Have you noticed that guy in your office that always seems to get sick on Tuesdays and Wednesdays every 2 weeks ? Well I’m here to tell you that he has a very serious condition. A condition which has no permanent cure and can only be helped by watching a lot of Soccer , err Football, oh yea Futbol !!

The tournament that he and millions around the World follow, is called the UEFA Champions League. And I’m here to give you a quick guide to this tourney:

    1. The tournament puts together the 32 best clubs from Europe, where the best players in the World play. The first round is broken into 8 groups of 4 teams. Each team plays the other teams in their group twice (home and away), and the top 2 teams from that group qualify to the next round. (First round runs from September to December)
    2. This round, which is essentially the Sweet 16, is the first Knockout round. UEFA hold a draw and puts together together 8 matches. The 2 teams in each match host each other in a home and home series, and whoever scores the most goals over the 2 matches, moves on to the next round. Away goals are important because they would break a tie if the goals scored are the same. If that is also the same, they would go to Extra Time and eventually Penalty Kicks.
    3. Same goes for the Final 8 and the Final 4. (Knockout rounds run from February to April)
    4. Only the Final is a single match, which is played at a predetermined and usually neutral venue at the end of May.

    So now that you know all of that, let’s get to this year’s Champions League, which is down to the Final 8. European giants such as Real Madrid and AC Milan, have been knocked out in the previous round. But don’t worry, 6 of the 8 teams remaining are massive clubs with loads of winning tradition as well.

    I made some comparisons with North American teams, so you get an idea of who you might want to root for the rest of the way:

    Manchester United – They are the New York Yankees. Lots of money, lots of trophies, tradition, they have the best players in the World and you probably remember them from EuroTrip.
    Liverpool – They are the Boston Red Sox. Didn’t win anything for a long time and finally won the Champions League a couple of years ago on a memorable 3-0 comeback in the final against Milan. Fans are similar to RSN as they whine about being underdogs, even though they are one of the richest clubs in Europe.
    Chelsea – They are the Dallas Mavericks. Rich Russian billionaire owner who bought them couple of years ago and they won 2 Premier League titles but they still have not reached their main goal, and that is winning the Champions League.
    Arsenal – Couldn’t really think of a great comparison for them but I guess the closest thing would be the New Jersey Devils. They always restock and win the Premiership every couple of years.
    Barcelona – They are the Los Angeles Lakers. They play sexy Football and have the most exciting player in the World, Ronaldinho. Who also happens to be one of Kobe’s best friends.
    Roma – They are the Chicago Cubs. They don’t have as much money as the other giants and have only won 1 Serie A title the past 30 years or so. Their fans are very passionate and loyal and a team that is easy to root for.
    Schalke – Meh. Not gonna win the tourney.
    Fenerbahce – See Schalke.

    The draw was this morning and the match-ups for the Final 8 have been determined:
    Arsenal vs Liverpool – Huge game between these 2 English clubs. Both are playing well at the moment so look for it to be an exciting draw.
    Roma vs Manchester United – This has become sort of a rivalry since they met in last year’s quarterfinal as well. Should see the most goals in this draw.
    Schalke vs Barcelona – Also a great match up and Barcelona will be tested, but they should prevail in the end.
    Fenerbahce vs Chelsea – This is the one you probably want to stay away from. Chelsea should have no trouble.

    These matches will be played on April 1st or 2nd and then on April 8th or 9th. And you can watch the whole thing on ESPN 2, TSN, ESPN Deportes or Setanta Sports. So sit back, down some Carlsberg and enjoy the beautiful game.