The draw for the Champions League round of 16 was made today and it threw together some very interesting match-ups.

AC Milan was the one second seed that all the group winners wanted to avoid, and Arsenal were the unlucky ones who got the reigning Serie A champions, who finished second in their section behind Barcelona.

Their will also be another Premier League versus Serie A Matchup as Chelsea will meet Napoli, who knocked out Manchester City in the group stages. Chelsea have not faced Napoli in Europe, but will be wary of a side that knocked out City and boast a potent attacking threat including Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik.

Other highlights include a tie against Bayer Leverkusen for holders Barcelona, while Real Madrid take on CSKA Moscow. 2010 winners Inter Milan take on Marseille, while Manchester United’s conquerors Basel face Bundesliga side Bayern Munich.

Champions League Round of 16 First Leg
14 Feb: Lyon v Apoel – Buy Lyon v Apoel Tickets
21 feb: Napoli v Chelsea – Buy Napoli v Chelsea Tickets
AC Milan v Arsenal – Buy AC Milan v Arsenal Tickets
22 Feb: Basel v Bayern Munich – Buy Basel v Bayern Munich Tickets
14 Feb: Bayer Leverkusen v Barcelona – Buy Bayer Leverkusen v Barcelona Tickets
CSKA Moscow v Real Madrid – Buy CSKA Moscow v Real Madrid Tickets
Zenit St Petersburg v Benfica
22 Feb: Marseille v Inter Milan – Buy Marseille v Inter Tickets

Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg
Apoel v Lyon
14 March: Chelsea v Napoli – Buy Chelsea v Napoli Tickets
Arsenal v AC Milan – Buy Arsenal v AC Milan Tickets
13 March: Bayern Munich v Basel – Buy Bayern Munich v Basel Tickets
Barcelona v Bayer Leverkusen – Buy Barcelona v Bayer Leverkusen Tickets
14 March: Real Madrid v CSKA Moscow – Buy Real Madrid v CSKA Moscow Tickets
13 March: Inter Milan v Marseille – Buy Inter v Marseille Tickets

Manchester City and Manchester United both face difficult ties in the Europa League following their elimination from the Champions League.

City will face Portuguese Liga joint leaders FC Porto in the Round of 32 while United meet Dutch side Ajax.

Stoke City‘s reward for progressing from the group stage of the Europa League is a tie against Spanish outfit Valencia, who are third in La Liga.

In the Round of 16, Manchester City would not meet neighbours United.

Porto, who won the trophy last year under the guidance of now Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas, host Manchester City in the first leg before a return fixture at Etihad Stadium, while Manchester United will play in the Amsterdam ArenA first.

The games are scheduled for 16 and 23 February, 2012, but may be altered because both Manchester clubs are due to play at home in the second legs.

Round of 32, first legs
Tuesday February 14
Braga v Besiktas – Buy Braga v Besiktas Tickets

Thursday February 16
Porto v Manchester City – Buy Porto v Manchester City Tickets
Ajax v Manchester United – Buy Ajax v Man United Tickets
Lokomotiv Moscow v Athletic Bilbao
Salzburg v Metalist Kharkiv
Stoke v Valencia
Rubin Kazan v Olympiacos
AZ Alkmaar v Anderlecht
Lazio v Atletico Madrid – Buy Lazio v Athletic Madrid Tickets
Steaua Bucharest v FC Twente
Viktoria Plzen v Schalke
Wisla Krakow v Standard Liege
Udinese v PAOK – Buy Udinese v PAOK Tickets
Trabzonspor v PSV Eindhoven
Hannover v Club Brugge
Legia Warsaw v Sporting Lisbon

Round of 32, second legs
Wednesday February 22
Manchester City v Porto – Buy Man City v Porto Tickets

Thursday February 23
Besiktas v Braga
Manchester United v Ajax – Buy Man United v Ajax Tickets
Athletic Bilbao v Lokomotiv Moscow
Metalist Kharkiv v Salzburg
Valencia v Stoke – Buy Valencia v Stoke ickets
Olympiacos v Rubin Kazan
Anderlecht v AZ Alkmaar
Atletico Madrid v Lazio – Buy Atletico Madrid v Lazio Tickets
FC Twente v Steaua Bucharest
Schalke v Viktoria Plzen
Standard Liege v Wisla Krakow
PAOK v Udinese
PSV Eindhoven v Trabzonspor
Club Brugge v Hannover
Sporting Lisbon v Legia Warsaw

EUROPA LEAGUE ROUND OF 16 DRAW
SV Salzburg/Metalist v Rubin K/Olympiakos
Legia W/Sporting v Porto/Man City
Steaua/Twente v Plzen/Schalke
Wisla K/Standard L v Hannover/Club Brugge
Stoke/Valencia v Trabzonspor/PSV
Az Alkmaar/Andrelecht v Udinese/PAOK
Lazio/Atletico M v SC Braga/Besiktas
Ajax/Man Utd v Lokomotiv M/Ahtletic B

Ties scheduled for 8 and 15 March

Arsenal have announced the teams who will be competing in the 2011 Emirates Cup this summer, and the big news is that Thierry Henry will return to play against Arsenal.

