As the smoke of the first round of the Champions League knockout rounds clears, the top 8 battles that people are paying more attention to are about to reveal the final matchup for all.

Premier League division? Or is it Barça's breakthrough?

The tone for this season's Champions League has been set before the eight balls are met in a glass bowl.

Considering that the other final spot cannot escape the hands of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona are in the half of the region that embodies UEFA's "anti-monopoly" painstaking efforts - Manchester United is surrounded by strong opponents in the three major leagues outside the Premier League, and the road to the final is difficult; Conversely, continental giants Barcelona, widely seen as the only team that could prevent a Premier League team from winning the title, have been given preferential treatment, avoiding Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, and Schalke 04 and Manchester United are their relatively favourite opponents in the same zone.

For this round of draw, Rijkaard showed his heart and hopes to avoid the Premier League side. The Barca coaching staff and players are also of the same opinion, and they still have lingering concerns about Liverpool, who eliminated them last season.

Ahead of the draw, the Catalan media polled and the results showed that Arsenal were the most reluctant opponents for Barca, followed by Chelsea, Liverpool and Roma.

Barcelona believe that once they meet Arsenal, because they lost to them in the final two years ago, the opponents have extra motivation, and this season the Gunners lead the Premier League, and the strength is not comparable to the past. As for Liverpool and Chelsea, they have both won against Barcelona in the knockout rounds. Barça's players are particularly reluctant to face the Reds, with Steven Gerrard's toughness to match his own, while Torres was back at Atletico. It's the "Barsac Star".

Coincidentally, the draw was revealed, and Barcelona avoided these three Premier League teams. Entered the ideal half-zone. Schalke 04, the opponent in the quarter-finals, is the team that Barcelona is most willing to meet in the poll, with 43% of respondents believing that Barcelona can easily capture this new team in the Champions League quarterfinals. Barcelona vice-president Begiristain is optimistic: "In such a crucial competition, the stronger team deserves to reach the semi-finals. ”

And once Manchester United eliminated Roma and became Barcelona's opponent in the semifinals, UEFA was also helping the La Liga giants "make their wishes come true". Among the four Premier League teams. Barcelona can only be uninterested in Manchester United.

Twelve per cent of those surveyed believe the Red Devils are a formidable opponent for Barça. First, there is no history of knockout matches between the two sides, and Barcelona has no psychological burden; Second, Barcelona is more willing to play against teams with technical flows such as Manchester United. The talents of Ronaldinho, Messi and others have been fully exploited. History has also made Barcelona optimistic, and Manchester United have rarely been able to take advantage of the competition against technical teams on the continent such as Real Madrid and Milan.

There is no doubt that Barcelona are more likely to break out of this half than any other draw. May 21. If one of the teams that appear in the final in Moscow is Barcelona. Maybe it's not in vain for UEFA's hard work.

In line with the usual practice, after the draw for the quarterfinals of the Champions League was announced, the bookmakers immediately made the latest round of adjustments to the odds of the champion, and the number of changes was of course based on factors such as the quality of the signings, the division of semi-divisions, and the order of home and away. Manchester United continue to lead the way, followed by Barcelona and Chelsea, who have been drawn, have risen to the list of third favourites.

The results of the quarter-finals draw have just been announced, and the media unanimously decided that Barcelona and Chelsea had been drawn because their respective opponents did not have many Champions League matches. However, the bookmakers did not blindly lower the odds of both teams to win the championship. Chelsea are indeed slightly favoured, but Barcelona's odds to win the title have been raised.

Ladbrokes previously offered Barcelona the odds of 7 to 2 for the winner. However, after the draw in the quarterfinals, it was reduced to 1 to 4, which was converted to a decimal place, which means that the odds rose from 4.50 to 5.00. The reason has to do with the fact that even if Barcelona advances to the quarter-finals, they are likely to meet the top favourite, Manchester United, in the semi-finals. Chelsea's odds to win the title have dropped from 1 to 5 to 2 to 9, with the drop entirely due to the weakness of their quarter-final opponents, Fenerbahce.

Who has the best chance of qualifying, Arsenal or Liverpool? Ladbrokes is impartial and has not made any adjustments to the odds of the two teams to win the championship, which is still 5 to 1. But compared to Chelsea, their title form is undoubtedly more difficult. As for Roma, Ladbrokes did not make any adjustments to the odds to win the championship, which is still 8 to 1. Fenerbahce's odds have risen from 20 to 1 to 28 and Schalke 04's odds to win have risen from 25 to 1 to 33.

