// Finally Lose Weight

The last eight of the premier football competition in Europe, the UEFA Champions League, will hold its draw soon. There might not be as many new faces in the teams still remaining in the tournament this time. Instead, it could have a more familiar feel to it with established teams looking to emerge champions.

Yet, the competition remains unpredictable despite its familiarity. The clubs that could book their place in the last eight places are all excellent teams and have equal opportunity to reach the final. Trying to figure out who emerges as a finalist has never been as difficult.

The English football clubs remain the most probably teams to advance to the quarterfinals. Europe might not smile on their current dominance in football, but English football fans will continue to celebrate their strength. The most favored team of the four would continue to be Manchester United.

Compared to a few years ago, the Spanish contingent have fallen down the pecking order somewhat. Still, with four representatives in the last sixteen, teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Villareal can still hold their own. Barcelona appears to be the most likely contender for the crown from the region.

Can the remaining Italian football clubs finally make a breakthrough after years of drought? Their champions Inter Milan have little chance of making it through. The heavy burden of reviving Italian football thus rests on the broad shoulders of Juventus and AS Roma, who might both not advance afterall after playing the English clubs.

The rest of the draw might consist of any number of teams from Germany, Portugal, Greece and France. Most of them remain underdogs and rightly so, based on the strength of their squads and performances so far. A few might be able to throw up a few surprises if luck and momentum remain on their side.

For example, the German champions Bayern Munich have already booked their place in the last eight by virtue of a stunning display in the first leg of the current round. They demolished their opponents from Portugal and left no one doubting their abilities. If Bayern Munich can maintain their high tempo play throughout the rest of the competition, they might be a surprise participant in the May final.

It remains tough to pick potential winners for this season’s UEFA Champions League. The standards shown by the teams continue to rise with each passing year as evident from this season’s results. With the competition now in its knockout stages, anything goes and no team can be considered an overwhelming favorite to win it all.