SOCCER INTERNATIONAL ARTICLES

The bottom of the bracket in Euro 2016 is sure to be incredibly weak. One only needs to look at the odds to win this tournament for the four teams in this bunch to know that at least two, if not three teams which have little chance to actually hoist the trophy will get into the knockout rounds.... 

Manuel Pellegrini is hoping that he has one last parting shot in him before he departs Manchester City. If he could pull off the coup of leading the Citizens into the Bernabeu and coming out as victors, he'd not only go into lore in Manchester as the first manager to lead this team to the UCL Final, but he'd set himself up to take a massive job in all likelihood next year after Pep Guardiola replaces him at the Ethiad.... 

Liverpool only has one shot left to get into the Champions League next season, and that's by beating Villarreal in the semifinals of the Europa League, then going on to beat either Sevilla or Shakhtar Donetsk in the finale in a few weeks. The Reds find themselves in a hole they have to climb out of, a task which won't be easy against one of the many very good Spanish sides competing in European tournaments still.... 

Atletico Madrid is largely looked upon as the third best team in Spain behind the giants from Barcelona and Real Madrid. But can the Atleti take that last giant step to get into the Champions League Final and put themselves on a perch atop European soccer? Even though they've got a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg of this home-and-home series against Bayern Munich, they've still got a long road ahead to get through.... 

No team has as much experience this deep in the Champions League as does Bayern Munich. This is the fifth straight season in which the German champs are in at least the semifinals of this tournament, and it would love nothing more than to make short work of Atletico Madrid here in the semis. The problem? Different Spanish teams have bounced Bayern out of the semifinals of the UCL in consecutive years, first Real Madrid, then Barcelona. The Atleti could lay the groundwork for a big upset on Wednesday night in the first leg of this home-and-home series at the Vicente Calderon.... 

Just the fact that Manchester City is still in the Champions League in the semifinals is a huge accomplishment, but no one is giving it much of a chance of reaching the finale. Real Madrid is a -320 favorite to win this two-legged tie, and one would like to think if the Citizens have any chance whatsoever, they'll have to win this first leg in Manchester on Tuesday night.... 

The last spot in the FA Cup semifinals will be handed out on Wednesday night at Boleyn Ground. West Ham United has been battling it out with Manchester United all season long for spots in European competition next year, and both teams would love to send a message to the other while securing a spot at Wembley Stadium for the semifinals of this illustrious tournament along the way.... 

The biggest shock of the opening leg of the Champions League quarterfinals clearly came from Wolfsburg. The Wolves were never fancied to do a thing against Real Madrid in this round, yet they now find themselves with a brilliant 2-0 advantage heading back to the Bernabeu.... 

Manchester City and PSG played in the most thrilling match in the first of the quarterfinal ties in the Champions League, and now, all is left to play for between two teams which are desperate to advance to the semifinals of this tournament.... 

It was always a longshot for Benfica to stick around in the Champions League, but it's hard to suggest that a 1-0 loss on the road in the first leg against Bayern Munich was truly a bad result. The Portuguese side still has a long road to plow through to pull off this upset of the defending champs, but they'll give it their best on Wednesday night at the Estadio da Luz.... 

The race in La Liga is getting tighter by the week, and Barcelona is no longer absolutely assured of yet another piece of silverware. However, league play is of secondary concern right now for both Barca and Atletico Madrid. There's still business to tend to in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and Wednesday's match at the Vicente Calderon should be amazing.... 

Wolfsburg is playing in the Champions League for just the second time in its history, but it could really put a fly in the ointment on Wednesday night if it can figure out how to take an advantage in this two-legged tie against Real Madrid.... 

Paris Saint-Germain has had a history of failing in the early knockout rounds of the Champions League.The next logical step for the Parisians would be to move on to the Final Four of the UCL, and they've got their best chance to do that this year by drawing Manchester City in the quarterfinals.... 

Bayern Munich was incredibly lucky just to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Alas, they've gotten the job done and are back installed amongst the favorites to win the UCL this season. Their quarterfinal draw against Benfica was about as easy is as gets, as the Portuguese side really has no business doing any damage on German soil on Tuesday night.... 

Three of the last eight teams standing in the Champions League are not surprisingly the Spanish clubs from La Liga, and at least one is guaranteed a spot in the semifinals of the tournament. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid know all about each other, and they'll really be in for a war when they take to the pitch at Camp Nou on Tuesday night.... 

The United States men's soccer team has a couple big matches coming up this week. There are four matches left in the fourth round of qualification for the World Cup. The Yanks are facing a potentially really tough test against Guatemala on the road, and if they don't manage to take all three points from this match, there's going to be a real chance to fail to get out of this group.... 

It's a shame that arguably two of the best teams left standing in the Europa League, Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham, were matched against each other in the Round of 16 of the competition. It's clear that BVB will be advancing after a 3-0 win at home last week, but bettors will still be interested in whether Mauricio Pochettino's side will show some spunk at White Hart Lane in the return leg.... 

With Tottenham very likely to be eliminated from the Europa League on Thursday, England will only have one hope to capture Europe's secondary championship. Whether it's Manchester United or Liverpool who will advance to the quarterfinals though, remains to be seen and will be decided on Thursday night at Old Trafford.... 

Bayern Munich really didn't get any favors from the draw in the Champions League. Juventus was certainly the toughest of the potential first round foes for the group winners, and there was a ton of proof of just how competitive these teams are when the squads drew 2-2 on Italian soil two weeks ago. The Bavarian giants are still favored to get through to the next round, but this could be touch and go against the Old Lady on Wednesday.... 

Manchester City has had a relatively terrible season in the Premier League. However, the year can still be considered a success if it can win the Champions League. Tuesday's game against Dynamo Kiev should end up being uneventful, knowing that the Citizens already have a 3-1 lead in this home-and-home tie and are headed back home.... 

For 70 minutes, Arsenal did everything that it could to hold off Barcelona at the Emirates in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 battle. However, quality finally ruled the day, as the Catalans picked up two goals from Lionel Messi to win 2-0. The Gunners aren't really expected to erase that deficit on the road at Camp Nou, but they're going to hope to avoid embarrassment.... 

The results in the Champions League have generally gone according to script. One game that didn't fall into line though, was the opening leg of the matchup between Atletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven. The Dutch side only had 10 men on the pitch at the end of the match, but it was still able to hold on for a scoreless draw. It's now completely believable to think that an upset could be in the cards, but it's still going to take a tremendous effort at the Vicente Calderon, a place where the Atleti r... 

The conventional path for English soccer teams to get to the Champions League is to finish in the Top 4 in the Barclays Premier League. Manchester United and Liverpool, who are traditional powers who settle into those four slots, are taking the path far less traveled, though. In all likelihood, the only way either one gets into the Champions League next year is by winning the Europa League.... 

For all intents and purposes, Real Madrid has already locked up its place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.The Galacticos have a 2-0 lead already coming back to the Bernabeu, and AS Roma really has no chance whatsoever of overturning that result against one of the best teams in the world.... 

It's ridiculously hard for some of the Western European teams to travel to Russian soil. Benfica and Zenit St. Petersburg are separated by about as many miles as you're going to see out of Champions League teams, and though the Portuguese side was able to get a 1-0 win in the first leg at home, this tie is far from over. These 90 minutes in St. Petersburg are going to be very tough....