So, that's that but …

… you can carry on the Champions League discussion with Amy Lawrence from midday in this webchat. Thanks for your emails. Bye.

And on the subject of AVB …

"I know this is slightly off-topic, but sacking Villas-Boas is nuts," begins David Wall. "He's a good manager, has had to pretty much start again when it comes to designing a tactical approach for the side (given that over the previous couple of years it had amounted to little more than 'give it to Bale') and was having the kind of teething troubles that you'd expect with that. But the question they should be asking isn't 'are we going to have success this season', but rather 'are we going to get a prolonged period of success'. Given the ages and obvious talent of the players brought in then the answer to that second question is 'yes'. And given that most of those signings were paid for by flogging Bale, there isn't a great financial need to answer 'yes' to the first question. I hope he takes then for Joe Lewis's yacht in the settlement at least." I expect he will end up back where he is loved, Porto. He must be sick of English football.

Here's Jamie Jackson's take on the draw …

What's the best tie not involving an English team? I'd say Atlético v Milan. The young swashbuckling upstart v the venerable old man who relies on his wits.
Mark Judd puts forward a scenario that would probably make finishing outside the top four palatable, just, for pesky Man Utdfans. "Man Utd finish outside top four, win Champions League thereby denying Liverpool a place after they finish fourth in the league. Remember the Chelsea and Tottenham situation." I do Mark. And Spurs are still perhaps feeling the repercussions of that, having lost Gareth Bale to Madrid and the mess that Spurs have become this season.
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Amy Lawrence Champions League webchat coming up …

But for now you'll have to make do with me and an email from disgruntled Arsenal fan, Jeffery Rosie. "Much is made of the perceived pundits' wish for Arsenal to fail, but surely fate is more of an arse. Chelsea in the opening League Cup match, Tottenham FA Cup, group of death in the Champions League and then Bayern Munich all topped off with Arsenal's big Premier League games being hopelessly rammed together." I'll stop playing the violin now Jeffery.
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Here's your 'Tottenham sack AVB' news …

Thoughts

Well that was always going to be tricky for Arsenal and Manchester City. Ties to savour, though. And will Arsenal have a better idea what to expect having played them last season and given them an almighty scare at the Allianz? Better the devil you know? As for City, that's a worse draw for Barcelona, surely. Aguero v Mascherano? Hmmm.
United will be much happier than Chelsea. David Moyes's side will hope to have found a bit more form by February – and they're up against probably the weakest side in the knockout stages. Whereas Mourinho will have to find a way of making Gary Cahill and co stop Didier Drogba, who he would still rather have in his current Chelsea side, one feels.
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"Why does it seem to me that this is the season where Utd will win Champions League but finish out of top four in EPL." Because you're optimistic Gokul Kannan.
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Arsenal v Bayern Munich

It couldn't be anything else could it? How Arsenal must rue that Napoli match …

Zenit v Borussia Dortmund

Klopp will be happy, I suspect.

Schalke v Real Madrid

Good luck Schalke.

Galatasaray v Chelsea

Drogba v Mourinho!

Bayer Leverkusen v PSG

Leverkusen boss Sami Hyypia will hope the rabble that faced United don't turn up for this one.

Milan v Atlético Madrid

That's very difficult for Milan …

Olympiakos v Manchester United

Couldn't see that coming!
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Manchester City v Barcelona

Well, that's a tasty one. Unlucky for Barça really. It's Luis Figo's fault. He drew it.
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"Don't even think of switching to cover AVB sacking the way you did the night of Capello's resignation, yeah? " chides Philip Podolsky. Hey, I just dio what The Man says. I haven't had any such instructions.

Yeah, they're dragging this out …

"Hi Gregg, as a United fan I'd prefer to avoid Gala, as they're dead certs for the final, given the ground-breaking tactics they employed vs Juve," honks Dinos Stavrides. Brilliant tactics weren't they? They would have to manufacture snow again though Dinos. Not easy …
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What a way to overshadow the draw …

Luis Figo is introduced as one of Uefa's elite ball-pluckers. Meanwhile, the suits at Nyon check their phones and nudge one another whispering "harsh, what about Baldini?" and other such things.
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André Villas-Boas has been sacked by Spurs!

