Welcome to the start of the gibfootballshow Champions League previews. Instead of listening to me waffle on, who better to tell you all about each teams chances in the tournament than from the fans themselves. So over the eight games you will read the thoughts of sixteen talented bloggers.

In Tottenhams first ever foray into Europe’s elite club competition they have impressed everyone. Now they face a side top of Serie A, could Tottenham reach the Quarter-Finals. Jack McInroy from You’ll Win Nothing With Yids looks at their chances.

So much for winning the group! We beat the Italian (and European) champions Inter only to be drawn against the current Serie A leaders. It could be worse. While we’ll be underdogs against AC Milan, Arsenal play Barcelona with the sole aim of keeping the aggregate score down to a respectable level.

We have marvelled Europe with expansive attacking play and Gareth Bale’s unstoppable directness. That wonderful victory over Inter and Bale’s hat-trick in the away game will live long in the memory, and is repeatable as long we don’t start the way we did last time round, conceding four goals in 35 disastrous minutes. Hopefully lessons were learnt and our defence can’t possibly play that poorly again.

Milan have a dazzling array of forwards to pick from including Zlatan Ibrahimović, Alex Pato and Robinho and a raft of World Cup winners. On the weekend they thumped Parma 4-0 on their way to what might be a 17th Scudetto, but comfort can be taken from their mediocre showings in the group stage. They’ll hardly be thrilled to be playing us. Having the second leg at White Hart Lane is advantageous. This season we’ve been far better coming from behind than holding on to a lead.

Two significant things have happened since the draw that have put a dent in my confidence – the failure to capture a striker in the January transfer window and a handful of critical injuries. We travel to Italy with a hugely depleted midfield. Gareth Bale (back) and Tom Huddlestone (ankle) are out, Jermaine Jenas is suspended, and if Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric play any part it won’t be at full fitness.

Sandro, Wilson Palacios, Niko Kranjcar and Steven Pienaar will have to put in the performances of their lives. Aaron Lennon, undervalued by Fabio Capello and a great deal of football fans, is in excellent form, but it’ll be very difficult to surmount such strong opposition with so many key players out and none of Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe or Roman Pavlyuchenko in anything that resembles form.

Massimo Allegri’s Milan side have played some excellent football this season and deservedly top the Serie A table. Tome Obaro looks at his sides chances as they take on a dangerous Spurs side.

For a club that prides itself on having the Champions League in our DNA our last two campaigns have been absolutely abysmal. After the euphoria of winning the trophy in 2007 Milan meekly went out to Arsenal over two legs in the following year’s campaign at the second round stage. That situation mirrored itself once more last season.

After an inconsistent group stage the Rossoneri ended up getting thumped home and away by Manchester United. The flaws were there so see, the inability of the forwards to track back when the ball was lost, lack of tempo in a somewhat aging side and some players not just being good enough.

Milan sit atop Serie A, clear by 3 points, mostly down to Ibrahimovic explosive start to his Milan career, the defensive solidity of Nesta and Thiago and most importantly the shrewdness of Allegri. Initially he tried to play an attacking 4-3-3 formation in which he tried to shoehorn as many as his attacking players as possible. It wasn’t bad going forward but left the side unbalanced and susceptible to the counter attack as defeat at Cesena, in just the second league match showed.

Since a similar chastening defeat at Real Madrid in the Champion Leagues Allegri has retooled the side to play a more solid 4-3-2-1 with hardworking midfield comprising of  Gattuso Boateng and Ambrosini  playing behind the attackers. Positive results have followed with the side the joint top scorers in the division while boasting the stingiest defence.

Some off the old flaws remain though. The side still struggles against teams playing with width as losses in the league to Juventus and Roma showed. Also due to the rather prosaic nature of the midfield and the injury problems of both Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf there exists a visible vacuum of creativity. Injuries have also taken their toll and the sight of Thiago Silva playing in midfield shows the extent of the problem. In a recent match against Catania Milan ended up with Marek Jankulovski, a left back, in midfield. The jury’s also out on the Ibra/Pato partnership with several observers wondering if they complement together in attack.

Against Spurs, at the risk of stating the obvious, it’s definitely not going to be easy. The London side have wowed Europe with an attacking style comprising of pace and verve and in Gareth Bale have one of the standout players in this year’s competition. His absence from the first leg will be a blow for Tottenham but the players like Van der Vaart and Lennon will always pose a threat to any side.

To go through the round Milan need a healthy lead from the first leg mainly because Spurs seems formidable at White Hart Lane. Not impossible because despite their attacking prowess Spurs have leaked eleven goals in their six group games. Allegri also has to chose who to pair with Ibrahimovic upfront be it Pato or the surprisingly vibrant and hardworking Robinho. He must also decide if the so far successful Thiago Silva midfield experiment should continue.

If he gets the major decisions right and this team plays to its potential it’ll be third time lucky against an English side at this stage of the Champions League.