Can I start with a statement? Liverpool Football Club are going to win the European Cup for the 6th time in Athens on the 23rd of May. You heard it here first.

The draw for the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final of the UEFA Champion’s League was just made.

Those will be the first leg ties to be played on the 3rd/4th of April with the reverse fixtures on the 10th/11th.

I’m tipping Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Man United and Valencia to go through.

The Milan/Munich game is the tie of the round and a tough one to call. I caught the end of Bayern victory over Real Madrid the other night and they looked like they wanted it badly. For that reason I’m going to tip them to progress. Being at home for the second leg can’t hurt either.

Liverpool and PSV have already met twice in this season’s competition when Liverpool topped the group with an away draw and a home win. They kept two clean sheets and looked comfortable in both games. Having said that Ronald Koeman was the manager of Benfica when they knocked Liverpool out last season. It feels like Liverpool’s year though. Again Liverpool are at home for the second leg and are very good at two-legged ties with the home leg second.

Roma Vs. Man United looks a foregone conclusion, but then I thought Lyon would beat Roma. Man United are having a great season without playing well at the moment. They have some injury concerns but I think that over two legs, and with the second at home, they’ll do the job.

In the Chelsea/Valencia tie I’m going for the team at home in the second leg once more, Valencia. It is unlikely that all the home teams in the second leg will go through - and I’d say Bayern are the shakiest - but I think Valencia are well equipped to handle Chelsea. Most “experts” disagree of course!

The Semi-Finals will be;

Again it will be that way for the first leg on the 24th/25th of April with the reverse on the 1st/2nd of May.

I’m tipping Liverpool and Manchester United to progress.

Both Chelsea and Valencia would prove stiff opponents, but ones that Bentez knows all about. Liverpool/Chelsea would be a repeat of the 2005 semi-final, but since my gut says Valencia I’ll talk about that. Rafael Benitez was the manager of Valencia before he quit to become manager of Liverpool in 2004. A return to his former club would be very emotional no doubt, but I am sure that he keeps a close eye on the news of his former club and so would be well equipped to face them tactically. Valencia are a very dangerous team and are still very similar to the way Benitez had set the team out. As a result they are similar to how Liverpool are set out. It would be a very close tie but with Liverpool at home in the second leg, only a fool would write them off. And I mean that whether it’s Valencia or Chelsea.

Man United have already started talking about trebles and 1999 (when they won their 2nd European Cup). There is the possibility of an Italian team in both the quarters and the semis as it was in 1999 and if it ends up being Bayern Munich instead that’s still a good omen for them as that’s who the beat in the final that year. An A.C. Milan/Man United tie would be very hard to call, but I think Bayern have the desire to beat Milan and United have the skill to beat Bayern.

In the Final the winner of the 2nd Semi-Final (Man United) were drawn as the home team.

I’m saying Man United Vs. Liverpool on the 23rd of May and that Liverpool will wear their white and green jearsey instead of the yellow.

The final would be revenge and more proof that while Bentiez has yet to crack the Premiership code, he is a master at the tactical battle of the cup competitions.