Coincidental? Sometimes the world is so coincidental that it can be said that it is not a matter of incompatibility, or it can be said that a spell is at work. In any case, the biggest rivals in this season's Champions League quarter-finals, Manchester United and Roma, have indeed met in a narrow way. In the face of all kinds of historical figures, this is probably the last thing Rome wants to see, but the curse is not only this, and it is not Rome who is unlucky.

In the history of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, the last thing an Italian team wants to see is a Premier League team. Since Juventus lost 2-1 away in 1982/83 but returned home to a 3-1 win to defeat English side Aston Villa for the first time on aggregate, the Apennines have not taken advantage of an English side.

In the 1998/99 season, Manchester United beat Inter Milan 2-0 at home and 1-1 away with an aggregate score of 3-1; In the 2004/05 season, Liverpool eliminated Juventus 2-1 at home and 0-0 away with an aggregate score of 2-1; In the 2005/06 season, Arsenal beat Juventus 2-0 at home and 0-0 away on aggregate. No matter who is stronger, in short, Premier League teams can always make Serie A teams swallow the bitter fruit in the quarter-finals. This curse developed to the extreme last season, when Roma met Manchester United, although the Red Wolves narrowly beat the Red Devils 2-1 at home, but at Old Trafford, Ferguson's team actually beat Roma 7-1, not only continuing the excellent record of English teams against Italian teams, but also nailing Roma to the pillar of shame in history.

Don't look at Totti's words that he wants to play with Manchester United the most, in fact, the psychological shadow of being slaughtered by the Red Devils cannot be completely dissipated. Just before this season, in the group stage, Roma faced Manchester United with only one draw and one defeat. If there is a pick, the Roma will definitely not choose Manchester United as a nemesis.

Roma are pitiful to meet Manchester United, but they are not the most depressed. The really unlucky team is the Arsenal youth team with high aspirations. Arsenal have been in great form this season, not only leading the league but also beating defending champions AC Milan in the Champions League. But they have struck the hardest bite of the hard bone - Liverpool.

Liverpool have always been good at playing the Champions Cup, which goes without saying, but the biggest headache for Arsenal is that in the history of the Champions Cup quarter-finals, the teams that eliminated Liverpool have not been able to achieve good results. 1981/82 season. CSKA Sofia won 0-1 away and 2-0 at home to advance to the semi-finals with an aggregate score of 2-1 over Liverpool. But they were immediately eliminated by Bayern in the semi-finals; In the 1982/83 season, Vedeu eliminated Liverpool 2-0 at home and 2-3 away, 4-3 on aggregate. But they also failed to make it through the subsequent semi-finals. This time it was Juventus who avenged Liverpool; In the 2001/02 season, Bayer Leverkusen won 0-1 away and 4-2 at home, and passed Liverpool 4-3 on aggregate.

Meet teams like that. It's not for Arsenal to win, it's not for them to win. Not to mention. The historical record is also not good for Arsenal, the Gunners and the Reds have played a total of 180 times in their history, and Arsenal has a record of only 66 wins, 44 draws and 70 defeats, which is the underdog. What's worse is that Arsenal has never beaten their home team in the history of the Champions League quarter-finals, but has become a victim of Chelsea. This signing really made Arsenal uncomfortable.

"Giants collide", this is the black headline of Liverpool PK Arsenal by The Sun, and the picture is Fabregas shouting out of emotion, annotating: "Fight, Sesk". For such a Mars collision with the Earth, too many adjectives seem unnecessary.

The Sun wrote: "The big boys of the Premier League meet in the Champions League quarter-finals, with the first leg being played at the Emirates Stadium. Manchester United, on the other hand, were sidelined with Roma in another big game, once again alongside the Italians. Chelsea are the easiest of the four teams in the Premier League and their opponents are Fenerbahce. ”

According to the Daily Mail: "Arsenal will face Liverpool in the quarter-finals, having never met in any European competition before, but this time they will be battling it out for their familiar place in the semi-finals." Of course, more familiar is yet to come, with The Post looking ahead to the semi-finals: "If the Merseyside side make it to the top four, they are likely to face Chelsea for the third time in four years that the two teams will meet in the semi-finals." ”

Robert Dean, a reporter for The Times, commented: "Arsenal and Liverpool meet meaning the two teams will play each other three times in a row at the start of April. Arsenal set up their opening game at the Emirates Stadium and will be battling it out for a ticket to the semi-finals. If Liverpool advance, they will meet Chelsea, and in the last two meetings, it has always been Benitez who has the last laugh. Manchester United, on the other hand, face Roma, who were beaten 7-1 in the same round a year ago. If they can advance, the semi-finals will face the winner of Barcelona and Schalke. ”

