Champions League 2014/2015

[Ybbon]

OK folks, qualifying rounds now, so let's get a new Champions League thread going. I will swap it with the EPL Transfer Thread at the end of the month as a sticky thread.

So anything Champions League, go...

Group A

Athletico Madrid Juventus Olympiakos Malmo

Group B

Real Madrid FC Basel Liverpool Ludogorets Razgrad

Group C

Benfica Zenit St Petersburg Bayer Leverkusen Monaco

Group D

Arsenal Borussia Dortmund Galatasaray Anderlecht

Group E

Bayern Munich Manchester City CSKA Moscow Roma

Group F

Barcelona Paris St-Germain Ajax Apoel Niocisia

Group G

Chelsea Schalke Sporting Lisbon Maribor

Group H

Porto Shaktar Donetsk Athletico Bilbao BATE Borisov

[GoTW Kubee]

Arsenal could be in trouble tomorrow with no Giroud.

Sanogo is pretty shocking and I don't think Sanchez works as a lone CF. They should obviously beat Besiktas, but the failure to get an away goal could do them over if Besiktas manage to score.

[Knight of Heaven]

Hum yeah but Arsenal is playing on his own turf. I dont expect Beskitas realy win it imo.
Porto won today 2-0 making it 3-0 in the playoff round. Against Lille...
Brahimi specialy so far has proved a good signning. Scoring a kick ass free kick, and making an assist for Martinez. Easly the man of the match.
He also did a nice world cup from what i remember.

[Ferdiad]

I hope Arsenal it up so people laugh at them instead of United.

[Gallus]

MARIBOR!!!

[GoTW Kubee]

Reckon Arsenal might go out on away goals

[Knight of Heaven]

I hope Arsenal it up so people laugh at them instead of United.

So far im impressed with Beskitas atitute and ball play facing Arsenal.
It would be interesting if Ba would be the one who ruins it for Arsenal

PS: Aaaaah the referee is Portuguese you guys are doomed, expect the worse.. lol
!joking! oh wait didnt Debuchy made a penalty just now? oh christ.

EDIT: Alexis just scored, good timing for it just before half time.
EDIT: Nice match, beskitas had a bad atack, very slow, slopy players midfield foward, yet Arsenal got trough sweat and tears.
Still i got the sense that If Arsenal is going to play like that against better teams, will strugle alot.

[GoTW Kubee]

Why do the commentators on sly sports keep going on about Wenger qualifying for the CL for 17 successive seasons? It's fairly meaningless when he hasn't won it a single time.

Anyway, I think that game showed why Liverpool will be very vulnerable in the CL if we don't sort the defense out. We just aren't able to cope with any sort of the concerted pressure that both Arsenal and Besiktas were under for large spells of that game.

[Ybbon]

skin of teeth I think, going to have to play better to go further.

It is just the consistency of qualifying every year which is a bit of an achievement but when you feel too many seasons of that 17 have been spent ensuring they got 4th or better just to qualify for Champions League the next year.

[GoTW Kubee]

skin of teeth I think, going to have to play better to go further.

It is just the consistency of qualifying every year which is a bit of an achievement but when you feel too many seasons of that 17 have been spent ensuring they got 4th or better just to qualify for Champions League the next year.

Yea, I do agree that it highlights the stability that Wenger brings to the club. However, if I were an Arsenal fan I'd probably find that stat becoming a commentator soundbite quite irksome as it does imply that relative stagnation has occurred.

[Azog 150]

Yeah I don't understand the stat. Like Ybbon said Arsenal grab fourth every year to fulfill their aim of qualifying for the Champions League. But whats the point of being in the Champions League if you aren't going to win it, and are going to be a boring competitor in the process (sorry Arsenal fans but its true)? Of course the answer to that is, as you say, financial stability.

But one of my mates is an Arsenal fan, and he always laughs at and belittles the Europa League. But the fact is the Europa League is the only European competition that Arsenal might realistically win, and wouldn't he rather see Arsenal lift the Europa League Cup, then go out in the Champions League every year? Not to mention that much Europa League football is far more exciting then what Arsenal dish out in the Champions League.

I used to have a soft spot for Arsenal (or at least they were Liverpool's direct competitor that I disliked the least!), but its kind of fading because I'm basically bored of seeing them grab 4th every year and bore me in the Champions League (plus I met the aforementioned Arsenal fan!!). I really want to see someone else have a pop at the Champions League. 17 Champions League campaigns in a row to me just means 17 times in a row at failing to win it, with only one of those years having reached the final.

