171 replies to this topic

[Stefancos]

30 March Olympique Lyon / Girondins Bordeaux
30 March Bayern München / Manchester United
31 March Arsenal / Barcelona
31 March Internazionale / CSKA Moskou

Place your bets, gents!

[Omen II]

While the smart money will be on whoever wins the Arsenal v Barcelona quarter final, I can't help thinking that Man U or Inter will have more in reserve should they reach the semis, as expected. Much as I would like to see Arsenal win it for once, they still look a bit dodgy at the back, even if they can run rings round you going forward. So my heart says Arsenal while my head says Man United (again). I predict a 0-0 aggregate score in the all-French quarter-final with Bordeaux going through 13-12 on penalties. You read it here first.

Damien - still buzzing after his team got a 90th minute equaliser this afternoon. The away end was a ing mess!

[Stefancos]

I would love to see either Barça of Arsenal take it. Actually my dream finale was Barcelona - Arsenal, but that is not to be.
I hope Munich will remove Man United, but Rooney is on fire now.

[Charlie Brigden]

Repeat of last year's final, methinks.

[gkgyver]

I think Inter has a genuine chance, if they can keep the level they played on against Chelsea.

I do hope that Bayern München will indeed kick out ManU, but seeing their current form (they lost to Frankfurt today), I don't see it happening. Ribery is recovering from yet another minor injury, Demichelis is out (not that this is a big loss, but still), Gomez is injured, and Klose and Van Buyten are in bad shape.

I dont see ManU nearly as strong as last season, their success mainly depends on Rooney, but I'm afraid it will be enough for München.

Barcelona is still the team to beat, Arsenal will have to put up their absolute A game. This will be a great match!

Forgive me if I dont count much on French teams, even though one of them will play in the semis.

I can absolutely see Barca defending the title; they are, in my honest opinion, currently the best team in the world, and the best team in recent memory. They deserve it!
They have world class players they've raised themselves, a fair and charismatic man as their coach, also from their own club, they have a fantastic way of playing, and they are the fairest team in the contest.

[Stefancos]

Ribery has been suffering from injuries al season, but surprisingly Robben is fit, and he's been going strong lately!

Munich has only lost one game recently, so do not discount them.

It would be helpfull if...oh...i don't know...a certain Wayne Rooney was...shall we say...given the Ramsey treatment today by someone from Liverpool.

[Omen II]

It would be helpfull if...oh...i don't know...a certain Wayne Rooney was...shall we say...given the Ramsey treatment today by someone from Liverpool.

Behave, Steef! We've already lost Sir Becks from our World Cup squad so can ill afford to lose the Roonster too. Crouchy cannot lead the line by himself, you know!

[gkgyver]

Ribery has been suffering from injuries al season, but surprisingly Robben is fit, and he's been going strong lately!

He certainly is, but you cant always count on Robben to make a number of goals - they can't always be as lucky as in their game against Fiorentina.

Of course, anything is possible. I'd very much like a revenge for 1999.
But did you see the last few games they played? Their defense is like a flock of hysteric hens you throw a dart at!

[Joey]

what does Uefa stand for?

[Charlie Brigden]

what does Uefa stand for?

Union of European Football Associations.

[gkgyver]

Union of European Football Associations.

Alternatively Union of Elite Fat Asses.

[Romão]

Barcelona and Man United still look like the clear favorites, but I wouldn't discount Inter (based mainly on the strenghts of their coach, my fello countryman José Mourinho) and Bordeaux, which I think, can surprise a lot of people. Laurent Blanc has put up an incredibly strong side.

What about the Europa League?

My club, Benfica, is playing some amazing football at the moment, the kind of which had not been seen around here for decades. We face Liverpool next, it will be a very tough play off

[Omen II]

What about the Europa League? My club, Benfica, is playing some amazing football at the moment, the kind of which had not been seen around here for decades. We face Liverpool next, it will be a very tough play off

In many ways I enjoy the Europa League more than the Champions League, as it is less hyped and less predictable. I reckon your lot will beat Liverpool as, with no disrespect intended, they are pretty cack at the moment - if you can stop Torres from scoring, the rest should take care of itself. Although I don't think it will happen, I would love to see Fulham win it. It was not that many years ago (late 1990's) when I remember seeing my team play against them at Craven Cottage in the equivalent of the English fourth division (when Fulham were second from bottom and we were not much higher!), so it hardly seems possible that they can now beat the likes of Juventus just a few years later. They are a comparatively small club and far less glamorous than their near neighbours Chelsea. I also have a lot of respect for their manager, Roy Hodgson, a true football gentleman who doesn't feel the need to blame the referee / pitch / fixture congestion / etc. whenever his team loses, unlike the Wengers and Fergusons of this world.

By the way, Merkel, are you able to visit the Estadio Da Luz often? It looks like a fantastic stadium when I have seen it on TV.

[gkgyver]

Pardon me for not pushing Fulham - I very much want Wolfsburg to proceed to the next round! Even though I think they are the worst German soccer champion in history.

