Madrid, Beckham scored himself a brace of goals. The majority of the Manchester crowd will not want to see history repeating itself like that on Wednesday night.

Things could have been a lot more comfortable for Manchester united, had a lapse in concentration not allowed Clarence Seedorf to grab a crucial second goal for AC Milan. They have a big job in overturning Man United at Old Trafford, if they want to keep their strong record against United going. Every encounter over two legs between the two sides in the Champions league, the Italians have come out on top, largely thanks to their performances at home. The home leg in this season’s competition however, let them down badly, despite getting off to a promising start. Milan overran United in the early part of the game, and should have put the fixture out of sight there and then. United looked at their disjointed worst, unable to keep a hold of any possession. That was until Wayne Rooney stole the show in the second half.

The England striker scored twice with head (that makes 9 headed goals for him in the Champions League). United only managed to pick up four points out of the possible nine available in the home fixtures of the group stages, and that was some surprise as they were in an easy group. They even squandered their excellent home record in the Champions League, when they lost to Besiktas, ending a 23 run of games without defeat at Old Trafford. The previous defeat that United had suffered at home in the Champions league, was of course, to Wednesday night’s opponents, AC Milan. United have had to come from behind twice this season at home in the Champions league, but now the stakes are different because there are away goals to worry about. Milan need a clear two goal advantage on the night.

The first leg result bore a spooky similarity to the 2006/07 meeting between the two sides in the semi final of the competition, when United won 3-2 in the first leg, but then lost badly in the second leg, 3-0, with Kaka on target that night. United laboured to 1-0 win over Wolves in the Premier League on the weekend, but they should not need any motivating ahead of Wednesday. Fans will be packed in to see David Beckham mark this historic return. United simply need to do what they do best, and that is up the tempo to attack at speed. Beckham was employed in the middle of the park in the first leg, and was not effective there at all, and as a whole, the Milan side don’t look particularly fast. Their control on the ball and passing is what they rely on, and if United can disrupt that, they should be in for a good night. It is unlikely that Milan would be able to match United in full flow at Old Trafford.

But is there a sting in this tale from former servant of Alex Ferguson, David Beckham? Will his return fade into anonymity, or will he produce one of his big match moments that could crush the Champions League dreams of United for 2010? Beckham scored 86 goals in 394 appearances for Manchester United, and won the Premier League six times. United will be waiting on news about Wayne Rooney, who missed the weekend game at Molineux because of an aggravated knee problem. Quite how United will manage without him, as he is their one man strike force, could be a key factor on the biggest night of their season so far.

Milan still have Serie A dreams for this season, as well as success in the Champions League. Boss Leonardo has included striker Pato, who is the key component up front for them, in the squad, after missing their weekend match with a hamstring problem. The likelihood of Wayne Rooney appearing on Wednesday night, is not so promising, as he has been described as very doubtful for the match by Alex Ferguson. There were reports that Rooney was not going to be fit for England’s midweek friendly against Egypt, but he appeared. However, his knee was not in good shape afterwards, appearing to have aggravated any problem that may have been there, during England’s 3-1 win. Ferguson has already lost Michael Owe for the season, so that just leaves Berbatov up front. Subsequent reports hint that the problem with Rooney’s knee is serious enough to keep him out of action, so he may appear off the bench if his club needs him on the night. Not so for defender Wes Brown, who may be out for the rest of the season with a broken foot.

BETTING STATS

Head to Head
AC Milan 2, Man Utd 3
AC Milan 3, Man Utd 0
Man Utd 3, AC Milan 2
AC Milan 1, Man Utd 0
Man Utd 0, AC Milan 1

Last 5 Match Goals
Man Utd: 10 For, 6 Against
AC Milan: 9 For, 5 Against

Current Form:
Man Utd: W8, D1, L1
AC Milan: W4, D3, L3

Champions League Form:
Man Utd: WWWDLWW
AC Milan: WLWDDDL

Win Percentage:
Man Utd have a 73.9 win percentage at home
AC Milan have a 52.9 win percentage away from home

