[Archived] Champions League 2017-2018

[Norbert Rassragr]

Not really that bothered who does what in the UEFA money shot league. It's more or less the same clubs who get furthest anyway. It all depends on how much their foreign pimps pay tossers like Neymar or Ronaldo.

[philipl]

Have to say the Champions League is much more interesting than normal this season. Looking at the clubs which have finished second in the Group stages, there could be some wild ties in the Round of 16 plus unfancied clubs being drawn against each other.

At least Arsenal will be spared their traditional early spring mauling by Bayern. I wonder if Wenger will take the Europa League seriously like Mourinho did last season? 

[philipl]

Juventus v Tottenham

FC Basel v Manchester City

Porto v Liverpool

Sevilla v Manchester United

Real Madrid v PSG

Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma

Chelsea v Barcelona

Bayern Munich v Besiktas

 

City bang on to progress, Man U and Liverpool ought to, Spurs will if they repeat their Real Madrid form, Chelsea outsiders but not mission impossible given Barca are also having a bit of a dip.

Real v PSG knocks out a favourite increasing the chances of City winning the CL. Potentially tough draws for Roma and Bayern..  

[speeeeeeedie]

A decent draw for the English teams. Conte now has to prove his worth.

City will beat Basel. Man U will easily beat Seville. If Liverpool don't lose away in Portugal they'll progress too. Spurs are 50-50.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, speeeeeeedie said:

A decent draw for the English teams. Conte now has to prove his worth.

That's quite a benchmark to hold Conte up to! Barcelona are light years ahead of the current Chelsea team.

[speeeeeeedie]

On 12/11/2017 at 12:18, OnePhilT said:

That's quite a benchmark to hold Conte up to! Barcelona are light years ahead of the current Chelsea team.

I've just resurrected this thread seeing as the last 16 has started. I didn't see this comment earlier. When I wrote it Chelsea were reigning champions, and not too far behind City. Writing now Barcelona certainly are the favourites.

As for today's games; Juventus-Spurs was a belter. Spurs were half asleep at kickoff and went 2-0 down but were by far the better team. They deserved a draw, and probably should have won, even with Higuain missing a pen when Juve were 2-1 up. It's rare to see an Italian team on the ropes like they were today.

I didn't watch City but I doubt many bookies will offer odds on Basel progressing to the quarters. 4-0 down with an away game in Manchester to come. They may as well play their reserves and save effort for the Swiss league.

I'm looking forward to Real-PSG. 

 

[K-Hod]

Indeed, Real & PSG should be a cracker tonight.

It will help offset the crippling loneliness of being single on Valentine's Day as well, while some other poor saps are dining out at restaurants with overpriced menus and missing the football, I'll be watching some of the best players in the world on my sofa, with my biggest concern being whether I can be bothered going to the car to get my glasses or if I'll soldier on and squint for the best part of two hours. As well as celebrating Pancake Day 2: 'This time, it's blueberry'.

*Not that I'm bitter at all*

[FGS5635]

4 hours ago, K-Hod said:

Indeed, Real & PSG should be a cracker tonight.

It will help offset the crippling loneliness of being single on Valentine's Day as well, while some other poor saps are dining out at restaurants with overpriced menus and missing the football, I'll be watching some of the best players in the world on my sofa, with my biggest concern being whether I can be bothered going to the car to get my glasses or if I'll soldier on and squint for the best part of two hours. As well as celebrating Pancake Day 2: 'This time, it's blueberry'.

*Not that I'm bitter at all*

Not me, I have booked me and the wife a table somewhere nice

 

 

Just hope she likes snooker

[speeeeeeedie]

Liverpool's result was surprising. I only saw highlights but they overpowered Porto.

It looks like there are already 2 English teams in the quarters. Can they draw each other yet?

Real's class showed in their 3-1 win. PSG might be the glamour team but Real have been there and done it. I'm starting to think that PSG will never get beyond the last 8 of the Champs League. Their domestic league offers them no competition so they don't have to deal with tough games.

[Norbert Rassragr]

I agree Speeeeedie. At least 3 or 4 teams give Real Madrid something to think about when they play in the league. PSG's budget is 10 times what the nearest competitor has in France, and does not have success in it's history. In fact it does not really have a history, since it is as old as Black Sabbath's first album. Real, with their history, and the Spanish government underwriting them over the years have that kudos that makes players try that bit harder, feel proud to play for them and so on. 

