Champions League football finally returns this week. The first legs of four ties are today and tomorrow, while the remaining four first legs will be next Tuesday and Wednesday. The return legs are on March 6, 7, 13, and 14. This week's games don't feature any of the top contenders, other than favorites Barcelona. The prime matchup is certainly between AC Milan and Arsenal. With the first leg at the San Siro, Milan will be looking to build an advantage to take to England. Arsenal do not know how to play defensively, even in away European ties, so this should make for an attractive game of football with a few well-taken goals in it. Milan has typically had quite a bit of difficulty against English opposition, but Arsenal have had a relatively poor season by their high standards. Look for Milan to grab an edge in the first leg, but there to be goals from both sides in the game.
The other matchup I really want to go into is between Zenit and Benfica. I think Zenit is an underrated and sometimes overlooked side, as I have boosted them to 13th in my rankings. They conceded just one goal in three home games in the group stages, and the icy Russian weather could really affect Benfica, which resides by the Iberian coast. The problem for Zenit is their lack of competitive matches - the Russian season is in winter break so they could be a bit rusty. Benfica have really come into form recently, and have a sparkling record of 15 wins and 3 draws in 18 matches in the league. In fact, their only competitive loss this season came against Maritimo, a 2-1 defeat in the cup. I think Benfica have the edge here but it will be a real challenge to get a result in Russia. The Portuguese might be better off playing for a draw and using their quality to win the tie at home, in a far better climate.
Barcelona should be able to take care of Bayer Leverkusen, although Barcelona has struggled when playing away in the league. This tie isn't as certain as it looked a few weeks ago, when Barcelona was demolishing the likes of Real Madrid and AC Milan with ease. The Catalans still look like prime favorites. The last match features Lyon against underdog-story APOEL. Lyon has been struggling for form, and I think they were ripe for an upset as it was - their playing style and lack of cutting edge (despite the seven goals against Dinamo Zagreb) was suitable for APOEL to play defensively and snatch the tie in Cyprus. The Cypriots are in form, having won three of their past four matches. It should be an interesting game, as APOEL will surely play defensively and look to counter, while it will be up to Lyon to break through their defensive line, which only conceded six goals in six games in Group G.
Format: Teams (Ranking) : Result
Lyon (20) - APOEL (NR) : HOME WIN
Bayer Leverkusen (NR) - Barcelona (1) : AWAY WIN
Zenit St. Petersburg (13) - Benfica (14) : DRAW
AC Milan (11) - Arsenal (12) : HOME WIN
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