Always get excited when CL fixtures are announced 
Urgh. Brace yourselves for the media shitstorm when we inevitably lose away to Juve and Pogba gets extra friendly with his old Juve mates laughing and joking at full time.
Looking likely that we will end up with EL
We’re finishing third because let’s be honest, we’re quite shite at the moment
The Juventus games will not be good for us, canbt really see us finishing better than 3rd unless Valencia slip up
When did I say "as always"?
If Mourinho is still here by Christmas I wouldn't be surprised if we've won that group tbh.
I dunno why Red Star wouldn't be delighted with their draw though. First time since 1992 that they qualify and they get 6 big matches ($$$). That's what I would have wanted if my local team Rosenborg ever qualified again anyways.
I dunno why Red Star wouldn't be delighted with their draw though. First time since 1992 that they qualify and they get 6 big matches ($$$). That's what I would have wanted if my local team Rosenborg ever qualified again anyways.
I hate how much I'm not looking forward to this, I want to enjoy football again
I think they should win comfortably. PSG haven't made it past the last 16 the last 2 years and wont be used to the pace and power of their game, they can't seem to crack the step up from their poor domestic league like Bayern can, and Napoli are not looking like the team they were last year.
We start our campaign away against Young Boys.
Young Boys (a)
Valencia (h)
Juventus (h)
Juventus (a)
Young Boys (h)
Valencia (a)
Young Boys (a)
Valencia (h)
Juventus (h)
Juventus (a)
Young Boys (h)
Valencia (a)
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PSG last year topped a group ahead of Bayern, then were unfortunate to draw Madrid. I agree they haven't done enough to be proven as a European 'elite', but they're still a very dangerous side. Would be shocked if Liverpool 'walked' anything considering they drew to Sevilla both games, and drew to Spartak.
On what basis are Napoli not as good as last year? It's possible that they won't be as good under Ancelotti, but they've won their first 2 games ffs, we don't know that yet.
We should withdraw from the tournament and focus on retaining premier league football for 2019/20.
You're talking about 2 games that were played in the 1st half of last season before our defence got itself sorted and we had Karius in goal and you have failed to mention us beating the PL Champions home and away on the way to the CL Final.
Young Boys away and Valencia home should be good opportunity for us to get 6 points before the double header against Juventus. Those matches could decide where we finish.
Decent suggestion this.
My prediction would be:
Red: advance in CL
Blue: Uefa league.
Group A
Atlético Madrid (ESP)
Borussia Dortmund (GER)
AS Monaco (FRA)
Club Brugge KV (BEL)
(Both Dortmund and Monaco have dropped a bit in quality/performances, but I think Dortmund is currently slightly better. Mind, they're still great teams and, on a good day, could beat anyone.)
Group B
FC Barcelona (ESP)
Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Internazionale (ITA)
(Although I really hope, for Dutch football's sake, that PSV will at least go through in the EL... We need those points)
Group C
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
SSC Napoli (ITA)
Liverpool (ENG)
Red Star Belgrade (SRB)
(A though one, but overall, I think PSG and Liverpool just have more quality than Napoli.)
Group D
Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS)
FC Porto (POR)
Schalke 04 (GER)
Galatasaray (TUR)
(Basically Moscow over Galatasaray, just because I would love to see the face of the Galatasaray management after their elimination, next to their laughing faces from tonight)
Group E
Bayern München (GER)
SL Benfica (POR)
AFC Ajax Amsterdam (NED)
AEK Athens (GRE)
(I think Benfica and Ajax have a 50/50 chance to go through, with Bayern the clear favourites and AEK as deadbeat last)
Group F
Manchester City (ENG)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (GER)
(Normally I'ld say Shaktar and Lyon would fight for 2nd place here, but since the civil war in Ukraine and the loss of their last foreign stars as a consequence of the war, they have dropped dramatically. Whilst Hoffenheim have improved quite a bit)
Group G
Real Madrid (ESP)
AS Roma (ITA)
PFC CSKA Moscow (RUS)
Viktoria Plzen (CZE)
(not much to say really)
Group H
Juventus (ITA)
Manchester United (ENG)
Valencia (ESP)
BSC Young Boys (SUI)
(sorry peeps, just think Valencia will win it)
c/o @Sjaakmeoff
Red: advance in CL
Blue: Uefa league.