It's not Champions League news, but it is big news.
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"Personally as a Gooner I would fancy either Barçaa, Madrid or PSG. Munich and Athlèti are the ones to avoid, within their sides there are no weak links and are in amazing form. Barça, Madrid and PSG have been up and down and have weak links which is our aim to exploit." Cameron Dhaliwal makes it crystal clear just how tough Arsenal's draw looks.
So Uefa ball pickers are ready to go, I think. I'd like to see Man City v Atlético Madrid. Aguero and Costa in a shootout …
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Ho-hum … As is the case with these things the buildup to the draw may be more laboured than Michael Dawson's attempts to catch Luis Suárez yesterday. So what else is there to say about it? What about the seeded teams, Chelsea and Man Utd? Are there any teams that they will want to avoid? Are Milan still a force? Their league form would suggest not but they have an aura around them in Europe. And then does anyone ever fancy going to play Galatasaray?
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"Morning Gregg," chirps Steve Roberts. "I can't remember such a loaded draw in the Champions League before. Will Wenger or Pellegrini even bother to tune in knowing that at best they may pull a Borussia Dortmund team who are in a poor run of form or a relative newcomer in Atlético who are blowing most teams away?" Well, the Big Bang Theory is on Channel 4 at 11 or they could watch a documentary about Eddie Stobart trucks if they really want to bury their heads in the sand.
Would Barcelona be such a bad draw for Arsenal, given who they could face? I'm not so sure …

Odds! Odds! Odds!

Well, Bayern are favourites … which isn't really news is it? They're 5-2, Barcelona are 5-1, Real Madrid 11-2 and then Man City are 14-1.
Personally, I'd like to know what the odds are on the draw being an exact repeat of the rehearsal, as last year's was.

Preamble

Hello. Welcome to today's Champions League tombola for the last 16 live from Nyon (although I'm in Kings Cross where there's not a suit or giant lanyard to be seen). And now for some padding: of the four English sides in Uefa's Big Pot, Chelsea and Man Utd are more likely to get a favourable tie. They won their groups and are seeded. I'll explain shortly who they can face, but they're likely to end up throwing haymakers at one of the skinny kids, rather than one of the big ones with a leering grin and malevolent look in the eye. As for Man City and Arsenal, they may well have their heads flushed down the toilet. 
So, to make the rest of this MBM run on cruise control here's a list of the teams each of the last 16 can face, taking into account seedings and the fact that no team can face a team from their own group or a team from their own nation at this stage. It doesn't make particularly pretty viewing for Arsenal or Man City fans, for whom Zlatan's PSG look to be the best case scenario. Draw to take place at 11am GMT.
(* denotes seeded team)
Arsenal: Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern, Atlético, Barcelona
* Atlético Madrid: Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Manchester City, Schalke, Arsenal, Milan
* Barcelona: Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Manchester City, Schalke, Arsenal, Zenit
* Bayern Munich: Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Arsenal, Zenit, Milan
Bayer Leverkusen: Real Madrid, Paris, Chelsea, Atlético, Barcelona
* Borussia Dortmund: Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Manchester City, Zenit, Milan
* Chelsea: Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Zenit, Milan
Galatasaray: Manchester United, Paris, Bayern, Chelsea, Dortmund, Atlético, Barcelona
Manchester City: Real Madrid, Dortmund, PSG, Atlético, Barcelona
* Manchester United: Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Schalke, Zenit, Milan
Milan: Manchester United, Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern, Chelsea, Dortmund, Atlético
Olympiakos: Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern, Chelsea, Dortmund, Atlético, Barcelona
* PSG: Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Manchester City, Schalke, Arsenal, Zenit, Milan
* Real Madrid: Leverkusen, Olympiacos, Manchester City, Schalke, Arsenal, Zenit, Milan
Schalke: Manchester United, Real Madrid, PSG, Atlético, Barcelona
Zenit: Manchester United, Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern, Chelsea, Dortmund, Barcelona
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