Tuesday’s Champions League Preview
By: Rob |
3 Comments
Finally the Champions League returns to our screens tomorrow, and there are some brilliant games to kick us off in the first week. And while we have to wait till Wednesday for the really big one this week, Tuesday is still crammed with more quality matches than you can shake a stick at.
So here is your group by group guide to what is going down on Tuesday, with the Wednesday preview to follow tomorrow.
Group A
We kick off typically in Group A, and the big game from this group sees formerLaurent Blanc lead French Champions Bordeaux to Turin to meet Juventus in the hope of causing a minor upset. They’ll have to play well, the Italians are sitting pretty in Serie A at the moment with Diego having a revelatory season.
The other game sees Bayern travel to Israel to play Maccabi Haifa in a game they should win, as the stutter back to form after their indifferent start. They should have enough to pick up all three points.
Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Previews
Eduardo Gets 2-Game ban. Will UEFA keep it up?
By: Rob | 3 Comments
So Eduardo’s dive in Arsenal’s game against Celtic (above), has been formally punished by UEFA with a two match Champions League ban. Arsene Wenger will undoubtedly unsuccessfully appeal, and will curse UEFA some more. In fact Arsenal have written a 19 page riposte to the banning, claiming you can’t tell Eduardo’s intentions, and that he did get touched anyway.
But ultimately, he’ll miss Arsenal’s games against Standard and Olympiacos, which kick off the Champions league in group H.
The point is really, that a 2 game ban for a dive could be quite a good idea. I know, that this is had been a prickly, controversial issue, but a couple of games seems about right. But the big question is of consistancy, can UEFA possibly be consistant about this? And what are the guidelines for when this happens again?
Read the rest of this entry »
Category: NewsThe Mysteries of Football Greatness
By: Sam | 1 Comment
Despite the means available to a handful of clubs who can aspire to sign extraordinary performers from around the globe, many people still think of Brazil’s 1970 World Cup-winners as the finest of all teams. It emerged, however, from utter chaos. Joao Saldanha, for instance, was forced out as coach. His past as a journalist cannot have helped and his reservations about Pele’s eyesight were not crowd-pleasers either.Saldanha had even argued that Tostao and Pele could not function together. With him gone, the pair were to be a glorious combination. They were given their freedom by Saldanha’s successor, Mario Zagallo, who knew that there must be a solution that did not entail discarding genius.
A line-up such as Brazil’s in 1970 will never be built to order, irrespective of budget. There is always an intangible element in the creation of an unforgettable line-up. We should be glad of the chance to see Barcelona and the others in the Champions League, but the mysteries of football greatness cannot be cracked even with the means of billionaire owners.
Money is not necessarily enough. Real Madrid’s performance this year will be a litmus test as to a) the actual quality of Cristiano Ronaldo; and b) how much CR depended upon the balance, the quality and the unusual ability of Giggs & Co. to turn the football screw just when everyone — all twenty two — were completely puffed.
Category: Champions LeagueMcCarra on Fixture-Congestion for the Elites
By: Sam | Add Comments
In the Guardian, Kevin McCarra surveys the difficult schedules of the Champions League elites …
“Early-season congestion is capable of upsetting England’s four clubs” | 27 Aug 2009
Manchester United go to Turkey and then to Russia, then back to Anfield in October. Then they battle the unknowns — including the fearsome Edin Dzeko — backed by Volkswagen.
Eto’o faces his ex-teammates soon when Inter face Champions, Barcelona.
Chelsea’s travels don’t look particularly stressful, as they center about the Mediterranean.
Arsenal seem to have little to worry about.
Category: Champions LeagueChampions League Draw
By: Sam | 9 Comments
Group A
FC Bayern München
Juventus FC
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Maccabi Haifa FC (Israel)
Group B
Manchester United FC
CSKA Moscow
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü
Vfl Wolfsburg
Group C
AC Milan
Real Madrid CF
Olympique Marseille
FC Zurich
Group D
Chelsea FC
FC Porto
Club Atlético de Madrid S.A.D.
