Liverpool's outright odds of 28-1 are far too high for a side that won the competition just two seasons ago and topped their qualifying group. It mightn't have been the fiercest group in the competition but their results were enough to retain faith in Rafa Benitez's (right) talents in European competition. Barcelona have been unsteady of late, losing at home to Real Zaragoza in the cup and being held to a scoreless draw with Osasuna. Samuel Eto'o has returned, but is unlikely to immediately rediscover any excellent form, not to mention his hissy fit last week when he refused to come on for a paltry few minutes against Racing Santander. There's little doubt that Barcelona have the talent to win the competition two years in a row, but it's a big ask of a club with obvious in-fighting and key players returning from injury. Benitez will go for a point, and it's worth a punt that he'll get it. Two of the past four meetings between these clubs have ended scoreless, both at Camp Nou.

BACK CELTIC TO DRAW WITH AC MILAN 5-2 Odds quoted are from Betfair A step into the unknown for Celtic, as they enter the knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time. Over the years, their home record has been almost impeccable, with their away form consistently letting them down. Milan were seen as the best of the big guns to get when the draw was made, but their form has picked up since Christmas. Kaka has been expertly pulling the strings behind Alberto Gilardino and it's unlikely that Celtic will be able to shut them out for an entire 90 minutes.

Milan's group stage form was poor, losing to AEK Athens and Lille, but it's doubtful whether Celtic can take a lead to the San Siro.

Manchester United's baffling insistence on using Wayne Rooney on the left, coupled with a terrible night for Louis Saha gave Celtic their passport to the last 32. Those hammerings by Benfica and FC Copenhagen can't be ignored.

Milan - having secured a home leg in the San Siro, albeit with reduced capacity - will be happy to travel home with a draw and Celtic are well able to frustrate. Back the draw at 5-2.

Where the money might be. . .

DUN DOIRE TO WIN THE GRAND NATIONAL 25-1 (Betfair) This week saw the weights announced for the Aintree showpiece, and bookies priced up an unprecedented five Irish horses at the head of the market. Hardly surprising, seeing as Irish horses have won five out of the last eight. But a series of punts soon saw Dun Doire and Far From Trouble installed as joint favourites. Dun Doire, a winner at Cheltenham last year, is trained by Tony Martin, known as The Pied Piper because of punters' tendency to blindly follow him, was 25-1 on Betfair before the weights were announced, but was soon 12-1.