[Tom]

Salah's goal was a thing of beauty 

[roverandout]

I think we will have all five english teams in quarters

 

Actually 4..maybe not chelsea

[speeeeeeedie]

PSG are officially out. Losing 2-1 at home to Real. Veratti got sent off too after a second booking for chasing after the ref.

Liverpool was a predictable 0-0 played out like a pre season friendly.

Today, City's reserves will beat Basel and I can see Spurs topping Juventus.

[Norbert Rassragr]

Real Madrid will win it again. They wake up at the knockout stages.

[roverandout]

Spurs are a bunch of bottlers. Kane needs to leave in the summer..too good for them.  Juventus are a bunch of playacting pansyasses.  Pochetino doesnt have the presence to kick them up the arse when they throw away a lead..fergy would have laid right into them if hed been on the touchline..a much better team than spurs will wipe the floor with juve.

[Vinjay]

Just now, roverandout said:

Spurs are a bunch of bottlers. Kane needs to leave in the summer..too good for them.  Juventus are a bunch of playacting pansyasses.  Pochetino doesnt have the presence to kick them up the arse when they throw away a lead.

Some things never change.

 

[wolfie]

55 minutes ago, roverandout said:

Spurs are a bunch of bottlers. Kane needs to leave in the summer..too good for them.  Juventus are a bunch of playacting pansyasses.  Pochetino doesnt have the presence to kick them up the arse when they throw away a lead..fergy would have laid right into them if hed been on the touchline..a much better team than spurs will wipe the floor with juve.

It took years for Fergie’s Utd to have even the slightest success in Europe 

[joey_big_nose]

Spurs are one of my least favourite teams (big club attitude, small club success, more money than sense, went through a long period in the 2000s of ruining promising English players including Bentley) but even after all that I'm gutted for them.

They played brilliantly over two legs, and look a superbly balanced and skillful team back to front.

You have to wonder when it will happen for them. Soon Barca and Real will be sniffing round in force and they'll start losing key players.

[blueboy3333]

22 minutes ago, wolfie said:

It took years for Fergie’s Utd to have even the slightest success in Europe 

I always used to enjoy them getting hammered by Romario.

.

[AllRoverAsia]

Tough on Spurs, Juve snatched it but Costa looked great.

Not CL but will watch Arsenal tonight followed by ArsenalFanTV for the considered indepth analysis.

[speeeeeeedie]

Well, I got Spurs wrong. They were by far the better team but were undone by slack defending from them, then stifled by good defending at the other end.

I'm still not sure what to make of Kane. He's been banging goals in for a couple of seasons now, but he was sub par last night. I have a feeling that's what his World Cup will look like. I hope I'm proven wrong though.

Dele Alli is another one. He could walk on water 12 months ago. Not now. Teams have figured out that if you kick him he loses his concentration and is far less effective.

[philipl]

Spuds fell. A combination of giving two goals away in the first 11 minutes out of 180 and sandwiching Juventus with Rochdale scaring them home and away for 120 minutes at least.

Liverpool and City limp into the next round courtesy of huge first leg performances away.

Man U and Chelsea could very easily fall to their Spanish opponents so chances are England will have just the two in the last eight.

[wolfie]

How bad were United? Made N'zonzi look like Iniesta. United extremely poor. You can just about excuse the negative tactics if you're winning. 

United are a club with no direction and in the middle of an identity crisis.

On a side note, will be interesting to see how city do if they come up against Real or Barca

[K-Hod]

Pundits had it bang on at HT in saying that Sevilla were there for the taking and United should have gone for them. 

Unreal how it turned out. They grew in confidence as the game went on and I don’t think United expected them to score, then they scored again! 

[LDRover]

On 07/03/2018 at 23:06, joey_big_nose said:

Spurs are one of my least favourite teams (big club attitude, small club success, more money than sense, went through a long period in the 2000s of ruining promising English players including Bentley) but even after all that I'm gutted for them.

They played brilliantly over two legs, and look a superbly balanced and skillful team back to front.

You have to wonder when it will happen for them. Soon Barca and Real will be sniffing round in force and they'll start losing key players.

More worrying for them is when one of them comes in for the manager.