MATCH PRICES
Man Utd to win: 8/11 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 11/4 at SkyBet
AC Milan: 9/2 at Ladbrokes

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: AC Milan have problems with pace and speed, while United don’t quite have the ball skills in the middle of the park. This is why they are fairly evenly matched, but for some reason, United have struggled at home this season in the Champions League. Milan should be good enough for a draw on the night, it won’t get them through, but they are of equal quality with United as long as they don’t have a super collapse. If Rooney is missing and Ronaldinho is at his devastating bet, and with Milan having nothing to lose, away from home and already behind, they could pose a threat.
AC Milan +0.50 Asian Handicap: 11/10 at Paddy Power

David Beckham Anytime Scorer: 13/2 at Paddy Power

Fiorentina v Bayern Munich (agg: 1-2)

There will be a lot of optimism that Fiorentina will be able to pull out a unforgettable performance to overcome the deficit inflicted on them by the German giants in the first leg of this tie. The away goal that they scored could be the crucial factor in this tie, as there is nothing too much to choose between the two sides. Fiorentina have been one of the success stories of this year’s Champions League, as they weren’t expected to make it out of the group stage, as they were in a tough group along with Liverpool and Lyon. But the Italian side put in some great performances to win the group, and now, despite the first leg defeat, still have a great chance of making further impact in the competition.

Fiorentina keeper Sebastien Frey has looked impressive through the competition, but he will be wary of more threats from the Bayern forwards, which include former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben and the much hyped Franck Ribery. It is unlikely that Fiorentina will be able to recover from conceding an away goal back on their home turf, as the German side, which are strong and have really picked themselves up in form domestically, will start as favourites to progress. But Fiorentina won all three of their home games in the group stages, with clean sheets against both Liverpool and Lyon. They simply need to be patient and not shoot themselves in the foot by getting all gung-ho in the early stages.

One worry for Fiorentina, is that defence has been looking a bit shaky lately, and against the strong German outfit, that could spell disaster. You have to back to November to find the last clean sheet kept in Serie A by the Viola. After a strong start to the season in Serie A, Fiorentina have dropped back into mid table, but still they have some dangerous players to watch out for, notably Gilardino, Vargas and the impressive Jovetic in midfield. Franck Ribery may be missing for Bayern, as he is nursing something which means that he has not been quite 100%. Bayern have played their way to the top of the league, after things were looking decidedly below par in the early stages of the league and the Champions League.

They only managed to clinch qualification from their Champions League group on the last day, as French side Bordeaux surprised both them and Juventus by winning the group. Bayern looked anything but impressive throughout the group stages, but things can change quickly in football, and now the Germans have gotten up a full head of steam. Neither side won on the weekend, with Fiorentina losing 2-1 to Juventus, and Bayern being held to a 1-1 draw with Koln. Bayern start as favourites as the bookies, simply because their form on the domestic front has been ominous, and they showed in the first leg that they can get the better of the Italians.

MATCH PRICES
Fiorentina to win: 24/14 at Bwin
Draw: 12/5 at Bet365
Bayern Munich to win: 13/8 at Victor Chandler

Champions League Form Guide
Fiorentina: DDLWWWWL
Bayern Munich: WDLLWWW

Arsenal go into their big Champions League match without captain Cesc Fabregas, as Arsene Wenger is not ready to take any risks with the influential midfielder. Fabregas was pulled out of the 3-1 win against Burnley in the Premier League on the weekend, with a hamstring problem after scoring. This is a huge blow for Arsenal, as Fabregas is one of the best players in the Premier League at the moment, and a figure in the Arsenal line up. With the Gunners having to find a way back from a 2-1 deficit from the first leg in Porto, the captain’s presence could have a huge influence on betting strategies for the game. The young Spaniard has netted 17 times this season, and with Arsenal’s strike force looking a little depleted as it is, that spark of creativity and control which Fabregas exerts, will be missing.

