Round of 16 is here!

The lay-off between the group stage and the knock-out rounds of the Champions League is so long sometimes I almost forget about the competition. But the wait is over, two first legs tomorrow and another two follow on Wednesday.

One of the match-ups I've been looking forward to since the draw is AC Milan vs Tottenham. I find this interesting because of the conflicting styles, AC Milan are a solid defensive team with a group of attack players that can make the most of their chances while Tottenham always seem happy to roll the dice and go for goals. But beyond that the different places these teams are coming from adds some spice to it. AC Milan have won the title multiple times and are a familiar site in the late stages of the Champions League. Spurs on the other hand have not even been in the competition since before it was re-tooled as the CL. As one might expect experience is heavily lopsided in favor of the Italians.

The first leg is being played in Milan which might suggest a slightly more cautious approach from Spurs to begin with, and the news that Gareth Bale will miss the game and RvdV might as well makes me think we will see a different Spurs than the last time they were at the San Siro. This could actually play in their favor because a less aggressive game plan will limit the counters they expose their defense to. I firmly believe if tomorrow's game produces a winner that team will go through to the quarter finals. I want Spurs to win for multiple reasons but I am pretty sure AC Milan will score a victory tomorrow. The current Milan squad is the best it has been since they won the Champions League back in 2007 and clearly deserves its position at the top of the Italian table. If there is one vulnerability in Milan's game it is their fullbacks, but without Bale's dangerous wide play to expose it, they should be able to deal. I also think Ibrahimovic versus Gallas and/or Dawson is a head to head that favors the home team.