UEFA Champions League 2011/12

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

lol@SPL, Rangers eliminated.

Third round of qualifying has come to an end with the champions playoff and league playoff teams finalised

Playoff route

Maribor 1-1 Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa win 3-2 on aggregate.

Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 HJK Helsinki
Dinamo Zagreb win 3-1 on aggregate.

Partizan Belgrade 1-1 Racing Genk
Racing Genk win 3-2 on aggregate.

Wisla Krakow 3-1 Litex Lovech
Wisla Krakow win 5-2 on aggregate.

Sturm Graz 1-0 FC Zestafoni
Sturm Graz win 2-1 on aggregate.

Slovan Bratislava 0-2 APOEL Nicosia
APOEL Nicosia win 2-0 on aggregate.

Viktoria Plzen 3-2 Rosenborg Trondheim
Viktoria Plzen win 4-2 on aggregate.

Malmo 1-1 Rangers
Malmo win 2-1 on aggregate.

Shamrock Rovers 0-2 FC Copenhagen
FC Copenhagen win 3-0 on aggregate.

BATE Borisov 3-1 Ekranas Panevezys
BATE Borisov win 3-1 on aggregate.

Seeded teams:

FC Copenhagen
BATE Borisov
Maccabi Haifa
Dinamo Zagreb
APOEL Nicosia

Unseeded teams:

Wisla Krakow
Sturm Graz
KRC Genk
Viktoria Plzen
Malmo FF

League route

Panathinaikos 3-4 OB Odense
OB Odense win 5-4 on aggregate.

Rubin Kazan 2-1 Dynamo Kiev
Rubin Kazan win 4-1 on aggregate.

Trabzonspor 1-1 Benfica
Benfica win 3-1 on aggregate.

Vaslui 0-0 Twente Enschede
Twente Enschede win 2-0 on aggregate.

FC Zurich 1-0 Standard Liege
FC Zurich win 2-1 on aggregate.

Seeded teams:

FC Bayern München
Arsenal
Olympique Lyonnais
SL Benfica
Villarreal

Unseeded teams:

FC Twente
Rubin Kazan
Udinese
FC Zürich
Odense Boldklub

The draw is set for the 5th of August so it should be late tomorrow night or early saturday, the winners of the playoff matches will round out the CL group stage joining:

FC Barcelona
Real Madrid
Valencia
Manchester United
Chelsea
Manchester City
AC Milan
Inter Milan
SSC Napoli
Borussia Dortmund
Bayer Leverkusen
OSC Lille
Olympique Marseille
Zenit St Petersburg
CSKA Moscow
Shakhtar Donetsk
Otelul Galati
FC Porto
Ajax Amsterdam
Fenerbahçe SK
Olympiacos
FC Basel

The draw for the group stage is schedule for August 25, 6pm CEST. The final is schedule for May 19, 2012 at the Allianz Arena in München.

I believe if both FC Bayern and Arsenal qualify they will both be seeded in pot 1 which will push AC Milan and Shakhtar in to pot 2, Zenit St Petersburg in to pot 3 and Manchester City in to pot 4, so tough groups ahead for one or two unlucky teams.

Any predictions? Early on it looks like Barca will be favourites to be the first team in the CL era to go back-to-back but that'll be extremely difficult. I'll tip Real Madrid to get their shit in order and win it all, unfortunately.

 

[boxhead]

You are tipping Madrid TT? Wow, even I'm not tipping us. I do expect that we will at least make the semis; with the squad we have, we would be an even bigger laughing stock if we didn't.

 

[HowHigh]

Barca to win it again unless they have an injury crisis to a couple of their big names.
I'll say its going to be a Real Madrid vs Barca final, with Man City the suprise team to make it to quarters or semi.
Might have to change predictions depending on the draw, but I'll stick with that for now.

It's also hard getting used to Champions League without Liverpool these past couple years.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

CL without Liverpool has been great, almost as good as the CL without Juventus and Schalke and now without Spurs it's back to normal.

You are tipping Madrid TT? Wow, even I'm not tipping us. I do expect that we will at least make the semis; with the squad we have, we would be an even bigger laughing stock if we didn't.

Only on the basis that nobody has gone back-to-back yet and flooding the midfield is the only way a team will be able to defeat Barcelona, Mourinho has history there.

I'd much rather see Real knocked out in the round of 16, that was something I got rather fond of seeing.

 

[Twizzle]

Spurs actually did pretty well for themselves.

 

[CC_Eagle]

without Spurs it's back to normal.

:lol:

Big result for Kazan. Beating Kiev 4-1 is not an easy feat.

It won't be an easy draw for Arsenal that's for sure - a lot of decent teams there. Although, I'm hoping for Odense Boldklub as I have never heard of them.

Near impossible to make any type of prediction other than Barcelona V Somebody in the final.

 

[AusKnightRKO]

Chelsea vs Bayern Munich final with Chelseas knocking out Barca in the Quarters

Final 8 will be

Chelsea
Munich
Man utd
Arsenal
Barcelona
Real Madrid
Porto
Lyon

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

If Bayern make it past the quarter-finals, idk I'll leave this website permanently or something, just won't happen.

The only way we make the semi finals is avoiding the big 2 in Spain and AC Milan. The defence is all over the shop, Boateng and Badstuber will be lucky to both be fit come March 2012.

:lol:

Big result for Kazan. Beating Kiev 4-1 is not an easy feat.

It won't be an easy draw for Arsenal that's for sure - a lot of decent teams there. Although, I'm hoping for Odense Boldklub as I have never heard of them.

Near impossible to make any type of prediction other than Barcelona V Somebody in the final.