Wenger has been struggling with injuries to key players all season, with star striker Robin Van Persie missing from action because of an injury picked up while on international duty. They have had to cope for most of the season without him, which many thought would be the downfall of the Gunners this season. With the recent horror show of Aaron Ramsey’s injury, Wenger has every right to feel hard done by, but they keep on going, much to his credit. Despite recent back to back losses in the Premier League against Manchester United and Chelsea, somehow Wenger has driven his men into contention for the league title. Abou Diaby had the ominous task of filling the space vacated by Fabregas against Burnley, and will likely step into the fold once again. With the captain missing, Arsenal will still look to play the same way as they always do, but the Portuguese side are not to be taken too lightly, as highlighted in the first leg.

Porto are probably the most underrated team in the Champions League. Sure, they are not in one of the strongest leagues in Europe, but they do have a decent history in the Champions League, and when they are on top of their game, they have a strike force which tear defences apart. Colombian Falcao and Brazilian Hulk are a threat, and there are some doubts as to whether Arsenal’s defence will be able to contain them. While the Gunners are going well and in contention for the Premier League, it is fair to argue that they are not as strong as they have been in past season, and with injuries to boot, they are relying on depth to get them through. This is what Porto are more than capable of exposing back at the Emirates Stadium.

The Portuguese played well and showed Arsenal that they are no pushover. Despite losing twice to Chelsea in the group stages, they gave good accounts of themselves against the Blues, which showed potential for more to come. Porto can carve out great chances for themselves, and they will be a threat on Tuesday night, as they will be able to strike on the counter attack because they know that Arsenal, buoyed on by the home crowd, will be coming at them. Collectively as a team, Porto have had the most shots on goal in the Champions League so far this season, and individually, Hulk is leading the shot chart of all players in the competition. This is what Arsenal will have to try and defend against.

Arsenal’s good form at home in the Champions League is something that Porto will have to overcome. The Gunners have one of the most impressive home records in the competition, and will start as favourites to win on the night. The key will be keeping a close eye on Hulk and Falcao, because if they sneak an away goal, then that could be too big a hurdle for the Gunners to overcome. Arsenal have scored eight goals in their last three domestic matches and will be fairly confident, as it’s hard to see Arsene Wenger expecting anything other than a comfortable victory. He flies hard in the face of adversity, and more often than not finds a way to come through. This, however, without Fabregas, could be their toughest test, but they will rely on their free flowing attacking game, which has seen them lead the Premier League in goals scored, and has already led them to two home victories over Porto in Champions League history.

BETTING STATS

Lat 5 Head to Head
Porto 2, Arsenal 1
Porto 2, Arsenal 0
Arsenal 4, Porto 0
Porto 0, Arsenal 0
Arsenal 2, Porto 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Arsenal: 10 For, 4 Against (All competitions)
Porto: 8 For, 3 Against (Champions League only)

Current Form
Arsenal: W5, D1, L3 (All competitions)
Porto: W5, D0, L2 (Champions League only)

Win Percentage:
Arsenal have an 85.7 win percentage at home
Porto have a 66.7 win percentage away from home

MATCH PRICES
Arsenal to win: 4/6 at Bet365
Draw: 14/5 at Boylesports
FC Porto to win: 5/1 at BetFred

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Arsenal will still be favourites to win this tie, even with the injuries and disruptions they have had to their season, including the recent one with Fabregas. The playing field will be fairly even though, as Porto showed against Chelsea they can be a difficult side to compete against. The longer the game goes on without a goal, the more nervy they are going to be. They probably are not going to get walked over, so edging Porto with a positive should pay off.
FC Porto +1.25 Asian Handicap: 8/13 at Paddy Power

