Road to San Siro: With the group stage behind us, here's what to expect from the Champions League 

There is something irresistibly magnetic about a Champions League night that one can't really pin down. Maybe it's the anthem, composed by Tony Britten in 1992 when the competition made the move to its modern format. A classical tune for football that is a class apart. Maybe it's the time — far from the couch of weekend football, bang in the middle of the week, and the middle of the night. It's certainly not for those who get tired and tuck in early on Wednesday nights. Or maybe it's the accumulated myth attached with the competition over ages — a gladiator-esque contest designed for 'champions', where fans, players, managers, clubs and fixtures become more than what they are. They become what they believe in — their better selves. There are big clubs in the Champions League, but no club is small in the elite European showdown.
Speaking of showdowns, the knockout phase is here. The Champions League group stage has run its course. 'The flop', as they say in Texas Hold 'em, is laid out. Sixteen teams have fought hard, some have beaten odds to reach the round of 16. Now it's time for 'the turn'. Come Monday, the draw for the round of 16 will put teams head to head. Each of them will get 180 minutes to prove they are better, stronger than the other one.

The dark horses
When Chelsea won the Champions League in 2012, Inter Milan in 2010 and Liverpool in 2005, they were not favourites. And even with Barcelona, Bayern and Real galloping towards the top prize in club football, one can't rule out dark horses making the race interesting.