Today saw the draw for the last sixteen of the Champions League, or if you like, when the competition starts to get juicy. The knock-out stage means that there is little chance for a respite if a team has a poor result, and for the neutrals at least, there is always the chance of enjoying a penalty shoot-out.
There are two clear stand-out ties to whet the appetite, Manchester United will face AC Milan and Chelsea will come up against Inter Milan. Both fixtures will be heavily built-up by the press, with the focus on returning 'heroes'.
Before the draw took place at Uefa's headquarters in Nyon (Switzerland), David Beckham had talked up his hopes of facing his former club and an emotional playing return to Old Trafford. His wish has been granted at the first opportunity and makes for an intriguing tie.
Manchester United will start as favourites but after a difficult start Leonardo appears to have got to grips with being AC Milan manager. The Rossoneri have positioned themselves at second place in Serie A, five points adrift of their rivals Inter, but they are still prone to inconsistencies as demonstrated by their 2-0 home loss to Palermo last weekend. It is hoped by the club that Beckham can make a similar impact on the team as he did during last season's loan.
As for Chelsea, it could be argued that there will be a more revered home coming for José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho (for those who wish to be in awe of his full name!). The Inter Milan coach occasionally speaks of Chelsea, usually after encouragement from journalists, and does so in the manner of someone wistfully recounting a former love.
To give the encounter another sub-plot, not that it needs it, Chelsea are now managed by AC Milan's former such incumbent Carlo Ancelotti. All Champions League matches carry a large amount of pressure but this one has an awful lot riding on it. Ultimately both Ancelotti and Mourinho were hired by their respective clubs with a manifesto that had 'winning the Champions League' at the top of it. The outcome really will be too close to call at this time.
Looking at the rest of the draw the entertaining fixtures are not limited to the Milan teams. The recently rejuvenated Bayern Munich, under Louis van Gaal, will have to overcome the unpredictable but dangerous Fiorentina. Whereas Real Madrid have a tantalising face-off with Lyon, a tie that promises to produce several goals.
As for Arsenal, they will be quietly confident and pleased with their pairing with Porto. The Portuguese champions still carry the potential to oust Wenger's team, but on the basis of recent history Arsenal's home form should be more than enough to see them progress to the quarter-finals.
The rest of the draw is made up with struggling Stuttgart trying to overcome the might of Barcelona's attacking force. Olympiakos will have to contend with the increasingly strong champions of France- Bordeaux, and finally CSKA Moscow will play Seville, and there you have it.
Just like with the World Cup draw there was a 'little' too much preamble, and whilst you may get excited about the matches that are now scheduled, you will have to sit and wait until middle to late February for a kick-off. At least we don't have a winter-break in the UK, one could help our teams and players but that's another story, for those who can't get enough there will be plenty of football to go round during Christmas!