The Champions League Proper (2/2)

Most of the rubbish should be out of the competition at this stage and we should be left with the best 16 teams Europe has to offer this year… but are we?

Some teams have been massively impressive while others have been frightfully poor thus far, so I have decided to have a quick rundown off all 16 teams remaining in the competition giving my view on the following:

Galatasaray:
Skip’s Quick View: Just a bad team who got out of a bad group. They will not go any further. They play Schalke 04 over two legs and I cannot see them causing any trouble for the Germans.
Bet at the price: Not for me.

Celtic:
Skip’s Quick View: Have done well to get this far and always have a shout in their home games but Juventus will be too much in Turin and I think this is where we say goodbye to the hoops.
Bet at the price: I can’t see it so I’ll leave it just now.

AC Milan:
Skip’s Quick View: Honestly the biggest disappointment of the year for me. This could be the worst AC Milan team of my generation. Oh and not to mention they play Barca next.
Bet at the price: No chance.

Valencia:
Skip’s Quick View: This is not a terrible team and I can see them pulling off a shock against PSG. I do not rate PSG or the league they play in and I am siding with the Spaniards in this one.
Bet at the price: I am betting them at 13/8 to get through the last 16 stage. Also you won’t miss a couple of quid at 80/1. Have a nibble.

Schalke:
Skip’s Quick View: Another decent German side here. Not quite of the same calibre as Bayern and Dortmund but deserve to still be in the competition.
Bet at the price: I will be backing them at 1/2 to Qualify for the 1/4 Finals. They play Galatasaray over the two legs so they should be 1/10.

Porto:
Skip’s Quick View: Not a great Porto team who still haven’t fully recovered from the loss of key players Hulk and Falcao at the end of last season. I don’t rate the group the qualified from either.
Bet at the price: Big neg for Porto so will be looking to get against them where possible.

Malaga:
Skip’s Quick View: This is a good good team. They could surprise people by getting through the next couple of rounds. They can hold their own against Madrid who are 4/1, I think I’ll take the 50/1 Malaga.
Bet at the price: Yeah I’ve backed them to qualify at 11/10 for chunks.

Arsenal:
Skip’s Quick View: This is not the Arsenal of years gone by. This is an average team at best and they take on Bayern Munich who are playing some of the best football in Europe at the minute.
Bet at the price: No bets in this game but don’t touch Arsenal.

They’re my views, take it or leave it.

Skipper