The year of the double Dutch?

I'm not gonna predict all Champions League and Europa League here.

But maybe a few comments on the draws in random order - leaving aside the Milan-Barca-Zlatan implications that we have already dealt with.

What else?

Group A with  Bayern, Villareal, Man City and Napoli has rightly been dubbed the group of death.  Any group with Man C would probably be called that, but joined also by one of the two strongest fourth seeds, Napoli (the other, even stronger, being Dortmund), it is indeed a strong group.

Manchester United and Benfica should go through in Group C, just like Milan and Barca should go through in their groups. Still. What beautiful football games.  What memories.  OK, I was not really on Wembley in 1968, but that Manchester United win is one of the classics.  And Milan's thrashing in the deam final against Barcelona in 1994 still ranks as one of the most extatic football memories of all times.

The third clash of historic titans is Real-Ajax, but it''s not quite the same these days. And they never played each other in a final.

Arsenal-Dortmund has the potential to be one of the best games in the tournament.  Shame it clashes with Milan-Barca: no one, including me, will watch.

Europa League does not provide the same excitement.  But I was surprised over the lack of exciting draws.  Atlectico, Udinese, Rennes is a fine group though.

Otherwise Europa League has a tendency of being dominated by a different league every year.  We had Germany, we had Ukraine, and last year we very much had Portgual.  Who's up?

England have four teams, but that is too boring.  Holland is a great candidate, I would not be surprised if at the knockout stage we have four Dutch teams that all have the potential to progress even further. Belgium has made a good tournament so far but have tougher draws.  So Holland is my bet. Remember that next spring.