VfB Stuttgart v Barcelona
The Champions League continues on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the first legs of the second batch of four games. Tuesday sees defending Champions Barcelona in action away at German side VfB Stuttgart. The Spanish Giants won their group ahead of Inter Milan, and will start as strong favourites against the Germans. Barcelona are still at the top of La Liga, but cannot seem to shake the attention of Real Madrid. The two are not in any danger of being caught by anyone else, and they have only lost four matches between then all season in the league. That’s how dominant they are. Over in Germany, VfB Stuttgart are languishing near the middle of the table, well off the pace of the top four. Former Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann is still going strong in the Stuttgart net at 40, and believes that some typical German style football will give Barcelona a run for their money. One assumes that will be efficiency and some sharp tactics. Unlikely to be enough over the two legs to beat the formidable looking Barcelona, so they’ll need to keep an extremely tight ship at home in the first leg. Barca’s Daniel Alves and Xavi Hernandez have both travelled with the squad, despite both of them being serious doubts through injury.
Barcelona to win: 4/6 at SkyBet
Draw: 3/1 at Victor Chandler
VfB Stuttgart to win: 5/1 at Bet365

Olympiakos v Bordeaux
The kind of tie that will fade into the background alongside some of the other glamour ties that are happening in the knockout stages of the Champions League. But still, the two teams are there on merit, and French side Bordeaux could be the dark horse of the tournament this year. No, they are not going to draw short prices against their more illustrious opposition, but they have been handed a nice draw for the first stage of the knockouts, and for Laurent Blanc’s men, this is a great chance to progress further. They weren’t expected to make it out of Group A in qualifying, as they were grouped with Bayern Munich and Juventus, but it was the French side who were the stars of the show. The have looked invincible for long periods of the domestic season, but have had a little wobble. They have picked themselves up to win the last two games though, and are still clear at the top of the French League. Beside, the mighty Zinedane Zidane has tipped them for success, and that’s good enough for me at least. Olympaikos looked averagely uninspiring through the group stages, but finished in second place behind Arsenal in an easy group. They’ll defend well and put in a lot of passion, but the class Bordeaux have, as understated as it may be across Europe, should see the French win this one.
Bordeaux to win: 8/5 at Totesport
Draw: 9/4 at BetFred
Olympiakos to win: 2/1 at Victor Chandler

CSKA Moscow v Sevilla
CSKA Moscow are at somewhat of a disadvantage, as their season is over, and the new one doesn’t start until March. So they go into the fixture lacking match practice, as they haven’t played since December. The fact that this is a home fixture, may just bring things into balance a little bit, as it’s generally a tough place to go and pick up a win. Travelling from Spain to the cold of Russia can’t be a nice trip to endure midweek, but Sevilla should be up for it, because they must believe they have the fire power to upset a lot of teams in the Champions League this year. Sevilla are sitting fourth in La Liga, and while they are a way back from Barcelona and Real Madrid, they are having a fine season. They topped their Champions League group relatively easily, only suffering one shock defeat to Unirea Urziceni. They have up front, one of the great strikers in the world at the moment, Brazil’s Luis Fabiano, who is just a phenomenal goalscoring machine. Had a really strong first half of the season, but a bit of hit and miss form has crept into their game. His nine goals in fourteen appearances for Sevilla in La Liga keeps firing them into contention. The Spaniards are strong, and shouldn’t let anything slip in this tie.
Sevilla to win: 13/8 at Paddy Power
Draw: 23/10 at Totesport
CSKA Moscow: 15/8 at Bet365

The big influx on sports betting, and football headlines of the week will be surrounding the re-uniting of The Special One, Jose Mourinho with Chelsea. Inter Milan host Chelsea on Wednesday, the second of two major Italian v English Champions League clashes. Manchester United beat AC Milan 3-2 at the San Siro last week, and Chelsea will be hoping to leave with less damage done to their defence. Mourinho spent 3 and a half successful years at Stamford Bridge, winning the Premier League title twice for the Stamford Bridge outfit, building a lot on defence. Now he will have to use all of his craft and while to undo a lot of the legacy that he built, which still remains in place today under the new management of Carlo Ancelotti.

Mourinho is one of the great characters of the game, and is something to consider when looking at online betting prices on this match. Between two evenly matched teams, the manager can make all the difference. Both confident and outspoken, Mourinho certainly knows how to play up to the press, and is in many ways refreshing in his honesty. He left Stamford Bridge under a bit of cloud, but his efforts were greatly appreciated by the Chelsea faithful. Mourinho took over at the helm of Inter Milan, after they sacked now Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini for not brining them Champions League success. That is the amount of pressure which Mourinho is under, and while they are stretching their legs at the top of Serie A, domestic honours is often not enough these days for Europe’s elite. A season is apparently not complete without Champions League honours.