The British news agency press release reads: "Arsenal have drawn Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and the Premier League giants will play three games in a week next month, with a sandwich between the two legs. Manchester United will take on Roma, who have already met this season, having knocked out the Reds at Old Trafford a year ago. Chelsea's signings are the most dominant of any Premier League team and they will travel to Istanbul to take on Fenerbahce, a team that no one thought would have a chance of winning the title. ”

Of course, the British media also exposed some different voices for the first time, after the draw for the Champions League round of 8, the head coach of the England national team, Fabio Capello, "elbowed outward" at the first time, he believes that the only seed of Serie A Roma has the ability to beat Manchester United.

Capello, who spent many years at Roma and led the Red Wolves to Serie A in 2001, knows all too well what Roma are capable of.

Despite being humiliated by Manchester United in last season's Champions League with a disparity of 3-8 over two legs, Capello believes Roma are no longer what they used to be and have a chance to get revenge on the Red Devils this season.

In an interview with RAI Sports, Capello said: "I stick to my bullish favours on Roma. They are still in the same competitive environment as the Premier League semi-finals, and Roma can play football with their own characteristics.

'Roma's heavy defeat at Old Trafford last season can give the team more focus.

"I'm sure what you're seeing now is a refreshing Roma team. They were more organised on the pitch and it was a very good look. ”

Capello's views certainly won't convince Arrigo Sacchi, another heavyweight in Italian football, with the former AC Milan manager pessimistic about Roma's prospects of qualifying.

"Roma met the strongest team in the draw, but their heavy defeat last year can give the team enough motivation for revenge," Sacchi said. ”

Alex Ferguson: I'm worried about the safety of the fans, and the reunion between Roma and Manchester United worries Red Devils manager Alex Ferguson, but it's not the quality of the opposing team, but that the opposing fans may not be friendly enough to the English. ”

Ferguson said: "Excluding football. My biggest concern is the safety of the fans. ”

"The security at the Stadio Roma has been improved, but there will be a lot of fans."

'We've played Roma a lot and we know each other quite well. This match will be a great European football crash. The draw was unbelievable because we had been expecting United to face another English team. ”

The major Spanish media published their comments immediately after the draw was announced.

Schalke is a weaker opponent in the last eight of the Champions League, and the media generally believes that Barcelona has drawn a top draw, and the Azugrana will not have much problem reaching the last four.

According to Marca. Barcelona were lucky to be able to draw Schalke. Moreover, the team is the first away and then the host, which is very advantageous, and the prospects for promotion are bright. Compared with the Premier League civil war between Arsenal and Liverpool, as well as Manchester United's rematch with Roma, as well as the contest between Chelsea and Fenerbahce, Barcelona is undoubtedly much easier. Barcelona will meet the winners of Manchester United and Roma after qualifying. The fierce battle between the two teams, whoever enters the semi-finals will certainly not be easier than Barcelona.

Real Madrid's mouthpiece "As" is also very optimistic about the promotion of the sworn enemy. The use of the title "Barcelona vs Schalke, a weaker opponent" illustrates the good fortune of the Camp Nou team. The newspaper said that Barcelona really avoided the four giants of the Premier League as expected before the game, and drew Schalke, who reached the top 8 for the first time, and Azougrana will not encounter too much trouble in advancing to the semi-finals.

The Daily Sport newspaper was very pleased with the team's signing, believing it to be a lucky gift for the team, saying that the team could even consider the semi-final matchup in advance. However, the Barcelona mouthpiece also has concerns, although Barcelona's signing for Schalke is very good, but after qualifying, they will meet the winner of Roma and Manchester United, and Barcelona's signing in the semi-finals will be home and away, so that the Aszugrana's final road to Moscow will not be so smooth.

Another Catalan newspaper, Le Monde Sport, reacted relatively calmly, lining up the last four opponents, with Schalke set to stand in the way of Barca's semi-finals. Perhaps, in the opinion of the newspaper, there is no absolute underdog for any team that enters the quarterfinals, and Barcelona will not be easy to meet anyone.

Of course, conspiracy theories have always been indispensable in Champions League draws, and this one is no exception.

After the quarter-finals were announced, it was immediately reported that the draw had been manipulated.

Because a few hours before the draw ceremony, someone had foretold the bracket shì on the Internet, and it turned out to be exactly the same as the actual result.