I visit the Allianz Arena in Munich regularly now.

And on a side note, our family was on holiday at my uncle's house in Milano when Germany won the World Cup in Italy 1990. That was a night I'll never forget!

[Omen II]

I visit the Allianz Arena in Munich regularly now.

Is it right that Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich share the stadium, gkgyver? I have seen the stadium referred to as 'the floating doughnut' when it is lit up at night. I very much like that you can still choose to stand at many German football grounds in the Bundesliga; all stadiums in the top two divisions in England have to be all-seated (with a few years' grace given to newly promoted teams) following the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. I usually prefer to stand at the football, but even in League One (the English third division) many of the grounds are all-seater stadia and I think it's a real shame that there is not a choice. The German model shows that it is quite possible to have safe standing terracing in a modern football stadium.

[Pasi Tiitinen]

Barcelona is not going to win the title if they let the annoying Zlatan-lady to play.
He is ruining the chemistry of otherwise great team.

[Romão]

What about the Europa League? My club, Benfica, is playing some amazing football at the moment, the kind of which had not been seen around here for decades. We face Liverpool next, it will be a very tough play off

In many ways I enjoy the Europa League more than the Champions League, as it is less hyped and less predictable. I reckon your lot will beat Liverpool as, with no disrespect intended, they are pretty cack at the moment - if you can stop Torres from scoring, the rest should take care of itself. Although I don't think it will happen, I would love to see Fulham win it. It was not that many years ago (late 1990's) when I remember seeing my team play against them at Craven Cottage in the equivalent of the English fourth division (when Fulham were second from bottom and we were not much higher!), so it hardly seems possible that they can now beat the likes of Juventus just a few years later. They are a comparatively small club and far less glamorous than their near neighbours Chelsea. I also have a lot of respect for their manager, Roy Hodgson, a true football gentleman who doesn't feel the need to blame the referee / pitch / fixture congestion / etc. whenever his team loses, unlike the Wengers and Fergusons of this world.

By the way, Merkel, are you able to visit the Estadio Da Luz often? It looks like a fantastic stadium when I have seen it on TV.

Very interesting post, Omen II, it's great to be able to discuss football with other european fans.

I live 300 km from Lisbon, but I still manage to go the Estadio da Luz around 4 times per season. It is indeed a fantastic stadium with great acoustics (the design is quite similar to the Emirates stadium, I find). YOu must visit it sometime

[gkgyver]

I visit the Allianz Arena in Munich regularly now.

Is it right that Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich share the stadium, gkgyver? I have seen the stadium referred to as 'the floating doughnut' when it is lit up at night. I very much like that you can still choose to stand at many German football grounds in the Bundesliga; all stadiums in the top two divisions in England have to be all-seated (with a few years' grace given to newly promoted teams) following the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. I usually prefer to stand at the football, but even in League One (the English third division) many of the grounds are all-seater stadia and I think it's a real shame that there is not a choice. The German model shows that it is quite possible to have safe standing terracing in a modern football stadium.

Yes, you are right, Bayern and 1860 share the same stadium; but not since long. 1860 was (still is) in financial trouble, so they had to close down their own stadium. Uli Hoeness offered them to use the Allianz Arena at a moderate cost.
It's a cool thing: when Bayern is playing, the arena lights up in red, for 1860 in blue, and for the national team in white.

And yes, I *think* you can still stand there. The Bayern Munich fans can enter the south wing, right behind the goal, for 7 Euros. I think those are for standing.
There are quite a few new stadiums over here. Hoffenheim built one last year, as well as Leverkusen. Stuttgart is planning a football-only stadium, too.

As far as safety is concerned, there was just an incident last week. Cologne had a game in their arena, which they lost, and lots of fans broke through, entered the field and chased the players with their flag poles.
Happily, these incidents are far and between.

[Omen II]

@ Merkel - yes, I must go to a game at the Estadio Da Luz one day. Perhaps England will play there some time!

And yes, I *think* you can still stand there. The Bayern Munich fans can enter the south wing, right behind the goal, for 7 Euros. I think those are for standing.
There are quite a few new stadiums over here. Hoffenheim built one last year, as well as Leverkusen. Stuttgart is planning a football-only stadium, too.

I'm very jealous that you can watch a top division match for 7 Euros in Germany, as tickets are really expensive for football in England, even quite low down the football pyramid. The cheapest adult ticket at my team's ground costs £15 (for a large standing terrace behind the goal) which is not too bad, but many of the other clubs in our division - the third tier of English football - charge away fans at least £20, with some charging up to £25. That said, some of the prices fans have to pay in the Premier League are much worse than that, so in many ways I am glad my team does not play at a higher level. The least I have paid to watch a game this season was £2 at Oldham Athletic but that was only because they had a special family day promotion for that one game (and we lost 2-0 so I still felt robbed ). When you add in the cost of train travel, food and the odd liquid refreshment on occasion, it can add up to an expensive day out.