For the Nerazzuri, three Serie A titles in a row certainly wasn’t enough, and it cost Mancini his job, and Mourinho has yet to make a real impact with Inter in the Champions League. Keen to build a team with his identity all over it, Mourinho sold Zlatan Imbrahimovic, and brought in Samuel Eto’o, Wesley Sniejder and Diego Milito, which many believe gave Inter a lot more strength. Since the deal, which was a gamble, betting on team quality as opposed to a superstar, Inter have developed from being a one dimensional team, which was hitting the big man Ibrahimovic, to one with attacking threat from everywhere. Sneijder and Diego Milito look to have been two strokes of genius by The Special One, as both have been in outstanding for this season. The pressure is now on Mourinho to deliver in the Champions League, and to make Inter one of the strong favourites, like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Wednesday night’s opponents Chelsea, season after season.

Inter suffered a small set back on Sunday, when they were held to a 0-0 draw against Sampdoria, in which they had Walter Samuel and Ivan Cordoba sent off. Betting on them remains strong to win Serie A, but perhaps discipline is becoming a factor as the pressure mounts, as Sniejder was shown a red card too in their derby win over AC Milan. That wasn’t the end of it though, as two more players picked up bans for incidents off the pitch, and Mourinho will find himself in hot water again after making a “handcuffs” gesture about the refereeing decisions going against his team. Mourinho doesn’t believe that too much has changed since he left. After recently taking a trip to Stamford Bridge to soak up the atmosphere and so that the return fixture wouldn’t get caught up in the emotions of the first time being back there, Mourinho understands exactly where Chelsea are at under Ancelotti.

Mourinho believes that defensive tactics and positioning are the same, the formations of a 4-4-2 diamond and a 4-3-3 which Chelsea switch between are still in place from his days there. So to is the warm up procedure, and of course, the bulk of the players. The likes of Terry, Lampard, Carvalho, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba were all part of Mourinho’s success at the club. Chelsea are top  of the Premier League at the moment, but haven’t looked as consistent as in past season. Still, they remain one of the favourites to lift the domestic title, as well as the FA Cup and Champions League for the first time. They are the nearly men of the Champions League, and Mourinho himself suffered two semi finals defeats while in charge. It is hard to see Inter losing at home, as Mourinho hasn’t lost a home league game in 8 years, and betting strategies should reflect that, as well as Chelsea‘s slightly dodgy away form.

This is the big clash of knock-out stages, and a tight game should be in order. Does Mourinho have an advantage by knowing Chelsea? Or do the Chelsea players have an advantage in knowing Mourinho? Chelsea earned a battling 2-0 win away at Wolves on the weekend, and they have had their problems against lower opposition away from Stamford Bridge this season. They do have the players with the big match experience though, and they will need all of that on Wednesday night. Inter Milan keeper Julio Cesar was involved in a car accident on Sunday, which may keep him out the first leg, with bruising and cuts. He will be assessed ahead of the game, otherwise Francesco Toldo will step in.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Match Goals (League)
Inter Milan: 5 For, 1 Against
Chelsea: 8 For, 5 Against

Overall Stats (League and Cups)
Inter Milan: P35, W22, D10, L3
Chelsea: P39, W27, D8, L4

Win Percentage
Inter Milan have an overall 62.9 win percentage
Inter Milan have a 75.0 win percentage at home

Chelsea have an overall 69.2 win percentage
Chelsea have a 47/4 win percentage away from home

Last 10 Match Form
Inter Milan: W6, D4, L0
Chelsea: W8, D1, L1

Champions League Form:
Inter Milan: DDDWLW
Chelsea: WWWDWD

Match Prices:
Inter Milan to win: 7/4 at Totesport
Draw: 21/10 at Bwin
Chelsea: 19/10 at BetFred

