UEFA Champions League draw 2014: Chelsea, Barcelona get tough draws

Basel and Porto were both delighted to have made it into the Champions League knockout phase, and will no doubt be even happier now they’ve seen the outcome of the draw. Neither of these sides were expected to progress much further into the competition, but this two-legged encounter guarantees at least one of the tournament’s big outsiders will be in the quarterfinal stage. Heading in, it’s Porto who are the favourites, but this is certainly one of the more unpredictable matchups.

Swiss champions Basel got off to an unconvincing start to their Champions League campaign, dropping points early in a heavy defeat to Real Madrid, and an even more disappointing loss to Ludogorets Razgrad. However, a win at home to Liverpool combined with a dramatic draw at Anfield to ensure they progressed into the knockout stages in dramatic, but deserved fashion.

This season gives them both reason to hope. Juventus, because Dortmund are currently in the nearly inconceivable position of having to dig themselves out of the Bundesliga relegation zone. Dortmund, because Juventus aren’t Real Madrid, and the Italian giants have certainly displayed some weaknesses recently, in both the league and this tournament.

Juventus almost didn’t make it this far, but the Italian side managed to secure qualification to the knockout rounds thanks to a draw against Atletico Madrid on the last group matchday. Despite their struggles with European form, Juve are still top of Serie A -- although for Juve two straight draws might be a sign that something is wrong.

The Bavarians got drawn into arguably the strongest group in the competition, but had no problem coasting through the initial phase of Champions League. Bayern Munich recorded three shutout wins at home and only lost once, away to Manchester City in a wild game that featured red cards and a hat trick for Sergio Aguero. As long as they don’t run into a player of his quality -- and there aren’t too many of those -- they’re always favorites.

Pep Guardiola’s made the most of what he has, though, and Bayern are coasting through the Bundesliga. They’re in first place very comfortably, and can play rotated sides in the league on either side of Champions League matches without sacrificing anything domestically. Their opponents won’t be so lucky.

Last year’s Premier League champions Manchester City would probably be serious European contenders by now, had they spent their Qatari riches more wisely. As it is, the English side are still not really likely to trouble the genuine Champions League favourites, and have been periodically patchy domestically so far this season. While they’ve been pretty impressive going forward, Manuel Pellegrini’s side are still extremely shaky elsewhere on the field.

In midfield, the former Barcelona man Yaya Touré has struggled to find his best form, meaning they’re really lacking in a creative source in the centre of the park. In short, if they want to stand any chance of getting through to the next round, they’re going to have to hope that their attackers are on form, and that the injury crisis that has recently hit is put firmly behind them.

What wonders await us this year?

What we saw from Chelsea in the group stages was a talented team that had the propensity to lose focus at times. Their two draws against Schalke 04 and Maribor were more about what Chelsea failed to do than what their opponents did. That’s not meant to be a slight against either club, but those are teams the Blues are expected to beat. When Chelsea is dialed in and playing their best, they’re virtually unstoppable, but thanks to the leadership of Mourinho, they’re also capable to winning games when things aren’t clicking on the attack. People can criticize the Special One’s tactics and willingness to win ugly all they want, but the fact remains that it’s effective.