Would Liverpool take a point?

It's not their style right now, but Liverpool should be content to take the draw at home to Chelsea on Sunday. They will beat Newcastle at home on the last day, and although away to Crystal Palace is tougher than many would have expected, you'd have to think Liverpool should win there too.

Not that Brendan Rodgers should play for the draw. Do that and they'll lose - players just don't know how to play for a draw from the start of a game. If it's 1-1 with 10 minutes left, fine, shut up shop. But Liverpool are top and are playing fantastic football - they need to stick with what they know best.

Plus, if Jose Mourinho plays a weaker team, you have to get after them. Mark Schwarzer is 41, he can only dive so many times before he breaks a hip!

Then there's the other end of the spectrum. Sunderland at home to Cardiff. The visitors may take a point, but Sunderland need all three. Games are running out and while it's hard to see Norwich or Aston Villa getting many more points, they do already have points on the board.

No one can win the League this weekend, and no on can go down, but don't take your eyes of the games this weekend - unless you were going to watch Stoke v Tottenham. It will probably end up 5-4, but no one will care.

The Last 16 - Straight Knockout Son

Not quite straight elimination, but it's time for Europe's top club competition to get interesting.

Geezer can't pick all the winners (or I'd be in Vegas rather than at my 'real job'), but I'm going to try and pick the best team from each country (that has a realistic chance of winning it) and see if they end up as our Final 4.

The German option is easy. Bayern Munich are the best team out there right now. The fact that they are playing Arsenal means that Arsene Wenger's team have little chance of progressing. Bayern are a beast of a team right now, and only complacency can stop them advancing in my opinion.

For Spain, I'm taking Real Madrid. Barca and Atletico are two great teams, but Real have an easier tie to start with and are playing some great football. Teams seem to have a plan against Lionel Messi and Barcelona (although only Bayern have really pulled it off), but Cristiano can't be stopped. He creates so much by himself, and I think he may carry Real all the way to the semi-finals this year.

The English team is very hard to pick. Chelsea and Manchester United have easier draws in the last 16, but the latter can't win it. Moyes is just not tactically aware - he can't deal with Fulham, so no way that Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans can keep out Real, Barca or Bayern. Chelsea have a shot - it depends on the draw, but they may be a striker short from really competing. I've already ruled out Arsenal due to them playing the holders, so Manchester City are my pick for the last 4. It means beating Barcelona, but as long as Martin DeMichelis doesn't play, then they have a chance.

Of the remaining teams, I like PSG. They are more solid than in recent years and can score against anyone. Zlatan seems to know it's his time to shine, especially as he won't be in Brazil in the summer.

So it's Bayern, Real Madrid, PSG and one other for me. I said Manchester City, but I don't even buy it myself. I don't think an English team will make it to the last 4 this year, but it all depends on the draw. At this stage, you only need to win 3 ties to make the final. And that's why we love it.

Arsenal and Man City need a first leg lead

To be played Feb. 18, 19, 25, 26 and March 11, 12, 18, 19

Manchester City	v	Barcelona
Olympiakos	v	Manchester United
AC Milan	v	Atletico Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen	v	Paris St Germain
Galatasaray	v	Chelsea
Schalke	v	Real Madrid
Zenit	v	Dortmund
Arsenal	v	Bayern

Who got a good draw? Who is regretting not winning their Group? And is Gonzalo Higuain still crying?!

Manchester City have a good chance against Barcelona in my opinion. Although Messi will be fit by February, so will Aguero. I think City will score home and away against Barcelona, and it will come down to who has a better defence. Kompany is the best defender on either team, although Pique runs him close. It's the others that offer opportunity, and Mascherano probably can't keep with the City players, although Martin Demichelis is a liability for City too - much depends on how few errors those two commit.

Manchester United will be happy, although David Moyes might now be. He's expected to guide his team past Olympiakos, but we all know he hasn't lived up to expectations yet.

Atletico Madrid will beat AC Milan. Why, Diego Costa is top notch. So is Super Mario, but Milan aren't playing well - although could be by February I suppose.

PSG v Leverkeusen. Have to take Zlatan, Cavani and the other superstars - especially as Manchester United put 5 past the Germans in Leverkeusen.

The Drogba tie. Galatasaray are a decent team, but Chelsea should win. But then there is the Didier Drogba factor. He'll probably score against his old team, and cry, and run to Jose Mourinho. But Chelsea are building a strong team, but they need a defender and a goalkeeper - Petr Cech isn't an accident waiting to happen, he's happened - and we're all still watching a laughing/crying.

Real will beat Schalke. Dortmund will beat Zenit. 2 easy ones!

