As I did last year, I will break down the world's most important annual soccer football tournament, which is now being broadcast in "stunning" high-definition on the Fox channels.
The defending champion is Barcelona, which I predicted correctly at this stage last year, but they took down my beloved Red Devils (Manchester United) in the final, so I take no satisfaction in being right.
As for this year, the world football landscape has changed. Over the last few years, English clubs have been dominant in this tournament, including filling out three of the four semifinalists in each of the last two seasons.
However, the 2009 offseason was quiet in England, while Spain's two giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona, spent cash by the SUV load. The Galacticos (Real Madrid) created the biggest shift in power when they purchased the most dynamic player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, from Manchester United. Then, they added Kaka, which wounded Italian power AC Milan, and Xabi Alonso, which took the sting out of Liverpool.
Now for the rules, contenders, pretenders and stars...
Rules
32 teams qualify for the group stage of the tournament based on finishing at or near the top of their domestic league. (The English league gets four qualifiers because it's so strong, the Greek league gets two.)
The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four and they play each other home and road over the course of the Fall. The top 2 teams from each group advance.
The remaining 16 teams are drawn into a single elimination tournament, but each round is played over two legs. Each matchup is a home-and-home and the winner is determined by the aggregate score of the two games. In the event of a tie, the team that scored more goals on the road is the winner.
The Champions League Final is like the Super Bowl. It's played at a predetermined neutral site and it's just one game for all the glory.
Schedule
The group stage is relatively boring, so I don't bother you until we hit the knockout rounds, which begin today.
In the Round of 16 today, Manchester United will play AC Milan (the David Beckham Bowl). Olympique Lyon (the best French club every year) faces off against Real Madrid.
Tomorrow, Bayern Munich vs. Fiorentina (Florence) and Arsenal vs. Porto (Portugal).
Next week, Olympiakos (Greek) vs. Bordeaux (great wine) and Stuttgart vs. Barcelona on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, CSKA Moscow vs. Sevilla and Chelsea vs. Inter Milan.
Favorites
Barcelona
The defending champs are still the favorites in my book. While they don't have as much star power as their rivals Madrid, they are a better unit that can pass you off the park if you give them a lead. The pundits will talk about Leonel Messi, who won all the player of the year trophies last season, but the roots of this Barca team are in the midfield with Spanish wizards Xavi and Iniesta.
Real Madrid
On paper, they look like a dream team. Ronaldo is the most unstoppable player in the world, while Kaka can be equally as brilliant. Raul is the Champions League all-time leading goal-scorer, but he cannot even get a game in this side and is considering defecting to the MLS. They spent most of their money on offensive talent, so they might start leaking goals as the competition improves.
Not Far Behind...
Chelsea
The Blues used to spend money like Madrid, but they don't have the same depth that they had in their EPL championship days. Nevertheless, this club sits atop the league under new Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, who is defensive minded like every other Italian coach in the world. They don't yield goals thanks to deposed England captain John Terry (banged his teammates girlfriend and lost his armband for South Africa) and Ricardo Carvalho. They won't win pretty, but they might win it all.
Machester United
This is not a great United team, but they are also easy to overlook. Wayne Rooney is playing the best ball of his career and will be a top candidate for player of the year awards. He scores or creates all the goals in the absence of Ronaldo. The midfield pair of Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher wins the middle of the park, but the Red Devils have been shakey at the back all season. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have been the best central defender pairing in world football over the last three years, but they cannot stay healthy this season and so United is often on the comeback trail.
On Their Night...
Arsenal
The Gunners can play magical football when their passing game is sharp and aggressive. However, all too often, against the better teams, they are unable to carve out legitimate chances and get burned in the counter-attack. English expression: "They score great goals, but they lack great goal-scorers."
AC Milan
Italian football used to dominate this competition, but Serie A (Italian league) has fallen on hard times recently. AC Milan is caught in between generations with veterans Ronaldinho, David Beckham, Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf still showing flashes of greatness, while young Pato is set to take the reins of the club.
Inter Milan
They win Serie A every year, but fall flat in this competition. Manager Jose Mourinho is considered one of the world's best and they swapped strikers with Barcelona in the offseason (adding Samuel Eto'o and dropping Zlatan Ibrahimovic), which can only help since Zlatan drew nothing but blanks for Inter in Champions League. Right back Maicon is considered the world's best at his position.
Everyone else...
...will be happy winning a round.
Stars
Leo Messi, Barcelona - Like a great NBA player, you have to deny him the ball because once he gets it, your best play is to foul him.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid - He can only be stopped by his own frustration and immaturity. If he's in the mood, you are playing for second.
Didier Drogba, Chelsea - While Messi and Ronaldo are not traditional strikers, Drogba is a classic poacher. He is the best African player on the continent.
Wayne Rooney, Manchester United - While he'll score goals, he is universally admired for his tireless on-field work-ethic, but he's still prone to fits of rage.
Andrei Arshavin, Arsenal - The mighty-mite Russian can be fun to watch when he has time and space on the ball.
Ronaldinho, AC Milan - He desperately wants a place in the Brazilian side for South Africa, so he's turned his game back on this season.
Kaka, Real Madrid - Maybe the least stylish Brazilian star in a while, but he is the most efficient.
Luis Fabiano, Sevilla - If you watched the Confederation's Cup final, he's the guy that brought Brazil back against the U.S..
Jorg Butt, Bayern Munich - I've actually never heard of him, but what a name!
Prediction
The Final Four - Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester United.
Barcelona over Real Madrid to win the final.
A Spanish rivalry game for the Champions League would be something special.
