Soccer Central

Having been on trial at the club last week; Celtic are now reportedly close to completing the signing of Milan Misun from Czech team FK Pribram. AC Milan had also been interested in signing Misun, it seems that Celtic will be the side to secure his signature however, and according to the BBC the player has now arrived in Glasgow in order to “finalise personal terms and have a medical”.

Celtic is a team in serious need of a left back, the problem in signing Misun however is that although he is a hot prospect for the future; right now he just isn’t ready for first team football. A player is really required to fulfil the left back role as soon as possible, Milan Misun however is an inexperienced 18 year old that will need to be given time before he’s able to crack the first team.

Misun is expected to sign a four year deal at Celtic, and if he does agree a move then he’ll be joining Celtic in January. He’s a very talented young player; he’ll have to earn his place in the first team however, and certainly shouldn’t be expecting to start in the first team as soon as he signs.

Gordon Strachan will no doubt be keeping a very close eye on Milan Misun, and if/when he signs; Strachan will surely be watching his progress very carefully.

The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League has been announced, and Lyon is the unlucky team that will have to face Barcelona. Holders Manchester United have been drawn against Inter Milan; last year’s runners up Chelsea meanwhile will be playing Italian team Juventus.

The following is the full draw for the last 16 of this year’s Champions League:

Chelsea v Juventus
Villarreal v Panathinaikos
Sporting Lisbon v Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid v FC Porto
Lyon v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Arsenal v Roma
Inter Milan v Manchester United

There are definitely some interesting matches to be played in the last 16; particularly in the fact that Claudio Ranieri will be returning to Stamford Bridge, hoping to guide Juventus to victory against the team he managed between 2000 and 2004.

The last 16 is where the Champions League really starts to come alive; where teams begin to step it up a gear, and champions begin to show their true colours. Last year’s finalists Manchester United and Chelsea will both be expected to progress into the quarter finals; neither team has it easy though, and upsets definitely do happen.

Inter Milan is perhaps the toughest team Manchester United could possibly have been drawn against; Inter is a very good side, and the team has an excellent manager also in the form of Jose Mourinho. Manchester United will still be expected to nick the victory; Inter Milan is likely to put up a good fight however and certainly won’t prove to be a pushover.

Barcelona is the favourite team to win the Champions League this season; knocked out at the semi-final stage by Manchester United last year, Barcelona will now be hoping to put last year behind them and focus on lifting the trophy this time around.

No one has it easy; all 16 of these teams have proven themselves this season in getting this far, and the tournament is now down to the all important knockout stage. The quarter finals await for the eight teams that can find an aggregate win at this all important stage of the Champions League; victory is crucial for all teams involved right now, and all sixteen will surely give the games their all.

Tottenham Hotspur played Spartak Moscow in UEFA Cup Group D last night, with a game in which a point was needed to progress. When the team went 2-0 down within 33 minutes things weren’t looking too good, in the second half Tottenham really pulled the performance out of the bag however and were able to end up drawing the game 2-2.

Artem Dzjuba scored both goals for Spartak Moscow, the first in the 23rd minute of the match, and then the second in the 33rd. Luka Modric was the man to pull one back for Tottenham in the 67th minute however, and Tom Huddlestone then levelled the game on 74.

Tottenham’s point could perhaps have been earned a little easier; a point was what was required though, and a point was exactly what Tottenham achieved. Harry Redknapp’s half-time team talk obviously did the team the world of good, and in the second-half of the match the Tottenham players really managed to turn the game around, converting the goals that were required and securing qualification for the last 32 of the UEFA Cup.

The night could potentially have ended in tears for Tottenham, the players showed fantastic strength of character though and kept on battling right until the final whistle; they even had opportunities to take the lead once they’d equalised.

Spartak Moscow will not be heading through to the last 32, Tottenham however will be joining fellow English clubs Manchester City and Aston Villa in a bid to reach the final and lift the UEFA Cup in Turkey on May 20th 2009.