For comparison, the cheapest ticket to watch England at Wembley Stadium is usually £30, which I think is fairly good value when you compare it to the cost of going to a Premier League game.

[Romão]

7 euros is quite cheap indeed. For Benfica games I usually pay around 15 euros for a place behind the goal, and I'm a Benfica "sócio" (Not sure how to translate it, meaning I'm an associate of Benfica and I pay a monthly fee in order to get cheaper tickets and other advantages).

[gkgyver]

Yes 7 Euro is cheap, but you have to consider that, if you don't get your tickets before the season starts, there is usually no official way to get one. And then the prices rise accordingly, of course.
I can only speak for Bayern Munich, since I've not really been to any other stadium, except Nurenberg (my sister is a big fan) as a child, but I didn't care about ticket prices back then.

I know that the prices for Premier League top clubs are insane, which could be a byproduct of their financial politics.

I really have no idea how Bayern does it however, not to be sold to any family or company, still have the money to get a top player from time to time, and to still stay in Europe's Top 8.

[gkgyver]

Bayern lost again this weekend, giving away rank 1, Robben is injured, ManU can reform their best defense ... this is going to be a disaster tonight.

[Stefancos]

Not a disaster. but they will need to shape up next game, if they have any chance of getting through.

EDIT

Well that was a bit of a surprise, Bayern get it together and beat Man U???

Did Rooney go of Injured?

It's a strange feeling......rooting for a German team.

[gkgyver]

That was most surprising!

ManU played almost a bit too self-indulged after the freaking early 0-1.
In the second half, they never found back into the game, while Bayern fought back with teeth and claws. Ribery's goal was a bit of a lucky punch, but in the end, you can't say the victory was undeserved.

What was most staggering is the fact that Bayern never really played together in this formation.

If Rooney is indeed out for good, Schweinsteiger comes back, and Robben can make it next week, there is a very realistic chance Bayern will go through. They never lost in Old Trafford.

[Charlie Brigden]

Potentially both knocking out Man U and murdering England's world cup hopes in one fell swoop. Impressive, most impressive.

[gkgyver]

Germans traditionally know how to lead a war

[Wojo]

Lead, yes. Win, no.

Oh wait. Austrian.

[Stefancos]

That is what the world needs, German might, in the safe hands of a Dutch coach!

I just hope Arsenal will be as cocksure!

[Wojo]

Hands, in "football?" Really?

[gkgyver]

Lead, yes. Win, no.

Oh wait. Austrian.

That's right, blame minorities!

But this is a war we actually WANT

[Wojo]

Times have changed. Kids are getting worse. They won't obey their parents.

[Omen II]

Hands, in "football?" Really?

Have you ever heard of a player called Diego Maradona?



Damien - praying, along with all other Englishmen, for the swift recovery of St. Wayne of Croxteth.

[Stefancos]

Damien - praying, along with all other Englishmen, for the swift recovery of St. Wayne of Croxteth.

Even with Shrek Rooney, England does not stand a chance.
The problem is that the best players in English football are usually not English.

EDIT

The first 15 minutes was almost disasterous for The Gunners.
Almunia is certainly earned his salary so far!

EDIT

PFEW!

[Omen II]

Even with Shrek Rooney, England does not stand a chance.
The problem is that the best players in English football are usually not English.

While I do not entirely agree with you there Steef, there is an element of truth in your second claim; because of the number of good (and some not so good) foreign players in the Premier League, I worry that we do not have the strength in depth in many key positions in the England squad (hence all the panic whenever anyone gets injured within six months of the World Cup). The fact that Wes Brown still somehow manages to get into the England team on a regular basis is all the proof anyone needs.

Arsenal have given themselves a chance with tonight's comeback, but have it all to do at the Nou Camp. I thought Puyol was a tad unlucky to be sent off, but it could be crucial given how well he had been playing up to that point. Nice to see Walcott back to near his blistering best too.

[Stefancos]

I'm not sure why Wenger usually waits to put in Wallcott after they are already far behind?

[Omen II]

I'm not sure why Wenger usually waits to put in Wallcott after they are already far behind?

You may know that Walcott has struggled a lot with injury this season. When he started England's recent friendly against Egypt he was fairly anonymous and obviously lacking in confidence until he was substituted. If Walcott is not yet fully fit, I am guessing that Wenger thinks his pace can do more damage when the game opens up in the last half hour and the defenders are tiring.

[gkgyver]

Arsenal made a strong comeback, but Barca still has way better chances to enter the semis.

Inter seems to be getting stronger with each game, the 1:0 doesn't reflect the game appropriately. Even though you have to wonder whether Moscow was a worthy contender in the first place.

[Omen II]

While you're waiting for the second legs of these games, check out this great website.





Ugly footballers

[gkgyver]

Well, next Wednesday is my father's 60th birthday, so I can bite my ass not being able to watch the game ...

[gkgyver]

Let's see if Barca can do it ...