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| Champions League | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 13 2007, 02:00 PM (4,089 Views) | |
| rosarino | Dec 12 2007, 11:03 AM Post #151 |
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I was hoping for a bit more drama yesterday too but the class and experience of teams like Liverpool, Real Madrid and Schalke won out. I was a bit surprised at how easily Olimpiacos won over Werder Bremen. Werder seems like they should be a better team and they've put together some good games already this season but I guess the regularity in their play isn't there. But good showing for Olimpiacos, their gray haired goalie, one of Greece's Euro 2004 heros, always seems to show up in big games. Like others here I am looking forward to Rangers-Lyon and hope that does turn up to be an exciting and dramatic game. |
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| Winslow | Dec 12 2007, 02:00 PM Post #152 |
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Oh, well. Wednesday's results... . . . . . . Group E: Barcelona 3, Stuttgart 1; Rangers 0, Lyon 3. Group F: Roma 1, Man United 1; Sporting Lisbon 3, Dynamo Kyiv 0. Group G: PSV Eindhoven 0, Inter 1; Fenerbahce 3, CSKA Moscow 1. Group H: Arsenal 2, Steaua Bucharest 1; Slavia Prague 0, Sevilla 3. Any drama left at Ibrox was snuffed out by two late goals by Benzema, after Lyon took an early lead when Govou beat three Rangers to a rebound. OL's advance followed almost as big a comeback as Liverpool's. Eto'o scored the winner in Barca's meaningless win at home. PSV had to play a man down for an hour, but hung in there until David Suazo burned two defenders and slipped a short ball to J.R. Cruz, who finished smartly with the outside of his left foot. Meanwhile, Fenerbahce gave up an own goal on the half-hour, quickly tied it on Alex's 25-yard cannon, then got two more goals from Ugur to seal its second round spot. The second round draw will be a lot of fun, won't it? |
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| rosarino | Dec 12 2007, 02:11 PM Post #153 |
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Benzema is quite a talent but like most young players he's very inconsistent. He made up for a terrible miss with those two late goals, the last a great strike. As he matures he will be a tough guy to handle, he's strong has pretty good technique and once he learns how to finish Lyon and France will have a very dangerous player. I thought Lyon made a mistake in trying to sit on a 1-0 lead as if they kept on attacking they could have ripped Rangers defense apart, as it was they took off many of their most creative players and were hoping Benzema or a Juninho free kick would give them more goals. It almost cost them as Darcheville should have tied it right after Benzema's miss but I guess those cancelled one another out. But that was really all Rangers had. Well now we've separated the wheat from the shell so now is when this Champions League really begins. It'll be interesting to see which of the 16 teams left go up or down in form between now and when this all starts up again in February. |
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| Dr. Z | Dec 12 2007, 05:20 PM Post #154 |
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Barcelona-Stuttgart was a meaningless game but Barca's 3-1 win was noteworthy for Samuel Eto'o's goal, his first since returning from injury, Mexican young player Giovani Dos Santos' first goal with Barcelona and Ronaldinho also got on the scoresheet. So they used this game to give all three of those players, eithe r injured or in Ronaldinho's case, out of form, recently a chance to get back in shape. A competitive training match if you will. Al three looked pretty good too so it was a successful outing for them. A few weeks back we talked here about Arsenal playing some reserves against Sevilla and risking by their loss that day, to fall into 2nd place in the group. Well that is exactly what happened today. Now Arsenal, like Liverpool, await who'll they'll be drawn against for the octave finals. While most group winners would prefer to avoid Arsenal and Liverpool, those English clubs also have made it more difficult for themselves too as wouldn't you rather play Celtic, Schalke or Fenerbahce rather than Inter Milan, Real Madrid or Barcelona? |
| Poniendo el pecho a las balas! | |
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| Merengue | Dec 12 2007, 11:45 PM Post #155 |
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Both Lyon and Liverpool get a lot of credit for coming back when it looked like they had litle chance left in their respective groups. I agree with rosarino's comments that Lyon looked like they were just toying with Rangers early on but let up after their first goal and it wasn't until Darcheville had his shot go off the post for Rangers that Lyon suddenly woke up, realised they could be in danger of going out of the competition and went for goal again. And look what happened, two quick goals. If they'd been more ambitious they wouldn't have needed to sweat it out in the last 15 minutes. I'm happy for Roberto Carlos and Fenerbahce making the next round. Those who thought RC was going out to a quiet retirement were wrong! |