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Not much to choose in the betting above, but Inter’s a pretty nice price at home. Inter Milan finished as Runner’s Up in their group, behind Barcelona. They did hold Barca to a 0-0 draw, so this isn’t going to be an easy task for Chelsea, although only two wins for Inter out of their six group matches wasn’t startling form. They have a great midfield, but there shouldn’t be too much to chose between the teams on the night. A draw is favourable in the betting, but Chelsea shouldn’t be too overawed by the occasion. Carlo Ancelotti will know about the Italian way of course, and should be an even contest between two very good sides. Depending on which way you are going to lean here are some betting options. 
Chelsea +0.5 Asian Handicap: 1/2 at Bet365 is a decent price
Or
Inter Milan -0.75 Asian Handicap: 2/1 at Bet365 is a similarly nice price

The influential Andrei Arshavin will miss Arsenal’s trip to Porto in the first knockout stage of the Champions League on Wednesday. This is quite a crucial blow for Gunner’s boss Arsene Wenger as he is already struggling for options up front. Arshavin is one of those stand out quality type of players, much in the mould of Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney. There’s a little bit of a special presence there, which comes from quality and time on the ball, as well as being able to do something a little unexpected. Arshavin picked up an injury in the important win in the Premier League over Liverpool, which helped to secure Arsenal’s current third place position. The Gunners have a comfortable ride through Champions League qualification, and they have a great history in the tournament, especially at home. If they can get at least a draw away in Porto, then they will be strong favourites to progress.

Arsenal will have seen Chelsea dispose of Porto’s challenge easily enough and while they are bold team, they don’t possess the overall quality of Arsenal. That is, if Arsenal live up to their potential. The Gunners have had two major malfunctions in the Premier League recently, losing to both Manchester United and Arsenal, which realistically would have ended their dreams of winning the league. While Porto aren’t in the same class as Chelsea or Manchester United, it should serve as a warning to Arsenal that there are tougher challenges to come if they are going to secure some silverware this season. The last time Arsenal played in Porto at the end of 2008, then lost 2-0, but have previously beat them 4-0 at the Emirates.

Porto will take heart from that result, but will need to improve from what they produced in the group stages. Their games against Chelsea were productive from a work ethic point of view, but they appeared to lack enough conviction or cutting edge to break down the Chelsea defence. Porto will be sending out a different offensive line up to what they did in the group stages, so it will be a bit of the unknown facing Arsenal’s defence. One of their most offensive weapons, Brazilian forward Hulk, is not in action after being suspended for taking part in a brawl in against Benfica. That has meant that Silvestre Varela has had a chance to shine, and could cause Arsenal all sorts of problems with his speed. Alongside Mariano Gonzalez up front, Porto do have some serious offensive threat, and with Arsenal somewhat weakened up the back, it should be a stern test for them.

Although they are lagging behind in the race for the domestic title, Porto, as seen in the past in the Champions League, can cause teams problems. They are probably a little stronger than they were in the group stages, and Arsenal need a strong performance in Porto, where the Portuguese side will fancy their chances of getting a good head  start before heading back to the Emirates. Arsenal won’t want to play catch up, and a draw would probably be quite satisfactory for Wenger.

BETTING STATS

Head to Head
Porto 2, Arsenal 0
Arsenal 4, Porto 0
Porto 0, Arsenal 0
Arsenal 2, Porto 0

Match Prices:
FC Porto to win: 17/10 at Paddy Power
Draw: 9/4 at Bet365
Arsenal to win: 15/8 at SkyBet

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Put these two teams together on paper, and you would probably back Arsenal nine times out of ten in the contest. Arsenal are having their problems with injuries this season, but they still managed a great run of form that kept them in touch with Manchester United and Arsenal at the top of the Premier League. This one is a tough call, as Porto do have a reputation for pulling out good European nights on home turf.
Arsenal +0.5 Asian Handicap is 1/2 at Bet365

Bayern Munich v Fiorentina

Two of the midweek Champions League clashes, involve the two teams which saw to the demise of Liverpool’s campaign this season. Italians Fiorentina won Group E ahead of Lyon and Liverpool, and to some extents, were one of the surprises of the tournament. They showed great composure along with an attacking flair, and while they may not quite have all of the tools in place to make it to the final against some more illustrious opposition, if they can find their game, they could cause problems. Fiorentina scored heavily during qualifying, averaging over two goals per game. It wasn’t a one man show in the scoring stakes either, as while Gilardino netted four times in six games, talented youngster Stevan Jovetic (one to watch for the tournament) and Adrian Mutu netted three each. They had a slow start to the Champions League, losing their opening fixture, but then rattled off five straight wins to take the group by a two point margin.

