Champions League Thread (the dawn of time - 2014)

[m_vaughan]

I swear if they ban Eduardo, they better ban everyone who dives later on in the competition. It's not like he doesn't deserve a ban but talk about inconsistency. Uefa are only considering it because the SFA call for it. Does that mean every national board has to call for sanctions against players for it to happen? There is no way Uefa could keep it up (I would love it if they did). If they ban Eduardo and let others slide, it's a fliping joke.

Jovetic got a yellow card last night for diving. Does that mean he is safe from a ban?
But I agree. If Eduardo is banned, then they have to ensure that anything and everything similar from hence forth has the same penalty. How many games ban are we talking here?

 

[Will_NA]

They're saying a 2-game ban. Onto the draw...

Wow! Talk about getting lucky with the group draw. We got an amazing group. I am disappointed that we won't face a huge team on a European night until we qualify to the knock-outs (which we should with this group) but we could not have asked for a better group.

AZ Alkmaar, Olympiacos and Standard.

Love Liverpool's group.

 

[treva]

Well Arsenal and Manchester United have piss easy groups. Liverpool should get through but it will be a little tougher. Chelsea have the hardest of the groups out of the English clubs. Group A and Group C I would say are the toughest groups.

 

[Will_NA]

I wouldn't call United's 'piss-easy'. Moscow is a trek and Wolfsburg are German champions with a strikeforce of 2 players who contributed 57 goals last season. They should get through comfortably though.

I'm still amazed how much we've lucked out. Travelling to Holland and Belgium is just about as strenuous as going up North to Bolton.

 

[treva]

Comfortable and 'piss easy' are pretty similar really. They won't be that tested, and I wouldn't be suprised if they won every game.

The full draw if anybody hasn't seen:

Group A: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa
Group B: MANCHESTER UNITED, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg
Group C: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, FC Zurich
Group D: CHELSEA, FC Porto, Atletico Madrid, APOEL
Group E: LIVERPOOL, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debrecen
Group F: FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Dinamo Kiev, FC Rubin Kazan
Group G: Sevilla, RANGERS, Stuttgart, Unirea
Group H: ARSENAL, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos, Standard

 

[PhilD123]

You're calling trips to Moscow, Istanbul and the German champions 'piss-easy'. It's not, and it'll be tough.

Wanted Madrid.

 

[treva]

Moscow aren't that great. Yes I know they won the UEFA Cup a few years back but they are nowhere near the quality of Man United. Wolfsburg I would say are the best of the other 3 teams. Besiktas are poor by Champions League standards.

They will win all their games if you ask me.

 

[Will_NA]

It's not about the teams with Besiktas and CSKA. It's the travelling to Russia, the temperatures to overcome and the fans and hostile atmosphere of Turkey.

 

[vaibhav mehta]

Could the Gunners really have it **any** easier?

Regarding to Eduardo's ban, Sorry to say it but...IT WAS A DIVE! Ronlado was doing same for past three years. (no offense intended)

Also I will give you 9 for that dive, Eduardo.

 

[treva]

It's not about the teams with Besiktas and CSKA. It's the travelling to Russia, the temperatures to overcome and the fans and hostile atmosphere of Turkey.

I understand that, but lets be honest, it shouldn't really effect the players that much. If they can handle playing away at teams like Liverpool and Manchester City where the fans shout ████ at them all game then they can handle European games where the crowd are just a little bit rowdy and hostile.

Like I say, I think United will win all their games, and at the very least they won't lose.

 

[PhilD123]

It's not about the fans being "hostile" or whatever though, it's about the climate, weather conditions (especially in Moscow) and the amount of time it takes for travelling, which can also affect the fitness levels for league games around that time.

Plus Wolfsberg are a very good team who beat Bayern Munich to the German league with players like Dzeko and CSKA are pretty decent too (Vagner Love etc.).

I think we'll get through cos we should win the home games, but we won't win all our games.

PhilD123 added 10 Minutes and 2 Seconds later...

Fixtures here:

http://www.uefa.com/multimediafiles/download/competitions/ucl/87/89/33/878933_download.pdf

Moscow away midweek before Liverpool away and Besiktas away midweek before City at home.

 

[m_vaughan]

Glad we got AC Milan. Need to teach them a lesson or two. The way we are banging in goals at the moment, we could really embarass them. But boy arent Atletico screwed? Porto knocked them out last season and its all over for them again.

Feel a bit sad for Fiorentina. They got a tough group last year as well, and have got Lyon again. Atleast Benzema is banging in the goals somewhere else at the moment!

 

[sd92]

What odds Real to go out first round?

 

[vaibhav mehta]

Surely, it won't be too easy for Man U in Moscow. Conditions are tough already and freezing temperature would be another issue in October there. I would be in Moscow around 20th October so I will try to watch the game. CSKA look in great form. Also Dzagoev should be next pick for English club. His Shooting has been crazy lately. He already has scored one goal nearly from Half line in Domestic League cup.

Wow, the price for Category 1 ticket is 260 Euro. This is too much for that crapy stadium.

 

[PhilD123]

United end tickets are 8 quid I think (unless you go for the VIP ones which are 36 quid).