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| Simon | Dec 18 2007, 09:42 AM Post #156 |
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I like what the 1-1 draw against Roma's full team said about the strength of Manchester United's squad. That was Gerard Pique's second headed goal this season, it would be nice if he can make a habit of it! Rooney, who's being nursemaided back to fitness, started the game but there were nine changes from the side that drew in Rome and the one that beat Liverpool at Anfield. Meanwhile 5 United fans had to go to hospital with stab wounds from Roma's 'ultras'. Not a place we particularly want to hurry back to! Anyway, the Second Round draw is on Friday. At this stage, teams cannot be drawn against compatriot teams or teams with whom they shared a group in the first round. Group Winners.......................................Runners-Up FC Porto (POR).........................................Liverpool (ENG) Chelsea (ENG).........................................Schalke (GER) Real Madrid (SPA)....................................Olympiakos (GRE) AC Milan (ITA)..........................................Celtic (SCO) Barcelona (SPA)........................................Lyon (FRA) Manchester United (ENG).........................AS Roma (ITA) Internazionale (ITA)..................................Fenerbahce (TUR) Sevilla (SPA).............................................Arsenal (ENG) Has anyone given any thought to who they might like to be drawn against? From a Man United perspective, I would say the two strongest sides among the runners-up are Liverpool and Arsenal and fortunately we can't be drawn against either of them due to nationality. I think that leaves Lyon as the biggest shark in the water, and I'd hate to be drawn with Celtic. As tough as they are at the best of times, playing the English seems to bring extra levels of performance and determination out of the Scots. Normally you can identify a joker in the pack even at this stage, but this season I can't identify any tie that could be considered 'easy'. On a separate point, it's interesting to view a breakdown of which countries are represented in the last 16: England - 4 Italy - 3 Spain - 3 France - 1 Germany - 1 Greece - 1 Portugal - 1 Scotland - 1 Turkey - 1 Apart from the usual 'big three' leagues, no other country has managed to put more than one team into the last 16. This may be a sign of increasing equality once you get beyond those 3 main championships. We used to be able to state quite categorically that Germany, France and Holland provided the next strongest teams, but that is no longer necessarily true. For a start, there is no Dutch team here. PSV were Holland's only representatives in the groups, and they looked poor. It seems that the success of the Greek national side may be filtering at least to its top club (although Greek clubs have also had some measure of success in the UEFA Cup) while Fenerbahce have the same good mixture of home-grown players and foreign stars. Scottish clubs are unlikely to quite scale their former heights but they are far more competitive than they were 10 years ago and usually get a side to the last 16. I think that the influx of money and greater experience provided by the CL will make this greater range of teams an increasing trend, which should be further boosted by Platini's changes. Maybe, as we spoke about earlier on this thread, the eastern European sides will also be able to get in on the act? |
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| enganche | Dec 19 2007, 12:18 AM Post #157 |
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Seems like Germany and France have fewer representatives than they usually do in the octave finals and as Simon has said this year there aren't any Dutch teams as PSV are having a down year. But I would agree with him that it is good there are teams from countries like Greece, Turkey and Scotland in this second round. It adds to the diversity of the tournament. But as an Inter fan I think I'd hope Inter get drawn with one of Schalke, Olimpiacos or Celtic as those 3 and Fenerbahce (who were in Inter's group and thus can't be a 2nd round foe) are the four weakest teams left in the tournament. It is all relative of course as none of those teams are weak but I'd still rather face them than Liverpool, Lyon or Arsenal the other 3 possible opponents Inter could be drawn with. |
| Prefiero morir de pie que vivir arrodillado | |
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| Merengue | Dec 19 2007, 10:10 PM Post #158 |
