The Champions league returns this week, well half of it does the other half has to wait until next week. I don't like this format of splitting this round over four weeks just to enable a bit more money to be squeezed out of Sponsors and TV. I don't like it despite it working out quite well for Man United this year. They will be resting players no doubt for this weekends game against Crawley before travelling to the South of France to play Marseille.

I am very looking forward to the Arsenal V Barcelona matches and I suppose that is one good thing from the split games. It means I can see more of the English teams play. Everyone expects Barcelona to walk this but I think it will be a lot closer than that. I still think they will go through but not as easily as its being made out. I really hope I am wrong as I would love to see four English clubs in the last 8 again and hopefully they will all avoid each other.

I think Spurs will edge it against Milan but losing Bale for the first leg is a big loss. Chelsea will win comfortably against Copenhagen. If they don't Ancelotti may well be sacked as the league is now gone, over the hills and far away. If they don't pick up soon they may very well struggle to finish top 4 and the newly resurgent Liverpool will be breathing down their necks before much longer

Here are my predictions, not for these games but for the Tie in total

AC Milan v Tottenham – Spurs to go through

Valencia v Schalke – Schalke to go through

Arsenal v Barcelona – Barcelona to go through

Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk – Could go either way and will be tight but Roma to edge this tie

FC Copenhagen v Chelsea – Chelsea to go through

Lyon v Real Madrid – Real Madrid to go through

Inter Milan v Bayern Munich – Bayern Munich to go through

Marseille v Man Utd – Manchester United to go through