UEFA Champions League Picks: Round of 16 Analysis

With the next stage of European football's premium club tournament fast approaching, many fans of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United will be fervently praying for their team to achieve what is expected of them and get to the next round.

The last 16 sees an impressive mixture of games, sure to produce some scintillating football and a series of twists and turns, great for anyone who wishes to have a small wager on football.

The tie of the round is Manchester United against Real Madrid. Many regard the tie as the two best managers in the world, Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, going up against each other, with Cristiano Ronaldo returning to his old club. A close tie with some high-quality football is assured, the tie looking too close to call at this stage.

After the failures of Chelsea and Manchester City in getting to the next stage, Arsenal are England's only other hope, the Gunners facing a tough tie against last year's runners up, Bayern Munich. Offensively, Arsenal have looked a match for anyone this season, yet, their defensive frailties against the likes of Munich's Mario Gomez, Thomas Muller and Bastian Schweinsteiger could prove to be a stumbling block.

Celtic have silenced their doubters and have achieved the unachievable, brilliantly qualifying from their group, a tie against Juventus their reward. Despite Celtic's domination of the Scottish Premier League, the Italian champions look to be too strong with the varied talent in their squad and despite the vibrant attitude within Celtic Park on European evenings, Juventus will be hoping to go through without much trouble.

High-spending PSG, with new acquisition David Beckham on the sheet, will definitely be looking to make an impression against Valencia, with most eyes firmly on PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Dortmund, with their host of talented players, face the unenviable task of taking something from Shakhtar, an incredibly impressive Ukrainian team who don't freely lose in front of their home fans. A difficult tie, great for the neutral, yet, should be decided by the match in Germany where Dortmund will surely be favourites.

Alongside Galatasaray and Schalke, two of the competition's minnows, and Porto vs. Malaga, the highlight of the round will be Milan vs. Barcelona. A host of world-class talent in both teams, Balotelli against Messi, the Catalan giants will definitely have a challenge on their hands if they wish to progress any further.