Group A
Atlético Madrid (ESP)
Borussia Dortmund (GER)
AS Monaco (FRA)
Club Brugge KV (BEL)
(Both Dortmund and Monaco have dropped a bit in quality/performances, but I think Dortmund is currently slightly better. Mind, they're still great teams and, on a good day, could beat anyone.)
Group B
FC Barcelona (ESP)
Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Internazionale (ITA)
(Although I really hope, for Dutch football's sake, that PSV will at least go through in the EL... We need those points)
Group C
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
SSC Napoli (ITA)
Liverpool (ENG)
Red Star Belgrade (SRB)
(A though one, but overall, I think PSG and Liverpool just have more quality than Napoli.)
Group D
Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS)
FC Porto (POR)
Schalke 04 (GER)
Galatasaray (TUR)
(Basically Moscow over Galatasaray, just because I would love to see the face of the Galatasaray management after their elimination, next to their laughing faces from tonight)
Group E
Bayern München (GER)
SL Benfica (POR)
AFC Ajax Amsterdam (NED)
AEK Athens (GRE)
(I think Benfica and Ajax have a 50/50 chance to go through, with Bayern the clear favourites and AEK as deadbeat last)
Group F
Manchester City (ENG)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (GER)
(Normally I'ld say Shaktar and Lyon would fight for 2nd place here, but since the civil war in Ukraine and the loss of their last foreign stars as a consequence of the war, they have dropped dramatically. Whilst Hoffenheim have improved quite a bit)
Group G
Real Madrid (ESP)
AS Roma (ITA)
PFC CSKA Moscow (RUS)
Viktoria Plzen (CZE)
(not much to say really)
Group H
Juventus (ITA)
Manchester United (ENG)
Valencia (ESP)
BSC Young Boys (SUI)
(sorry peeps, just think Valencia will win it
)c/o @Sjaakmeoff
Start a thread on it? It will get some backing here I'm sure
Nightmare draw for Inter and especially Napoli. No way Ancelotti can surive against P.S.G. and Liverpool. United are in a tricky group, but should go through in the end.
Games before and after CL ties for United
Gw 1: Before - Watford away, Young Boys (A), Wolves home
Gw 2 : Before - West Ham away, Valencia (H), Newcastle home
Gw 3 : Before - Chelsea away, Juventus (H),Everton home
Gw 4 : Before - Bournemouth away, Juventus(A), Man City away
Gw 5 : Before - C.Palace home, Young Boys (H), Southampton away
Gw 6 : Before - Fulham home, Valencia (A), Liverpool away
Need that last game a dead rubber.
Gw 1: Before - Watford away, Young Boys (A), Wolves home
Gw 2 : Before - West Ham away, Valencia (H), Newcastle home
Gw 3 : Before - Chelsea away, Juventus (H),Everton home
Gw 4 : Before - Bournemouth away, Juventus(A), Man City away
Gw 5 : Before - C.Palace home, Young Boys (H), Southampton away
Gw 6 : Before - Fulham home, Valencia (A), Liverpool away
Need that last game a dead rubber.
Because when you beat the PL champions home and away, it wasn't in the groups ...
I don't think you're good enough to 'walk all over' the likes of Napoli and PSG. Of course you can beat them, but it won't be easy. I don't think you'd have beaten City home/away if it was in the groups, they only lost the second leg because they got stretched chasing the first leg lead, they also had a goal wrongly chalked off while 1-0 up. Also, Roma then gave you a tough tie which you won on aggregate, and they're a worse team than either PSG or Napoli.
You're a very good side and dangerous, but I don't think you'll get through that group 'comfortably', it'll be tough.
