No Gray Areas - Barcelona the benchmark
The other day somebody asked me what I thought were the three things you needed to win the Champions League. "Xavi, Iniesta and Messi," I replied.
Joking aside, Barcelona are of course the outstanding team in the competition this year, though their tie against Arsenal ended up being tighter than many would have thought. With 20 minutes to go, it was Arsenal who were going through, let's not forget, and Barca did benefit from a pretty harsh decision when Robin van Persie received his marching orders.
But those are discussions for another day and Pep Guardiola's men played really well over the two legs and probably deserved to go through. It sounds like an obvious thing to say, given they're the [2.32] favourites to win the competition, but they really are the team to beat.
You need talent, belief and luck to win the Champions League. Don't underestimate the importance of the last one because no matter how good a team is, they need some decisions to go their way. Luck doesn't just extend to decisions made by the man in the middle, it also includes a shot that hits the upright and goes in rather than for a goal kick and, of course, injuries.
We know how good Barcelona's side is but if, all of a sudden, they missed the three guys I've just mentioned, their task would be so much harder.
Another team who has plenty of belief and talent is Real Madrid. They also have one of the great managers. Jose Mourinho has won this competition twice already, including doing so with a Porto team in 2004 who were huge outsiders.
I like the balance of this current Madrid squad and there's something about Mourinho teams that makes them ideally suited to two-legged knock-out competitions. It's as if they know exactly what they need to do and when to get through each round by hook or by crook.
I like the way Real have played in this competition so far this year and if you're looking for a bigger price than that of Barcelona, the [6.2] on them may be the best bet going.
Another side I fancy to do well is Shakhtar Donetsk. They were very convincing in knocking out Roma and let's not forget they beat Arsenal at home in the group stage too.
Some football fans over here may not know too much about their side beyond Eduardo but it's got a good blend of youth and experience and they're capable of playing some neat football at times so at a big price of [34.0], they may prove to be very good back-to-lay material.
Andy Gray is now on Twitter so follow him for his exclusive tips and his take on the biggest stories in football each week.
Published: 14 Mar 2011
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