Well, all of the cool kids are doing it, if you consider Soccer by Ives and Soccer Source “cool kids” anyway, so I might as well do it too. My picks for the teams that will advance can be found in the polls to the left because I have to go with my rankings and all of the poll results agreed with my rankings. As far as the individual games this week, below are my picks.
In the words of the great philosopher David Letterman, this is an exhibition, not a competition, please, no wagering.
Tuesday, February 19
(4) Porto at Schalke 04
Schalke played well to advance, but Porto is not only stronger but have been playing very well recently. My pick: Porto 2 Schalke 04 1
(1) Internazionale at (22) Liverpool
Inter has been the cream of Europe the entire year. Liverpool has been disappointing, with the exception of the Champions League, and haven’t looked good as of late. My pick: Inter Milan 1 Liverpool 0
(3) Real Madrid at (6) AS Roma
Both teams are coming off of disappointing performances. Roma has been particularly sketchy as of late, coming close to losing its second-place spot in Serie A. Still, Real Madrid will not prosper playing the way it has played the past few weeks (7-0 victories, notwithstanding). My pick: Real Madrid 1 Roma 1.
(11) Chelsea at Olympiakos
Olympiakos surprised a lot of people by advancing to the knock-out round, eliminating Werder Bremen in the process. Chelsea is not at the top of the Premiership this year, but they are playing pretty well as of late and should advance. My pick: Chelsea 1 Olympiakos 0.
Wednesday, February 20
(7) Barcelona at Celtic
For a change, this game matches up two teams that are playing pretty well recently, particularly Celtic. My pick: Celtic 1 Barcelona 1
(5) Manchester United at (12) Lyon
Manchester United looked unbeatable this past weekend against Arsenal. Lyon not only looked beatable, they were beaten by Le Mans. I see this trend continuing. My pick: Manchester United 2 Lyon 1.
(20) AC Milan at (2) Arsenal
Was Arsenal’s butt-kicking an aberration or is Arsenal overrated? After failing to move into the top four in Serie A after a pair of draws last week, is Milan saving it for Arsenal or are they just not as good on the pitch as they are on paper? Lots of questions. Answers start tomorrow. My pick: Arsenal 2 AC Milan 0.
Sevilla at Fenerbahce
A battle of unranked teams takes place here. Sevilla, after a very rough start, has been playing very well recently and has begun to look like a legitimate challenger. Meanwhile, Fenerbahce has done well to get this far, but I think that this is as far as it gets. My pick: Sevilla 2 Fenerbahce 0.
In the words of the great philosopher David Letterman, this is an exhibition, not a competition, please, no wagering.
Tuesday, February 19
(4) Porto at Schalke 04
Schalke played well to advance, but Porto is not only stronger but have been playing very well recently. My pick: Porto 2 Schalke 04 1
(1) Internazionale at (22) Liverpool
Inter has been the cream of Europe the entire year. Liverpool has been disappointing, with the exception of the Champions League, and haven’t looked good as of late. My pick: Inter Milan 1 Liverpool 0
(3) Real Madrid at (6) AS Roma
Both teams are coming off of disappointing performances. Roma has been particularly sketchy as of late, coming close to losing its second-place spot in Serie A. Still, Real Madrid will not prosper playing the way it has played the past few weeks (7-0 victories, notwithstanding). My pick: Real Madrid 1 Roma 1.
(11) Chelsea at Olympiakos
Olympiakos surprised a lot of people by advancing to the knock-out round, eliminating Werder Bremen in the process. Chelsea is not at the top of the Premiership this year, but they are playing pretty well as of late and should advance. My pick: Chelsea 1 Olympiakos 0.
Wednesday, February 20
(7) Barcelona at Celtic
For a change, this game matches up two teams that are playing pretty well recently, particularly Celtic. My pick: Celtic 1 Barcelona 1
(5) Manchester United at (12) Lyon
Manchester United looked unbeatable this past weekend against Arsenal. Lyon not only looked beatable, they were beaten by Le Mans. I see this trend continuing. My pick: Manchester United 2 Lyon 1.
(20) AC Milan at (2) Arsenal
Was Arsenal’s butt-kicking an aberration or is Arsenal overrated? After failing to move into the top four in Serie A after a pair of draws last week, is Milan saving it for Arsenal or are they just not as good on the pitch as they are on paper? Lots of questions. Answers start tomorrow. My pick: Arsenal 2 AC Milan 0.
Sevilla at Fenerbahce
A battle of unranked teams takes place here. Sevilla, after a very rough start, has been playing very well recently and has begun to look like a legitimate challenger. Meanwhile, Fenerbahce has done well to get this far, but I think that this is as far as it gets. My pick: Sevilla 2 Fenerbahce 0.
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