Giants out to land knockout blows

THE Champions League kicks off again this week with each team aware that this round of 16 provides more shocks than the rest of the tournament combined.

You only have to look at recent years to know that no team is safe: in the last two seasons, PSV have beaten Arsenal and Benfica knocked out Liverpool. The memory of a crazed Jose Mourinho dancing down the Old Trafford touchline when his Porto side beat Manchester United at this stage of the 2004 competition is proof that the matches should come with a health warning.

The drama starts tomorrow, with the pick of the games seeing holders AC Milan welcome Arsenal to San Siro. After Emmanuel Adebayor headed against the crossbar in the final minute a fortnight ago, giggles of relief could be heard emanating from the visitors’ dressing-room.

“Arsenal were better than Milan expected, and the players can’t believe they got away with a draw,” one Italian journalist explained.

World Player of the Year Kaka, who looked dangerous in the first leg, is expected to have recovered from a knee injury, as the scientists at the famous Milan Lab train their players to physically peak at this stage of the season.

This seems in direct contrast to Arsenal, who look on the brink of imploding if things go against them this week.

Manchester United needed a late equaliser from Carlos Tevez to leave their tie with Lyon delicately poised at 1-1. But the French champions are not as strong as the team that contained Michael Essien and Mahamadou Diarra and reached three straight quarter-finals between 2004 and 2006.

This Lyon team have already lost three centre-backs this season and had to buy Jean-Alain Boumsong in January to replace them.

United have a 100 per cent record at home in Europe this season and they should be too strong for Alain Perrin’s side.

Barcelona were the only side to pick up an away win in the first leg, although twice they had to come from behind to beat Celtic 3-2. The tie looked to have come at a bad time for Celtic, with Barca in imperious form until they were surprisingly beaten at Atletico Madrid last weekend. Even so, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o are fit again and in their best form of the season and, as Gordon Strachan said, “I wouldn’t bet my house on us winning over there.”

Barca may face a battle for the title from local opposition in the form of debutants Sevilla. The team may not have recovered from the tragic death of team-mate Antonio Puerta but they have got over the defection of Juande Ramos to Spurs.

The new coach Manolo Jimenez has the team playing the same high-tempo style at home that caused Arsenal’s first defeat of the season on Matchday Five and should prove enough to overturn a 3-2 deficit against Fenerbahce.

So where does that leave the shocks we have seen in previous years?

Worryingly, the two remaining English sides appear most at risk: how Chelsea react to their Carling Cup defeat will define the rest of their season, although the four-goal drubbing of West Ham on Saturday bodes well for the west Londoners.

Avram Grant’s bizarre team selection at Wembley may have appeased John Terry and Frank Lampard, but Claude Makelele, Joe Cole and Michael Ballack were not so impressed, and the coach will need to be at his diplomatic best to bring out the best in them this season.

The story and counter-story coming out of Chelsea at the moment ­— this one said that, that one said this ­— is reminiscent of the days before Claudio Ranieri was nicknamed ‘Dead Man Walking’ and Grant’s future will be plunged back into doubt if they stumble against Olympiakos.

The Greeks should not be taken lightly, especially after ending a 10-year, 31-game run without an away win in the competition on Matchday Two, when they came from behind to win 3-1 at Werder Bremen. They repeated the trick at Lazio on Matchday Five.

This could be a very nervous night at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool should also be careful on their trip to Internazionale, who came close to snatching a draw at Anfield despite losing both centre-backs, with Materazzi sent off, and Cordoba injured.

Inter boss Roberto Mancini will know that Rafael Benitez will set up his team to play for a draw (although he will say, as always, that they want to win) and an early Inter goal could set the nerves jangling.

Last year’s beaten finalists have the biggest advantage after all the first legs, but they might also face the toughest tasks. Just remember, history suggests that there will be one shock this week: who will it be?