UEFA Champions League - Europe knows its 16 finalists

UEFA Champions League - Europe knows its 16 finalists

Finally the wait is over, and so is the group stage of the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League the has reduced in half its number of contenders, leaving only 16 teams on the run for Europe's most prestigious club trophy.

Fans are rubbing their hands as they picture the virtual confrontations that the 2010 UEFA Champions League has prepared for the knockout phase, which begins on February 15, 2011. Throughout the group stage every contender had one common premise: finishing in first place to clinch the home field advantage and avoid a possible confrontation against the first place of another group in the knockout phase. Teams like the defending champions Inter from Italy, or the 7 times Champions League winner Milan -from the same country- failed to do so, becoming two of the teams that those who finished in first will not want to cross on their way.

On Tuesday groups A through D completed match day 6 which left: Tottenham from England in first place of Group A followed by Inter; Group B was won by Schalke 04 from Germany and Lyon from Frances was second; Manchester United clinched Group C and Valencia from Spain obtained the second place; and Group D had Barcelona in first place followed by Copenhagen.

The last four groups (E-H) played their respective games on Wednesday, in a match day that basically didn't suffer modifications in the final standings in comparison to last week.

In Group E last season's runner up Bayern Munich from Germany didn't have much trouble to finish in first place with 15 points out of 18 in game. Roma from Italy gave the Germans their only defeat in the group phase with a 3-2 home victory, and finished in second place with 12 points. Basilea from Switzerland was third with 6 points, and Cluj from Romania was last with 4.

Chelsea from England was heading to complete an undefeated stage in Group F, but the bad streak -4 games and 0 wins- that they are suffering in the English Premier League followed them on their visit to Marseille from France, where they where defeated by 1-0. Still they finished in first with 15 points, followed by Marseille with 12. Spartak from Russia and the winless MSK Zilina from Slovakia completed the group with 9 and no points respectively.

Road trip could be a good phrase to describe Real Madrid from Spain experience in Group G, as they barely had to sweat to clinch the first place and maintain a record with no defeats. They doubled the points from Milan (8), their closest contender, which pretty much reflects the Spaniards superiority. With 7 points and in third place was Ajax from the Netherlands, and Auxerre from France was relegated to the last place with 3 points.

And Shaktar from Ukraine accompanied by Arsenal from Spain finished in first and second place of Group H, with 15 and 12 points respectively. Braga from Portugal reached match day 6 as a threat to Arsenal, because a win from the Portuguese -9 points- in combination with a loss from the English would have closed the group with their positions inverted. Partizan from Serbia was a first class spectator, as they lost all of their games, to end up with 0 points.

On December 17 the draw for the finalists will be held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, and the competition will be back in action until February 15, to begin with the so awaited knockout round.

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