When Fiorentina was drawn in Group E alongside Liverpool, Lyon and Debrecen, few expected the Viola to progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League-let alone as group winners as they relegated Lyon to second place and sent Liverpool packing.

The mighty Juventus crashed out in the group stages while cousins AC Milan and Inter Milan secured their places in the final 16 with labored performances, it was minnows Fiorentina that exceeded all expectations as they went on to collect an impressive 15 points in six games-with only Bordeaux boasting better numbers.

The last time Fiorentina was in the final 16 was back 1999. Since then the club has been to hell and back, clawing their way up from Italy's fourth tier to once again grace the continental stage.

Their opening game away to Lyon-who incidentally knocked the Italians out of the group stages last season-was, however, anything but encouraging as Alberto Gilardino was not only dismissed, but also banned for the upcoming game against Liverpool at the Artemio Franchi. In a stroke of genius, Viola tactician Cesare Prandelli invented teenager Stevan Jovetic as a striker. The starlet didn't disappoint and with his brace against the Merseyside team, he officially introduced himself to the rest of the world.

When José Mourinho arrived on the Peninsula and at Inter Milan, the expectations for the self-proclaimed Special One sky rocketed.

The Champions League was the undisputed number-one priority, and the Milan club that had waited since 1965 would surely experience European glory at last.

Mourinho was to succeed where his predecessor had failed, as Roberto Mancini, despite bringing the club their first Scudetto since 1989, was sacked ahead of the current campaign due to the repeated failures in Europe's finest tournament.

The Portuguese started off in a cheery manner despite the club's early stumble, but Inter soon began to churn out the points needed and get ahead on the table. The team showcased some less than convincing performances as the players clearly struggled with Mourinho's preferred 4-3-3, which also left the Inter tactician's vision of the indestructible machine far away.

It took Juventus two years to get back into Europe's finest tournament, but the dream came to an abrupt stop last night.

Claudio Ranieri's squad was once again ripped apart by injuries ahead of the most important game the club would play for the past two seasons.

Although Chelsea looked immensely stronger on paper, what was to unfold on the pitch would prove otherwise-that would, however, not apply to the end result.

Ranieri had tweaked his starting line-up due to the injured players and despite losing Pavel Nedved to injury after only 12 minutes of play, the home side managed to take the lead. A brilliant build-up by David Trezeguet and Vincenzo Iaquinta saw the latter level the score on aggregate.

Arsenal vs. AS Roma

24 Feb 2009 20:45:00 CET
Emirates Stadium-London
Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark)

Arsenal finished second in group G with 11 points and their only defeat came to group winners Porto. The Gunners went all the way to the final in 2006 where they were defeated at the hands of Barcelona. Since then, the North London club hasn't been nearly as successful in their quest for European glory.

Injuries and poor form has seen Arsenal slip down the standings and just last weekend they collected their third consecutive goalless draw. The club is currently residing in fifth place with a mighty 17 points separating them from the top-which makes it rather safe to say that they're out of the title race for this time.

Remember when you were small and your parents would say "If you haven't got something nice to say, then don't say anything"?

Well, judging by his comments over the last few weeks, Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood certainly missed out on this lesson.

Speaking directly to the tabloid The Daily Mirror, Hill-Wood said:

"There is no denying that it would be a real financial drain on the club if we didn't qualify for the Champions League next season.

Even if we were in the UEFA Cup and enjoyed a long run in Europe, that would not come close to making up the shortfall. But although missing out on the Champions League for one year would be a big disappointment, it would not mean financial armageddon for Arsenal.