The Emirates Cup will be played July 30-31 and joining Arsenal will be Thierry Henry’s New York Red Bulls, leading French club Paris Saint-Germain and Boca Juniors, the most successful Argentine and South American club of all time.

While the return of Henry will get all the attention, the match between Arsenal and Boca Juniors on July 30, should be a footballing treat.

Saturday 30th July 2011 – Buy Tickets
New York Red Bulls v Paris Saint-Germain (2pm)
Arsenal v Club Atletico Boca Juniors (4:20pm)

Sunday 31st July 2011 – Buy Tickets
Club Atletico Boca Juniors v Paris Saint-Germain (2pm)
Arsenal v New York Red Bulls (4:20pm)

What game are you excited to see?

The Brazilian Football Association (CFB) has announced that Brazil will take on Scotland in an international friendly on March 27. The match will be played at the Emirates Stadium in London, the home of Arsenal. Buy Brazil v Scotland Tickets

Both sides haven’t met since they met at the 1998 World Cup in France. Scotland caused Brazil all kinds of trouble 13 years back, but an own goal from Tom Boyd eventually helped the South Americans to a 2-1 win.

“This game will not only capture the imagination of the Scotland support but also the squad, who will relish the prospect of testing their skills against one of the finest international teams in world football,” Scotland coach Craig Levein said in a statement. The opportunity to play Brazil was irresistible.”

This game falls on a FIFA approved international date which means that Pato, Robinho and possibly Kaka will all be playing for Brazil. Buy Brazil v Scotland Tickets

Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has gotten a lot of heat from the Toon Army over the years for the way he has run the club. But the news that Newcastle fans can lock in their price at the 2011-12 rate (£15 more than this year) and can maintain this rate until the end of the 2021-22 season.

Newcastle‘s head of customer operations, Simon Esland, explained the team’s rationale, telling the Telegraph Sport:

“Newcastle United fans show their club a lot of commitment to the club by making sure our attendances are the third highest in the Premier League.  Now we are trying to show our commitment to the fans by making sure they can budget to come and watch a side they love to see in action. We believe it is a first although other clubs might have offered bonds in the past. We know these are tough times for everyone so we’re trying to do all we can for the fans.”

This move has to make even the most ardent anti-ashley fan happy. Ashey’s relationship with the Toon Army has been estranged since buying the club back in 2007. Maybe Ashley realizes that he is it in for the long-rum at Newcastle and is finally trying build bridges with the Newcastle fans?

Or the more cynical Toon fan will say that this offer means that Newcastle are guaranteed to have one of the top attendances in the Premier League for the next ten years, and that is great for revenue purposes.

photo credit: jeffedoe

Liverpool will play Cardiff City in the English League Cup final after a thrilling 2-2 draw at home against Manchester City completed a 3-2 aggregate success for Kenny Dalglish’s side. Cardiff v Liverpool Tickets

The Premier League leaders twice took the lead at Anfield thanks to goals in either half from Nigel de Jong and Edin Džeko but the hosts responded swiftly on both occasions with Steven Gerrard’s penalty and Craig Bellamy’s strike booking a place in the showpiece on 26 February.

City cancelled out the hosts’ first-leg advantage when De Jong curled in a sublime effort from distance after 31 minutes. Gerrard’s penalty had separated the sides in the first meeting and when Micah Richards was penalised for handball nine minutes later, the Reds’ captain again registered from the spot.

Joe Hart made a string of saves to keep Roberto Mancini’s men in the tie and his interventions appeared decisive when Aleksandar Kolarov’s cross was turned in by Džeko midway through the second half.

Liverpool roused themselves again, however, and Bellamy made it 2-2 after 74 minutes by exchanging passes with Glen Johnson before sweeping in a low finish to secure a place in the final against Championship side Cardiff.

Cardiff made to to Wembley after beating Crystal Palace 3-1 on penalties Tiesday. Anthony Gardner, who scored the only goal of the first leg, headed past his own goalkeeper to give Cardiff an early lead and level the aggregate score. The visitors forced extra time, though, despite the second-half dismissal of Patrick McCarthy only to fall in the shoot-out.

Carling Cup Final Tickets:
26 February: Cardiff City v Liverpool Cardiff v Liverpool Tickets – From £213

The traditional opener to the Premier League season is the Community Shield where rivals Manchester City and Manchester United will meet at Wembley on 7 August. Buy Community Shield Tickets

This is only the second time that these two rivals have met in the season curtain-raiser, with the first being the 1956 FA Charity Shield, which United won 1–0. Both teams secured their place in the 2011 Community Shield on the same day, Saturday 14 May 2011 when United clinched the 2010–11 Premier League title with a 1–1 drawn against Blackburn at Ewood Park and City beating Stoke City 1–0 later in the day in the 2011 FA Cup Final.