I would hope but I'm clinging to the 99% chance UEFA make a Bayern v Udinese matchup.

 

[HowHigh]

CL without Liverpool has been great, almost as good as the CL without Juventus and Schalke and now without Spurs it's back to normal.

lol

Unfortunately I guess I'll be cheering for Bayern again this CL seeing as theres no Liverpool for the second year. Hate all other English teams, Italian and Barcelona so gotta back someone.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

All in good fun.

 

[WireMan]

If Bayern make it past the quarter-finals, idk I'll leave this website permanently or something, just won't happen.

The only way we make the semi finals is avoiding the big 2 in Spain and AC Milan. The defence is all over the shop, Boateng and Badstuber will be lucky to both be fit come March 2012.

So i guess i want Bayern to get to the semis. Shalke did it last year, so you never know!! ;-)


Looking at the Bayern defence, i think it will be a struggle. You have to hope Robben and Ribery can stay fit and be in form. Some good players there though, not sure how you can get Robben, Ribery, Muller, Kroos and Gomez in the same team though without really exposing the defence? That Brazillian fella you got from Hoffenheim looked good against Barca recently but its hard to tell in a friendly.

In knockout football though, anything can happen.

Be honest though, you just backing Madrid because they have more Germans in there team than Bayern! (That prob isn't true...)


The usual suspects will get through the groups, after that it depends who draws who.

 

[CC_Eagle]

Be honest though, you just backing Madrid because they have more Germans in there team than Bayern! (That prob isn't true...)

:lol:

Close, slightly off though. ;-)

I'm just hoping that Bayern focus more on the domestic side of things, rather than Europe. A decent Bundesliga finish, especially after last year, should be the priority.

 

[AusKnightRKO]

Bayern having the attacking power to destroy anyone, but as tone said the defence is a bit of a worry, but with a WC Goalie behind they should be fine

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

Manu is great but he still has problems with the crosses and you can't leave it up to the goalkeeper all the time, he pulled off a great save again Milan when in reality Ibrahimovic should never have been allowed to get the shot off. Against Braunschweig a tame cross was floated in which he completely misjudged, he runs out and doesn't do anything leaving his goal at the mercy of the winger who couldn't bury the opening.

I have a feeling Robben and Manu will pull some miracles out of their arse at times this season.

If Man U do end up signing Sneijder, game on. Barca v Man U but in the semi finals.

So i guess i want Bayern to get to the semis. Shalke did it last year, so you never know!! ;-)


Looking at the Bayern defence, i think it will be a struggle. You have to hope Robben and Ribery can stay fit and be in form. Some good players there though, not sure how you can get Robben, Ribery, Muller, Kroos and Gomez in the same team though without really exposing the defence? That Brazillian fella you got from Hoffenheim looked good against Barca recently but its hard to tell in a friendly.

In knockout football though, anything can happen.

Be honest though, you just backing Madrid because they have more Germans in there team than Bayern! (That prob isn't true...)


The usual suspects will get through the groups, after that it depends who draws who.

Bayern are almost the Nationalelf!

The defence is not only not up to the standard of bigger teams but we also lack quality experience in the central defence and even depth. Breno is always injured, and crap, and Van Buyten is just crap. Van Buyten is actually a better striker than he is as a defender. Van Gaal had to resort to Tymoschuk and Luiz Gustavo in defence last season.

Luiz Gustavo really shut down Wesley Sneijder magnificantly at the San Siro so he is a quality partner for Schweini

It's a quarter-final team but it won't match Real/Man U/Barca/Milan. I do give us a chance against Man U because you won't defend with 9 men behind the ball and will attack and we've got the players for the counter attack, Real and Milan won't play that way.

I'd love to see us meet an English team, in the last 10 years I can remember us only meeting Man U twice, Arsenal twice and Chelsea once. We've met an Italian in the group stage every year for about the last 7 or 8.

As for the usual suspects, don't be so sure. Somebody this year is getting screwed big time in the group stage if Bayern and Arsenal qualify. Well, I hope we get a group of death because the CL is usualy quite boring until the knockout stage.

:lol:

Close, slightly off though. ;-)

I'm just hoping that Bayern focus more on the domestic side of things, rather than Europe. A decent Bundesliga finish, especially after last year, should be the priority.

Always, but the final held at the Allianz Arena means the usual target of making the quarter-finals has elevated to a minimum of making the final

 

[boxhead]

My tip is Barcelona, if not them then I have no idea.

 

[half]

Chelsea vs Bayern Munich final with Chelseas knocking out Barca in the Quarters

Final 8 will be

Chelsea
Munich
Man utd
Arsenal
Barcelona
Real Madrid
Porto
Lyon

if you're going to rattle off the best teams from 5 years ago, it's pretty rude not to mention the italian clubs

 

[AusKnightRKO]

^ thats the 8 clubs i believe will make the quarters, i have inter and Milan out in the round of 16

 

[whall15]

Chelsea vs Barcelona final, IMO

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

Chel$ki would have received the easiest road ever to make the final, that team is garbage.

if you're going to rattle off the best teams from 5 years ago, it's pretty rude not to mention the italian clubs

None of them are worth shit. Inter are below the Romanian qualifier.

 

[AusKnightRKO]

i agree with you on the italian teams, but chelsea garbage, you gotta be kidding, they a massive chance to win the epl and would have last if it weren't for the Ray Wilkin fiasco mid season.

Cech
Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole
Essien*
Zhirkov, Lampard, Malouda
Drogba
Torres

Is a brilliant Team * Whenever Essien gets back from Surgery