Barca won’t be denied Wembley date

With the last 16 of the Champions League less than a month away, it is a good time to assess the teams in with a shout in the Champions League betting odds of walking away with the biggest prize in European football on May 25.

The race to Wembley will be hotly contested after the draw threw up a number of intriguing ties.

Sir Alex Ferguson will renew his rivalry with Jose Mourinho when Manchester United take on Real Madrid, while there will also be a return to Old Trafford for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Last year’s beaten finalists Bayern Munich will be out to reverse their woes against English clubs when they meet Arsenal. Celtic, who stunned Barcelona in the group stage, face Juventus, while the Catalan giants renew acquaintances with AC Milan.

The competition’s dark horses, or perhaps not after their exploits in Group D, Borussia Dortmundhave been drawn against Shakhtar Donetsk. Dortmund are 7/1 with Paddy Power to lift the trophy in London a few months from now. Valencia face Paris Saint-Germain andPorto take on Malaga, while Galatasaray will play Schalke.

Barcelona will again be the team to beat. They have shrugged off last season’s disappointment to dominate this term, particularly domestically. Tito Vilanova’sside appear to have already wrapped up the La Liga title, with the Champions League now in their sights.

Standing in their path are Milan, who have failed to make an impact in Serie A this season. A home win and a clean sheet at San Siro would make the tie interesting, but Barcelona should progress relatively unscathed.

Real Madrid, Barcelona’s main rivals, face a much sterner test against a United outfit inspired by the irrepressible Robin van Persie.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have plenty of goals in them, but there remains a question mark over them defensively. They will be keen to sneak an away goal in the first leg at the Bernabeu while keeping it tight at the back. For Real, it will be a case of preying on United’s vulnerability.

Bayern will look to do the same against Arsenal, while Juventus will be out to silence the home crowd when they travel to Celtic Park.

Big-spending PSG will pose a threat in the knockout stages, but this season will perhaps come too soon for the French club.Dortmund are the only other side likely to threaten Barcelona’s hopes of a fifth Champions League crown.

The latter stages of European’s premier competition are notoriously unpredictable, but it will take a special effort to denyBarca for a second successive season.