As for Liverpool, as GoTW Kubee said, I really worry for Liverpool chances purely because of our defensive inabilities. It will be interesting to see how Rodgers copes with his first Champions League campaign. But whatever happens you can be sure we will serve up some exciting end-to-end football, with the Anfield atmosphere to match. Can't bloody wait!!! Champions League, its been a while.

[Treva ★]

Draw tomorrow! Draw tomorrow!

Also, someone should change the thread title.

[chilon]

But one of my mates is an Arsenal fan, and he always laughs at and belittles the Europa League. But the fact is the Europa League is the only European competition that Arsenal might realistically win, and wouldn't he rather see Arsenal lift the Europa League Cup, then go out in the Champions League every year? Not to mention that much Europa League football is far more exciting then what Arsenal dish out in the Champions League.

I dont think its an Arsenal thing so much as an English thing the last 5-10 years, maybe when they turned the UEFA Cup to the Europa League. Certainly heard plenty of other fans belittle the Europa League including Liverpool, United, Chelsea fans.

Older Arsenal definitely didn't belittle UEFA Cup in 1999 when we were playing in the final against Galatasaray. Disappointing loss but Wenger, the team and the fans definitely took it serious back then and didn't belittle it. Or the Cup Winners Cup in 1994 either for that matter.

More I think the phenomenon of belittling that trophy from many PL fans started around the Europa League inception and change from UEFA Cup.

Personally I agree BTW, I would rather win the Europa League now than go out even in the quarterfinals of CL. For that matter I personally would rather win the Europa League than the FA Cup.

I used to have a soft spot for Arsenal (or at least they were Liverpool's direct competitor that I disliked the least!), but its kind of fading because I'm basically bored of seeing them grab 4th every year and bore me in the Champions League (plus I met the aforementioned Arsenal fan!!). I really want to see someone else have a pop at the Champions League. 17 Champions League campaigns in a row to me just means 17 times in a row at failing to win it, with only one of those years having reached the final.

Well by that logic...

Liverpool has never won the Premier League since its inception , maybe they should be relegated and let someone else like Leeds or Blackburn have a shot at the PL again

[Treva ★]

No, the belittlement of the UEFA Cup/Europa League has been around for a bit longer. The difference in prize and TV money has meant that all the big clubs have gunned for it at all costs. I remember one of Chelsea's players last year (seems like last decade, can't remember his name anymore) pathetically, but at least sincerely, admitting that qualifying for the following season's Champions League was more important than winning the UEFA Cup. In any other league, when a trophy (Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup, anything) is at hand everything else fades out of consideration. I wanted to strangle my own players this year and last for failing to win either the League Cup or Challenge Cup, but with McCoist in charge at least we got promotions (overspending, anyway!).

[Petrucci]

Title should be change indeed.
And have you guys heard about Ludogroec?
Their GK got red card and defender Cosmin Moti took his place and saved two penalties! HERO!
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28962031

[Ybbon]

Change it to what? I can do that no problem, hell I can put a poll up with all the teams once the draw is made if you all want but you need to suggest what you want the title changing to.

[Petrucci]

UEFA Champions League 2014/2015 and I think it's time to sticky it.
Poll and expansion of OP with groups once the draw is finished would be nice too.

[Ybbon]

OK, I'm going to sticky it when I unsticky the transfer thread. Deadline is Monday so will happen then as will groups when I get a chance later to add them in.

[Mary The Quene]

Group A
Atletico Madrid, Juventus , Olympiakos, Malmö
Group B
Real Madrid , FC Bazel , Liverpool , Ludogorets Razgrad
Group C
Benfica , Zenit , Bayer Leverkusen , Monaco
Group D
Arsenal , Borussia Dortmund , Galatasaray , Anderlecht
Group E
Bayern München , Manchester City , CSKA Moskou , AS Roma
Group F
FC Barcelona, PSG, Ajax , Apoel Nicosia
Group G
Chelsea , Schalke 04 , Sporting , Maribor
Group H
FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Athletic Bilbao, BATE Borisov

[Azog 150]

Happy with Liverpool's group.

Real Madrid at Anfield will be quite something. And last time we played Basel in the Champions League it was a 3-3 thriller (4-4 aggregate with us going out). Ludogorets have to be the neutrals favourite as the biggest underdogs in the competition.

Can't wait.

Groups A, E and F look the hardest, with some awesome fixtures. Chelsea look like they have it easiest out of the English clubs.

Edit: Last time Real Madrid came to Anfield:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xqn...ghlights_sport


(Not that I'm expecting a repeat!!)

Its worth pointing out that Real Madrid have never scored a goal against us.

Well by that logic...

Liverpool has never won the Premier League since its inception , maybe they should be relegated and let someone else like Leeds or Blackburn have a shot at the PL again

Who needs logic!!!