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With all the Spanish clubs winning their groups the only team Real Madrid can't be drawn with is Olimpiacos who finished second to Madrid in the group stage. Ideally I'd prefer if Madrid avoided Lyon, Roma, Liverpool or Arsenal in this next round but I'll take whomever they draw without complaint. I like this Madrid teams chances this year and whether they play the strongest teams now or later in the tournament is of little concern to me. This team shouldn't be afraid of any opponent. |
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| Simon | Dec 21 2007, 04:14 AM Post #159 |
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Champions League last 16 draw: Celtic v Barcelona Lyon v Manchester United Schalke v Porto Liverpool v Inter Milan Roma v Real Madrid Arsenal v AC Milan Olympiakos v Chelsea Fenerbahce v Sevilla So no sooner do I point out that Lyon would be the toughest draw United could get, we promptly get paired with them! Should be two great games in prospect. We did beat Lyon a few years ago when they had perhaps their best ever side and we were in a poor run of form, so that might bode well for this time when United have a very strong squad playing well while Lyon are maybe not quite the force they were even if they do have some really good players. Chelsea will have Drogba back by the time the CL resumes, which is important to them. They should beat Olympiakos to make the quarters. The two English sides who finished runners-up in their group duly were drawn in the two most attractive ties of the round, against the Milanese clubs. Really you could say it's bad news for all four sides involved who all have harder ties than they would wish for at this stage. For Arsene Wenger, his short-sighted decision to play his reserves in Seville has landed him with a tie against the holders rather than against Fenerbahce! Arsenal would win on the respective sides' current form, but they have a track record of being great in the autumn and dropping off in the new year, while AC Milan will surely pick themselves up in the months to come. Liverpool have lost 3 of their last 4 games and if their form is anything like that in February Inter will swamp them, although as ever with Liverpool I have the strong suspicion that they'll knock the Italian side out. Real Madrid should be okay against Roma, and hopefully so should their fans. I think English fans' past reputation for hooliganism is like a red rag to the Italian 'ultras' who see it as a challenge. Maybe it won't be like that for the Spanish fans. Celtic get Barcelona again, who they knocked out of Europe 3 or 4 years ago. On that occasion it took a typically 'braveheart' rearguard action from the Scots - it wasn't pretty but it was realistic and effective. The atmosphere at both games should be electric. Schalke v Porto and Fenerbahce v Sevilla look to be the weakest of the ties, although Sevilla's dreadful current form may well have picked up by February. |
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| TCK | Dec 21 2007, 04:57 AM Post #160 |
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Sounds like an intriguing double Milan header with Arsenal and Liverpool. Hopefully we can repeat our 1965 European Cup Semi Final 1st leg performance against Inter Milan. I suspect Chelsea have a rather comfortable tie against Olympiakos, especially with the first game being the perfect time for a few away goals. Schalke versus Porto should be the lesser tie of the group stages along with Fernerbache and Sevilla. |
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| Simon | Dec 21 2007, 06:54 AM Post #161 |
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TCK, that 1965 semi-final you refer to is infamous for Inter bribing the referee to ensure their progress en route to winning the tournament that year. Liverpool did play a great game in that first leg, but to be honest they could have won it 10-0 and it wouldn't have mattered. There's no way Liverpool were going to be allowed to go to the final that year. Disgusting really, although at least Liverpool didn't get to win, God help us, another European Cup! At least Italian teams bribing referees is a thing of the past. Oh wait... :rolleyes: Seriously, I'm sure it's just the players on the pitch that you need to worry about this year, and they will be testing enough! |
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| Merengue | Dec 21 2007, 07:15 AM Post #162 |
