The winner? It's no Real surprise

PATRIOTISM is the last refuge of a fortune teller, so don't assume the Champions League is coming home despite three English teams in the last 16.

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Conveniently, they are all on one side of the draw, so it can't be an all-English final. And the way the draw is structured, Liverpool or Aston Villa would knock each other out in the quarter-finals if they reach the last eight, while all roads lead to Madrid for Arsenal if they get past PSV Eindhoven.

Liverpool? The title is their holy grail and a seventh European Cup (to give the competition its proper name) would be a bonus. Aston Villa? Unai Emery has a serious pedigree in Europe, but his squad is not strong enough to win it. Arsenal? No fit strikers, no chance.

So that leaves the usual cast of suspects. Kylian Mbappe is coming to the boil for Real Madrid, Bayern Munich can't be much cop if they only scraped past Celtic in the play-off round, Barcelona are on the comfy side of the draw and Paris Saint-Germain must get past Liverpool.

Anyone for an El Clasico final? With Barcelona coming out on top?

NEIL MCLEMAN - REAL MADRID