After a week that saw Celtic downed in Scotland and Real Madrid battle Manchester United to a 1-1 draw, the Champions League round of sixteen still has much to offer in it's second week.
Though there may not be a match up with the same weight or interest as the Real-United tie, there are still some juicy pairings.
Tuesday pits the bipolar Arsenal against the Bundesliga leading Bayern Munich and Spanish Club Malaga against Porto from Portugal.
Arsenal Bayern is the match of the day as it sees two very poplar clubs fighting it out and has many great story lines. One of those story lines is the one of Lucas Podolski. Podolski had a long history with Bayern and came to Arsenal in the off season. His return to Germany is only overshadowed by Ronaldo's return to Manchester.
Another big story line will be the one of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Pressure has been mounting on the man that has been the brains for over a decade at the historic London club. After this past week's FA Cup loss to Blackburn many are calling for his head. A big win against Bayern could fix that.
The Porto-Malaga tie should be an interesting one as well. The Portugal-Sapin rivalry is always interesting and both clubs have a huge opportunity to get to the next round.
As for Wednesday, the matches are just a little more interesting. First, there is the classic matchup of AC Milan and Barcelona. The two have formed a 'rivalry' in the Champions League because of their frequent meetings.
Barcelona has seen the upper hand of many of the most recent meetings, but Milan's new found form could change that. It will be a sight to see Balotelli and Messi on the same field. I'm a huge fan of both players and I'm eager to see what they can do for their respective sides.
The other Wednesday game features the Turkish club Galatasaray and the German club Schalke 04. Both can be considered dark horses for the semi-finals and I'm sure many clubs see them as a huge threat.
Schalke has the German tenacity and fight to get through and players like Klaas Jan Huntelaar will surely supply some spark.
Galatasaray loaded up on star power during the transfer window. Signings like Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba will be eager to show their worth to the club.
With all that said, here are my picks.
Arsenal vs Bayern - The German side will be too much from start to finish. Arsenal will create a few goals, but ultimately they will be out maned and lose 6-2 on aggregate.
Porto vs Malaga - Porto look to be back in shape for a deep run. They will take an early lead and keep it to the end. I got Porto 3-1 on aggregate.
Barcelona vs AC Milan - Milan will make it interesting early, but Messi and the passing offense of Barcelona will be too much. Barca win 5-2 on aggregate.
Galatasaray vs Schalke 04 - The Germans take care of business at home, but the start power will show it's worth for the Turkish. Gala win 3-2 on aggregate.
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