The draw was scheduled for 12 noon local time on Friday, and at 10:28 a.m., a mysterious person made the following statement on the forum of the online edition of The Liverpool Echo: "It is said that the draw has been rigged. Don't question my sources, anyway, I'll tell you that Liverpool will meet Arsenal, Chelsea will face Fenerbahce and Manchester United will face Roma.

In fact, the gambling company has now rejected bets on the results of the draw. Let's see what happens in the end! ”

The answer was revealed almost two hours later, and at the draw ceremony in Nyon, Switzerland, the result was exactly the same as the mystery man's prediction. As a result, the speech that appeared at the forum was immediately spread around the world at a rocket-like speed. It has become the hottest topic among fans. In terms of mathematical probability, there are more than 100 different outcomes in the quarterfinals draw. Therefore, the situation in which the mysterious man succeeded in predicting the outcome can hardly be understood as mere coincidence.

Compared to the strong reaction of fans after learning about this incident. Most of the mainstream media in Europe have been silent about this, and have not joined the ranks of questioning UEFA for the time being. UEFA also immediately clarified with a spokesperson, emphasizing that there was no cheating in the lottery process: "All of them are pure coincidences! I've communicated within UEFA about the rumours and everyone is shocked that this is a very ridiculous statement. ”

So how do you interpret the accurate prophecies of the mysterious people? The spokesperson replied: "Predicting outcomes and manipulating outcomes are completely different things. That kid's luck was so good that there was only a reasonable explanation for this incident. Otherwise. Is that person with superpowers? ”

In order to prove UEFA's innocence, the spokesperson went on to point out that the entire draw ceremony went through a very rigorous procedure: "The whole ceremony was open to all clubs and millions of TV viewers. Moreover, the balls used in the draw are all of the same color, and there is no zài mark. I was only 10 metres away from the scene and UEFA Secretary General Taylor had been following the draw process and those in charge of the draw were 150 per cent honest. So there won't be any cats in it. ”

"Did the Champions League draw cheat?" This has become the hottest topic in football today. But at the same time, it is also a question that I am afraid that there will be no formal conclusion for a long time.

So, instead of discussing whether cheating exists, let's think about it from another angle: if it's cheating, then who actually gets the benefits?

In the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Schalke 04 and Fenerbahce are clearly behind other teams in terms of fame and strength. So when Barcelona and Chelsea drew their opponents respectively, they were seen as the biggest winners in the draw. Now, after the so-called "cheating" rumors, it is easy to think that they are being given special care from UEFA.

Interestingly, just before this season. Barcelona and Chelsea also often complain that they have been victims of such draws. In the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons, for example, the two teams met in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for two consecutive years. This resulted in an early collision of the favourites. Last season, they were placed in the same "Group of Death" again. Therefore, if UEFA intends to take care of them this time, it may also be regarded as a kind of compensation for previous years.

Of particular note is Chelsea, a team that has been known as an upstart since Abubou took charge of Stamford Bridge in 2003 and has since continued to push the limits of patience with his frenzied rhetoric. Therefore, in the eyes of the traditional giants represented by the G14, Chelsea is an unpopular object. Perhaps because of the collective boycott, Chelsea have not only been kept out of the G14, but have also been repeatedly confronted with the "devil's schedule", and it is difficult to say whether it includes the deliberate calculations of the G14.

Now, with Jose Mourinho's departure, Chelsea are no longer so aggressive off the pitch. At the same time, the G14 organization has come to a point of disintegration. So, in a new environment, Chelsea suddenly received frequent blessings of good fortune. Previously, in the quarterfinals, Olympiacos was a weak opponent. Now, after reaching the quarter-finals, they face a relatively weak Fenerbahce.

Although the draw ceremony is always held in full view, this does not mean that the cheating space will be completely closed as a result.

According to some theories circulating in the industry, those small balls dedicated to the lottery are actually famous. Although they look the same in the TV footage, as long as the organizers deliberately arrange it, they can still pull out the results they want.

For example, before the draw, the organizer can heat or cool a particular ball to make it look and feel different from other balls. In this way, when the guests draw lots, they can find out the specific ball according to the temperature, and then draw the result requested by the organizer in advance very "accidentally", and it is often difficult for distant onlookers to see through the mechanism.

However, there are exceptions, for example, in a previous event in China, there have also been small balls that have been stored in the refrigerator for too long, resulting in water droplets at room temperature.

In addition to temperature, weight is also a place where hands and feet can be done. The choice of different materials allows for a noticeable difference in the weight of the balls of the same shape, which can be perceived by the guests during the lottery process. Interestingly, this cheat of finding the different weights in a bunch of balls is a true fulfillment of a classic math problem. (To be continued......)