Community Shield match rules:
The match lasts 90 minutes, comprising of two 45 minute periods that are separated by a 15 minute break. If the scores are level after 90 minutes the match will go to a penalty shootout, where each side takes five penalty kicks each, and the winner is the team who scores more goals in the shootout. If the scores are level after each team has taken five penalty kicks, the match goes to sudden death, whereby each team takes one penalty kick each in succession, and the winner is the team who scores their sudden death kick when the other team misses.

How do I get to Wembley Stadium?
Fans are encouraged to use Public Transportation when attending a match at Wembley. The stadium is served by three stations and five lines; the Jubilee, Metropolitan and Bakerloo underground lines plus Chiltern and Silverlink metro rail lines. This means that visitors can travel to and from the stadium smoothly and safely on event days.

Can I park at Wembley Stadium?
It is recommended that any visitors wishing to drive to the stadium only use the Official Wembley Stadium Car Parks. To reserve your space, please visit www.csparking.com/stadium. To avoid disappointment, please pre-book your space early.

Welcome to the Premier League Swansea! We have tickets to every Swansea game this season, both home and away.

Premier League Schedule
August
13 Man City (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
20 Wigan (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
27 Sunderland (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets

September
10 Arsenal (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
17 West Brom (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
24 Chelsea (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets

October
1 Stoke (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
15 Norwich (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
22 Wolverhampton (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
29 Bolton (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets

November
5 Liverpool (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
19 Man Utd (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
26 Aston Villa (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets

December
3 Blackburn (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
10 Fulham (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
17 Newcastle (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
21 Everton (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
26 QPR (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
31 Tottenham (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets

January
2 Aston Villa (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
14 Arsenal (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
21 Sunderland (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
31 Chelsea (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets

February
4 West Brom (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
11 Norwich (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
25 Stoke (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets

March
3 Wigan (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
10 Man City (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
17 Fulham (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
24 Everton (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
31 Tottenham (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets

April
7 Newcastle (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
9 QPR (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
14 Blackburn (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
21 Bolton (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
28 Wolverhampton (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets

May
5 Man Utd (A) – Buy Swansea City Tickets
13 Liverpool (H) – Buy Swansea City Tickets

Norwich is back in the top flight of English football and we have tickets to every Premier League game this season, both home and away

Norwich City 2011-12 Schedule

August
13 Wigan (A) – Buy Norwich City Tickets
20 Stoke (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
27 Chelsea (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets

September
10 West Brom (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
17 Bolton (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
24 Sunderland (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets

October
1 Man Utd (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
15 Swansea (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
22 Liverpool (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
29 Blackburn (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets

November
5 Aston Villa (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
19 Arsenal (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
26 QPR (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets

December
3 Man City (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
10 Newcastle (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
17 Everton (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
20 Wolverhampton (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
26 Tottenham (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
31 Fulham (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets

January
2 QPR (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
14 West Brom (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
21 Chelsea (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
31 Sunderland (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets

February
4 Bolton (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
11 Swansea (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
25 Man Utd (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets

March
3 Stoke (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
10 Wigan (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
17 Newcastle (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
24 Wolverhampton (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
31 Fulham (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets

April
7 Everton (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
9 Tottenham (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
14 Man City (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
21 Blackburn (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
28 Liverpool (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets

May
5 Arsenal (A) - Buy Norwich City Tickets
13 Aston Villa (H) - Buy Norwich City Tickets

QPR is back in the top flight of English football and we have tickets to every Premier League game this season, both home and away

Queens Park Rangers 2011-12 Schedule
August
13 Bolton (H) – Buy QPR Tickets
20 Everton (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
27 Wigan (A) - Buy QPR Tickets

September
10 Newcastle (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
17 Wolverhampton (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
24 Aston Villa (H) - Buy QPR Tickets

October
1 Fulham (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
15 Blackburn (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
22 Chelsea (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
29 Tottenham (A) - Buy QPR Tickets

November
5 Man City (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
19 Stoke (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
26 Norwich (A) - Buy QPR Tickets

December
3 West Brom (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
10 Liverpool (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
17 Man Utd (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
20 Sunderland (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
26 Swansea (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
31 Arsenal (A) - Buy QPR Tickets

January
2 Norwich (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
14 Newcastle (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
21 Wigan (H) - Buy QPR Tickets

February
1 Aston Villa (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
4 Wolverhampton (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
11 Blackburn (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
25 Fulham (H) - Buy QPR Tickets

March
3 Everton (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
10 Bolton (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
17 Liverpool (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
24 Sunderland (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
31 Arsenal (H) - Buy QPR Tickets

April
7 Man Utd (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
9 Swansea (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
14 West Brom (A) - Buy QPR Tickets
21 Tottenham (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
28 Chelsea (A) - Buy QPR Tickets

May
5 Stoke (H) - Buy QPR Tickets
13 Man City (A) - Buy QPR Tickets