However, they seem to have forgotten how to score goals at the moment. They have fallen back into mid table in Serie A after riding high in the early parts, but just one point in their last five matches isn’t the kind of form to be taking into the Champions League. Bayern Munich on the other hand, had some serious problems trying to qualify from their group, and they had until the final match day to secure their place in the next round at the expense of Juventus. Bayern’s form is a lot stronger than Fiorentina’s at the moment, and the German giants are tied for first spot in the notoriously difficult Bundelsiga. They seem to have found top gear, and are in some extremely impressive form, as well as being potent in finding the back of the net. The German side will start as strong favourites, and should take full advantage of the home fixture. They could be out of sight ahead of the return fixture, as they have scored 28 goals in their last 10 fixtures. They met in the Champions League in 2008, where Bayern ran out 4-1 aggregate winners.

Match Prices:
Bayern Munich to win: 8/15 at SkyBet
Draw: 13/4 at Bwin
Fiorentina to win: 13/2 at Coral

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: Bayern -0.75 are 33/20 at Paddy Power

Lyon v Real Madrid
Lyon took second place in Group E ahead of Liverpool, and their reward was to be thrown up against Real Madrid. Lyon are one of those teams who are always hanging around the Champions League, and which opposition find hard to play against. They have a good history, without making a major impact, yet they often get tipped to make the big upsets. They are fourth in the French Ligue 1, eight points back of leaders Bordeaux. They are not particularly high scorers, but they efficient in their performances and run a pretty tight ship. On their day, at the top of their game, they can cause problems for most teams in Europe, but you never quite know if that strong team is going to present itself when the time comes. Up front, Lisandro will be the key figure for then, and they have  a quality midfielder in Miralem Pjanic.

Lyon have triumphed over Real Madrid twice before in the Champions League, knocking the Spaniards out of the 2005 and 2006 competitions. This will give them confidence they can repeat the feat, but Real Madrid are flying at the moment, and have scored three goals on each of their last three outings in La Liga. Surprising for such giants, Madrid haven’t reach the Quarter Final stage of the Champions League for 5 years now, and this will probably be put right against Lyon. They are still hot on the heels of Champions League holders Barcelona in the race for the Spanish title, and have just gotten Cristiano Ronaldo back from suspension, who celebrated by scoring two goals on his return to action.

It is hard to pinpoint the stand out star in the glitterati of talent that Madrid send out onto the pitch every week. Ronaldo and Kaka stand out obviously, but there is talent all over the pitch, and on the bench. Ronaldo is the Champions League top scorer this season, and has banged in 11 goals in 13 games this season in La Liga. Whether Lyon can live with the power of Madrid this time around is in question, as the Spaniards are in fine form ahead of the clash. They appear to be growing in stature, and simply reaching the Quarter Finals won’t be enough for them. International striker Karim Benzema, who was a doubt for the game, has travelled with the squad to face his old side, after making a speedier than expected recovery from injury.

Match Prices:
Lyon to win: 5/2 at Paddy Power
Draw: 12/5 at Victor Chandler
Real Madrid to win: 23/20 at Boylesports

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: Real Madrid -1 is 39/20 at Bet365

The return of David Beckham playing against his old team Manchester United has been dominating the Champions League news, ever since the draw for the first stage of the knockouts were announced. Old Trafford will have to await the return of their old hero, but Tuesday will see Beckham turn out against Man Utd for the first time since leaving the fold. Beckham has vowed not to celebrate if he scores a goal against Milan, but in order to do that, he will need to come off the bench. Despite that, he will draw a lot of attention at the bookmakers on popping up with a goal. He has been kept on the side lines for the past couple of games by boss Leonardo, as Milan look to challenge hard for the Serie A title. The Rossoneri recently lost a crucial derby match against league leaders Inter Milan, but their season has generally been one of transformation.