Apoel FC (Cyprus)
Group E
Liverpool FC
Olympique Lyonnais
ACF Fiorentina
Debreceni VSC (Hungary)
Group F
FC Bacelona
FC Internazionale Milano
FC Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine)
FC Rubin Kazan (Russia)
Group G
Sevilla FC
Rangers FC
VFB Stuttgart
Fotbal Club Unirea Voluntari Urziceni (Romania)
Group H
Arsenal FC
AZ Alkmaar
Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus
Royal Standard de Liège (Belgium)
Category: Champions LeagueWhat A Champions League Draw THAT Was.
By: Rob | 4 Comments
So the Champions League draw has been made, and it has provided, as predicted some absolutely mouthwatering ties. Both Milan clubs are the centre of attention, with AC in a group with Real Madrid, and Inter in with holders Barcelona. Meanwhile, Liverpool got drawn in a tricky group with Fiorentina and Lyon, Juventus were placed in a group with Bayern Munich and Arsenal face the challenege of AZ.
Okay, While there are two or three really exciting groups, the English clubs should feel pretty comfortable as they mostly avoided the big names. Chelsea and Liverpool both face tricky groups, but neither are faced with a Real Madrid or Juve.
Full draw, reaction and predictions after the jump:
Read the rest of this entry »
Champions League Group Draw (Guide and Liveblog)
By: Rob | 12 Comments
So the final Champions League qualifiers are through, and we have our final line up for the Champions League draw taking place tomorrow at 4pm GMT. Which is late enough that everyone can enjoy it. So right here, I shall be covering it live, and you are more than welcome to join me.
So here is your print out and then cut out and keep and then lose guide to the draw tomorrow. Who’s seeded (not Real Madrid) who’s going to get a tough group, and so on.
Basically teams from the same pot, and same nation can’t be drawn together. So everyone from pot 1 will be drawn out into a group of their own, then will be joined from a team each from pot 2, and three and so on. Except for “excitement” they’ll probably start with Pot 4.
Read the rest of this entry »
Champions League Qualifying Liveblog
By: Rob | 1 Comment
The Champions League is well and truly back in the swing of things, and now we have the more interesting qualifying rounds, its time to get back to liveblogging. If you head back here around 7pm GMT, you’ll find me following all of todays matches, via the joys of Champions League Simucast.
Which are todays games? Sporting Lisbon take on Fiorentina, Timisoara take on Stuttgart, and Arsenal take on Celtic in the Non-Champions side of things. In the Champions side, Copenhagen take on APOEL and familiar faces abound as Sheriff take on Olympiacos.
I’ll be covering it live here.
Read the rest of this entry »
Celtic draw Arsenal and Sporting draw Fiorentina…
By: Rob | 1 Comment
The Champions League draw for the all-new Third Qualifying Round format has thrown up a couple of massive ties in the non-Champions side of the draw. For those not in the know, now the Qualifying draw is separated into two – the teams that won their respective leagues, and the teams from bigger countries that didn’t.
And with teams like Arsenal, Fiorentina, Sporting Lisbon, Atletico Madrid we were going to get some decent stuff to look forward to. The full draw is after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
Category: DrawsA Rough Quide to New CL Qualifying Plus the latest Draw
By: Rob | 7 Comments
So we’re well and truely back. Except UEFA have decided to complicate Champions League qualifying in an attempt to improve TV viewership of the qualifying rounds make it more fair for the small teams who win their league but never qualify for this here Champions League. I think I just about get it, and shall explain it to you thus.
Basically now, every team in qualifying has been separated into two draws the “Champions Path” and the rest. Importantly, they can’t play one another and have been split up. On the Champions Side, the teams that are ranked lowest go in from the first qualifying round and have to fight through four rounds to reach the CL group stage. The slightly better ones are in the Second qualifying round, and the ones UEFA thinks a neutral might watch are in the third qualifying round. Those that win their third quali rounds are entered into a play off against each other and the winners get to the first round proper.
Still with me? Well its basically the same for the Non-Champions, except their draw is less long winded, and the bigger sides are chucked straight into the Playoff round. But, this time they can play each other there, and so we’ll see some mouthwatering matches in the Qaulifying play off round, with Arsenal, Stuttgart, Fiorentina, Atletico Madrid and Lyon all certainly in the draw, and a few others to join them.
Draw after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Qualifying
Home 