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Well, well, well it is hard to ask for better 2nd round matchups than this! Porto and Sevilla were probably the two group winners that the 2nd place teams most wanted to play so Schalke and Fenerbahce are probably breathing a slight sigh of relief now although I still think Porto and Sevilla will be favored in their matchups. I'm with Simon that a Chelsea with Drogba should be favored over Olympiacos but the Greek team shouldn't be pushovers. Celtic may have eliminated Barcelona several years back in the UEFA Cup but that was a Barcelona without Eto'o, Messi and Henry. I think overall Barcelona has to be liking their draw and they'll be big favorites over Celtic but remember these are two teams who've both had troubles on the road this year! Real Madrid-Roma and Manchester United-Lyon are two very good matchups but at the same time I think you'd have to rate Real Madrid and Manchester United the favorites in those but both matchups are of the type where if the favored team isn't careful they could be surprised as neither Roma nor Lyon are teams to take lightly. Simon, traditionally Spanish teams in general and Madrid in particular haven't had too many problems when traveling to Italy. You make a good point that the past reputation of English fans is what likely gets the Italian ultras going and looking for a fight. That doesn't seem to be a problem with Spanish fans visiting Italy. Then we come up to the two matchups which for me could go either way, Inter-Liverpool and Milan-Arsenal. I think we all questioned Arsene Wenger's decision to play subs in the Sevilla match a result which now means his team plays Milan instead of Fenerbahce but as a neutral these are the type of games you want to see. It really is hard to pick a favorite in these two Milano vs England matchups and a lot will depend on what type of form these teams will be in mid February and early March when they play. There are so many mouth watering matchups that I feel like one of Pavlov's dogs looking at this list of games! I can't wait for February to get here! |
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| Hector | Dec 21 2007, 11:10 AM Post #163 |
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I was expecting a lot worse for Sevilla. You can't overlook Fenerbahce of course and they have some good players and aren't just Roberto Carlos but it sure could have been a lot worse of a draw for Sevilla. I think Sevilla can keep their Champions League dreams alive in February and March. Between now and then the team can work on consolidating itself so that it comes into these European games in good form. Sevilla's UEFA Cup success gives it experience in playing home and away games in an elimination contest. But these games will be a step up from what they've played before. About the other games, all I can say is I look forward to seeing them, just about every one looks worth seeing. There will be surprises in this next round, there almost always are. |
| iPuerta amigo, Sevilla esta contigo! | |
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| rosarino | Dec 21 2007, 01:20 PM Post #164 |
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Some wonderful looking matchups in store, especially Milan-Arsenal, Inter-Liverpool, Real Madrid-Roma and Manchester United-Lyon. I agree with merengue's earlier commenst that the games between Milano's two teams and their English opponents are too close to call but both Madrid and Manchester should be favored in their games but neither will be an overwhelming favorite. The other games look pretty entertaining too even if they don't quite have the star power of the four I mentioned. I'm interested in the Milan-Arsenal game as Milan's veterans play against Arsenal's young guns. And irresistible Inter against a proven team in elimination contests in Liverpool. They may end up being very tactical games but right now on paper they sure do look like intriguing matchups. The big question with all 8 games though will be what kind of form will the teams be in two months time when they resume European play? Often teams that look good in the fall slip up a bit by the time the Champions Legaue starts up again in February. |
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| Yogi | Dec 21 2007, 10:42 PM Post #165 |
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These definitely are some exciting matchups in the next round of the Champions League. Milan-Arsenal obviously is the game which caught my attention and Arsenal are in very good form now and have a solid defense and some slick passing midfielders. But Milan will have the experience and a great track record in the Champions League, add in Kaka and by then Ronaldo hopefully will be able to play and this should be a formidable opponent to play against. It'll likely be a cautious two legged series and those are the type of matchups which suit Milan. I'm another one who can't wait for these games to begin. Inter-Liverpool is a matchup of two teams I really don't like, is there anyway to wish for neither team to advance? :lol: Seriously though this should be another good series and this time it is Liverpool who have the knack of playing well in these two legged series. This will be a great test of Inter's nerves. On current form you'd take Inter but let's see what February brings. Madrid-Roma is the third titanic clash and in this one I think Madrid are the favorites but Roma has the ability if they can defend effectively to trouble Madrid as their quick counter attacks won't be easy to defend. |
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