After a slow start they have played their way into contention to becoming Italian champions, as well as making steady, but not overwhelming progress through the Champions League. Milan were on the receiving end of one of the biggest Champions League shocks this season, when they lost at home to FC Zurich. They finished four points behind Group Winners Real Madrid, but beat the Spanish giants in Madrid, before earning themselves a draw back on home turf. The draw against Madrid was the first in a line of three drawn matches to round out their campaign, with the other two ties coming against Zurich and Marseille. They only managed to score eight goals during the campaign, and bearing in mind the increasing rate of Manchester United’s success in the Premier League, one wonders if that return will be enough.

They currently stand in third in Serie A, 9 points back of Inter and 2 behind second placed Roma, although Milan have a game in hand over both of those above them. The two nil defeat at the hands of their San Siro rivals was their first defeat in a long and impressive return to form, and remains their only loss in their last seven games. They have also been scoring quite freely, in stark contrast to their early season form, until a bit of a recent stutter up front. The Italians giants cannot be taken too lightly, not with being Champions of Europe 7 times in their history. Brazilian Ronaldinho, who has been left out of the Brazilian squad in the nation’s build up to the 2010 World Cup, has been on blistering form of late, and will be the one which the United defence will have to contain.

The reverse of that, is the Milan defence will need to find a way to stop one man goalscoring machine, Wayne Rooney, who is in the form of his life, and ranks amongst one of the best players in the world at the moment. Beckham has said, that for the first time in his life, he wants United to lose, but is looking forward to being reunited with the Old Trafford return leg. Milan will need to start strong and take full advantage of their defensive strengths at the San Siro. Manchester United had a relatively easy ride through their qualifying group and there appears not to be too much between the two sides involved in this Quarter Final. The two sides have come into contact twice before in the Champions League, with Milan winning out on both occasions. Their last match in Milan ended in a comfortable 3-0 win for the home side, and if they get their noses in front, it could be a much harder task for United to come back from, than many may think.

This is the glamour Champions League tie of the week, and one that could prove a fascinating tactical battle between two very good teams. With United going well near the top of the Premier League, and Milan a confident side, this will be a tie between two very confident and strong teams, each with a star of their own which they will be hoping will shine. United will have Rio Ferdinand available, as his ban is only domestic, but will still be without Nemanja Vidic for the fixture, and the experience of Ryan Giggs will be missing as he’s out of action for a month.

BETTING STATS

Head to Head (Champions League)
Milan 3, Man Utd 0
Man Utd 3, Milan 2
Milan 1, Man Utd 0
Man Utd 0, Milan 1

Last Five Match Goals (domestic)
AC Milan: 4 For, 6 Against
Man Utd: 16 For, 3 Against

Last 10 Form (domestic)
AC Milan: W5, D2, L3
Man Utd: W6, D2, L2

Win Percentage:
AC Milan have a 52.9 win percentage at home
Man Utd have a 61.1 win percentage away from home

Match Prices:
AC Milan to win: 17/10 at Paddy Power
Draw: 11/5 at Totesport
Man Utd to win: 15/8 at Bet365

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Looking at the stats, it should be a match that United would win, but the Champions League brings a different environment and a different level of opposition. Granted AC Milan haven’t been outstanding, but have a long pedigree in the tournament, and in front of expectant fans, probably won’t be easy for Man Utd to break down. Clearly Man Utd cannot afford to have one of their aberrations which they have suffered this season, as they will get punished. They key factor is how much AC Milan can get over their hump after losing a crucial game in their Serie A title hunt. A few weeks ago, Milan could have been going into this match as strong favourites, now it should be a very close contest.
AC Milan 0 Asian Handicap: 41/40 at Bet365