Then there's Arsenal v Bayern Munich. A very tough draw for the English League leaders, but whoever got Bayern was going to struggle. They move the ball so quickly and a clinical. Arsenal need to bring in another striker (not a cup-tied one) and take their chances. They got schlapped by Manchester City at the weekend, but Olivier Giroud still should have had a hat-trick. He's not bad, but he doesn't finish enough key chances. If Arsenal just get one in Germany, they need to take it. Arsene Wenger will happily take any trophy this year, but Bayern are probably too strong for it to be the Champions League. The same as Manchester City, they need to be leading after the first leg.

Who the English teams could get in the last 16

The draw for the last 16 is on Monday. This is who the English teams may play:

Manchester United will play either:

Galatasaray, Olympiakos, Schalke, Zenit St Petersburg or Milan

Chelsea will play either:

Bayer Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Olympiakos, Zenit St Petersburg or Milan

Manchester City will play either:

Real Madrid, PSG, Dortmund, Atletico Madrid or Barcelona

Arsenal will play either:

Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid or Barcelona

Shows how much easier it looks when you finish top of the Group.

I'm working on the other possibilities, but the Geezer has been busy!

Then there were 32 - but not many surprises

All 32 places for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil are now taken after the play-off games were completed this week, and the field has a familiar look to it. Twenty-four of the 32 teams are same as in 2010, with the qualification process seemingly paving the way for the bigger teams to make the tournament. 

Mexico won just two of their 10 games in the final round of qualifying, yet still got another chance to make it by playing a home and home series with New Zealand, a team ranked 79 in the world (Mexico are 24). Bosnia-Herzegovina are the only debutants, with 14 of the 32 teams having reached double digits in appearances (Brazil 2014 is the 20^th World Cup). 

Although 76 different national teams have made the finals, there have only been 17 new teams since the format expanded to 32 teams in 1998, and only seven of those have made a repeat appearance. 

Only South American teams have won the tournament when it's been held in the Americas, and no team from outside of Europe or South America have ever made the final in any World Cup - so although it's great to see representation from Algeria to Australia, it's unlikely they will reach the later stages - with South Korea and the US (in 1930) the only teams from outside the traditional powerbases to even make a semi-final.

The African teams tend to vary a little, but teams from Asia, South America, North and Central America and Europe are largely the same every four years. Some bigger European nations always miss out as the region gets 13 spots for 53 nations, but it’s the World Cup and the beauty of it is seeing teams from all over the world – because there’s no other stage to potentially watch Iran against Costa Rica.

Also worth viewing on the WSJ sports section:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304607104579210260819460176

Harry had the right idea during Champions League draw

Group B is the 'Group of Hell'? Very hard to pick two from 4 in Group F, and some great away trips for Celtic fans in Group H.

Chelsea will probably be the happiest of the top seeds (and it can't help having Samuel Eto'o joining on a free transfer), but there are some great games to look forward to - as there always are in the Champions League, you just have to put up with the long, drawn-out process that accompanies the draw. Surely there must be an easier way? It just makes legends of the game look stupid for not being able to unscrew a little plastic ball !

Seems Harry Redknapp had the right idea during the marathon event (although I'm sure he's busy preparing for games against Yeovil and Doncaster)....

Here's the full draw:

Group A: Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Sociedad

Group B: Real Madrid, Juventus, Galatasaray, Copenhagen

Group C: Benfica, Paris St-Germain, Olympiakos, Anderlecht

Group D: Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, Manchester City, Viktoria Plzen

Group E: Chelsea, Schalke, Basel, Steaua Bucharest

Group F: Arsenal, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli

Group G: Porto, Atletico Madrid, Zenit St Petersburg, Austria Vienna

Group H: Barcelona, AC Milan, Ajax, Celtic

Watch out, the Group of Death is coming again

It's the Champions League draw today, with Match Day 1 on September 17.

Some interesting names, old and new, in the draw. And what better time to pick my 'Group of Death' and the Group that Manchester United will get (somehow I seem to recall them always getting an easy draw).

The worst scenario would probably be Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain, Machester City and Napoli - although would be fantastic to watch - I'd take Bayern and Napoli to qualify.

Basically avoid Napoli from Pot Four and Dortmund from Pot Three and you should qualify - but what do I know!

Pot one: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, FC Porto, Benfica.

Pot two: Atletico Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan, Schalke 04, Marseille, CSKA Moscow, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus.

Pot three: Zenit St Petersburg, Manchester City, Ajax Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund, FC Basel, Olympiakos, Galatasaray, Bayer Leverkusen.

Pot four: FC Copenhagen, Napoli, Anderlecht, Celtic, Steaua Bucharest, Plzen, Real Sociedad, Austria Vienna.