It really shouldnt be impossible to get second place... Valencia isnt bad at all and has some good quality players but if we have Pogba, Matic, Fred, Sanchez, Lukaku and Martial/Rashford playing close to their normal capabilities we should win that...
However if those players played to their capabilities we wouldnt be 3 points out of 3 games..
However if those players played to their capabilities we wouldnt be 3 points out of 3 games..
Juve and Man City away in the same week will be some ride.
bollox
i live near Bern but in Manchester that week
i live near Bern but in Manchester that week
How do they figure Lokomotiv to be in Pot 1?
I just don't see it with PSG. They have a great front line but behind that it gets average quickly.
Napoli have won their opening games but unconvincingly. They went down a goal to a mediocre Lazio team and down two to a Milan in turmoil.
they won their league, Russian champion is in pot 1
Wow that's ludicrous. Way to mess up the group stage!
I wanted Juventus away first but still we have a good chance to get 6 points out of 6 before we play them. Do we know which PL fixtures we have before and after these games?
Liverpool away to Bournemouth and home to Napoli before our Anfield clash.
Gw 3 : Before - Chelsea away, Juventus (H),Everton home
Gw 4 : Before - Bournemouth away, Juventus(A), Man City away
Very tough.
Decent chance we finish third.
That's brutal. We will definitely lose games here.
Do Young Boys still play on the artificial pitch? I remember we had a mare there, in the qualifying round.
They went a goal down away from home to a Lazio team who missed out on top 4 on the last day, brought it back and won, and you see that as a bad thing?
The Milan game .. again yeah they shouldn't be going down 2-0, but showed tremendous fighting spirit to win 3-2 in the end. Two wins against two decent Serie A teams. Ancelotti has a good record in the CL and they're still the same team on paper. Liverpool are definitely better I'd say, but would it shock me if Napoli won at least one of their games? No.
Any team with Cavani/Mbappe/Neymar is going to cause a side problems, and the likes of Verrati, Rabiot, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos etc are hardly poor players either. They also now have Buffon to give them that little bit extra experience in the side. They've regularly lost in the knockouts but have a solid home record in the groups I believe, so again at home they can definitely beat Liverpool.
In those three drawn games our back five (I shit you not) were: Karius, Gomez at RB, Lovren, Klavan and Moreno. Give or take a Matip.
Our front three scored 5 goals in the two Sevilla draws but the defence fecked us right over like groundhog day. This season our defence has none of those players, give or take a Gomez in his natural position, and have yet to concede a goal. No one mention Keita.
Thats pretty much an ideal fixture plan. Hopefully get 6 points early then if its disastrous against Juve we have Young Boys again to pick ourselves up and and Valencia to wrap it up.
PSG are still a very good team and in 2 games in a group stage domestic form or the lack of good opponents don't mean much. As for Napoli, they have 2 victories from 2 so far so I don't know what are you basing your opinion on. Anyway 2 very good teams, you could say they'll favorites for the top spot but that they will walk it. It's not thery're playing some 3rd rate clubs..
That is fair. You've definitely improved since, I just don't think you've shown enough yet that you'll be expected to just walk over two very good sides. It's a hard group for any team tbh.In those three drawn games our back five (I shit you not) were: Karius, Gomez at RB, Lovren, Klavan and Moreno. Give or take a Matip.
Our front three scored 5 goals in the two Sevilla draws but the defence fecked us right over like groundhog day. This season our defence has none of those players, give or take a Gomez in his natural position, and have yet to concede a goal. No one mention Keita.
Since when is the format not ABCCBA anymore? Now it seems to be ABCCAB for everyone? Doesn't make sense.
We have a rough start but should be beating PSG at home. Don't lose in Naples, get 6/6 against Red Star and we should be safe. Don't win against PSG and lose in Naples and it becomes a whole different story, but I'm still confident we'll progress from that group.
We have a rough start but should be beating PSG at home. Don't lose in Naples, get 6/6 against Red Star and we should be safe. Don't win against PSG and lose in Naples and it becomes a whole different story, but I'm still confident we'll progress from that group.