Today’s Champions League draw threw up some surprises, and arguably left football fans salivating in equal measure.
Many had hoped to avoid the much-fancied Barcelona who are red-hot favourites to emerge as European champions once again, but after Gary Lineker suggested that each ball was of the same temperature, the draw itself presented some mouth-watering ties.
Chelsea are given the chance to avenge their 2008 final heartache against three-time European champions Manchester United, while Spurs have a ‘fantastic’ tie against Real Madrid to look forward to.
I was lucky enough to be at the Spurs press conference yesterday, in which Redknapp alluded to the idea that the tie would be fantastic and that it would be a great moment in the club’s history, because players and fans want to be involved in special nights like these.
Certainly Spurs’ tie is the stand-out one, as their thrilling European odyssey continues. It gives Redknapp the chance to pit his wits against the ‘Special One’, who he said lit up the Premier League and was a great character.
Character is what his men will have to show over the course of the two legs, as they lock horns with the nine-times European champions, who have a wealth of talent at their disposal including Cristiano Ronaldo, Mezut Osil and Karim Benzema.
The first-leg you could say luckily is at the Bernabeu where if Spurs replicate the tactics employed at the San Siro against AC Milan, Real could struggle to impose themselves in the second leg at a hostile White Hart Lane.
Rafael Van de Vaart will want to prove a point against his former club, and Spurs will want to dent Mourinho’s chances of creating history by becoming the first manager to win three European cups with three different teams.
Spurs have a real test on their hands, but anything is possible and while it is somewhat platitudinous to say you have to play the best to reach the latter stages of a competition, this is a case in point.
Without completely skimming over United’s tie, this will be highly entertaining and possibly one whereby it has more of a Premier League feel about it in the sense that it will be played at full throttle with crunching tackles.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side may not want to mention the T word, and they may not have played a level of football akin to the class of ’99, but they are still challenging on three fronts and come to the boil nicely around this time of year.
To squeeze some predictions in- United to sneak past Chelsea and Spurs to pull off a shock result against Real.
Roll on April is what I say!
Follow me on Twitter @charlesperrin7
