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Who Will Win the 2017/18 Champions League?


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On 03/11/2017 at 1:38 AM, Happy Blue said:

Not true, we murdered them 4-1 a few weeks back then Destroyed Spurs 3-0 a few days after :coffee:

In a friendly mate but for me you're favourites at the minute. You have been outstanding gotta say it. A pleasure to watch as well

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1 hour ago, Gunnersauraus said:

In a friendly mate but for me you're favourites at the minute. You have been outstanding gotta say it. A pleasure to watch as well

We have dropped off a little bit the last 4 weeks but signs we are getting back on form ..we need to buy a few CB's in Jan only having 2 fit right now and Kompany being a sick note, that area needs to be addressed more than adding Sanchez who don't really need tbh  ..who do you want to replace him if he leaves in a few weeks?

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1 hour ago, Happy Blue said:

We have dropped off a little bit the last 4 weeks but signs we are getting back on form ..we need to buy a few CB's in Jan only having 2 fit right now and Kompany being a sick note, that area needs to be addressed more than adding Sanchez who don't really need tbh  ..who do you want to replace him if he leaves in a few weeks?

I don't think we'd miss him that much to be honest. He hasn't been great this season. He does nothing defensivily and he is disruptive apparently. I think people sometimes forget football is a team sport. We had a good season after henry left.

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On 19/11/2017 at 9:57 AM, 11Neymar Ousmane Dembélé11 said:

A PSG vs Manchester City matchup in the Champions League would be a sight to behold

Sorry mate but it would be disgusting. They can go and play that in the Gulf for all I care.

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4 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said:

I don't think we'd miss him that much to be honest. He hasn't been great this season. He does nothing defensivily and he is disruptive apparently. I think people sometimes forget football is a team sport. We had a good season after henry left.

He was absolutely terrible against us, you wont miss him playing like that  ..what was the last good game he had for you?

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5 minutes ago, Happy Blue said:

He was absolutely terrible against us, you wont miss him playing like that  ..what was the last good game he had for you?

Last season. We played well against Chelsea when he was left out

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On 12/13/2017 at 4:43 PM, SirBalon said:

Sorry mate but it would be disgusting. They can go and play that in the Gulf for all I care.

Apropos PSG vs City: 

I'm like you, mate. I'm a football romantic. 

Let's ignore for a second the fact that the Parisians and City are funded by the city states of Qatar and Abu Dhabi respectively. Both clubs are practically a way to diversify the portfolios of their respective country's (Qatar and UAE) sovereign wealth funds. 

Let's just focus on the FOOTBALL that's being played by these two clubs. Beautifully played, I might add.

The FOOTBALL that City's playing is simply sublime. Can we argue with the fact that Guardiola is introducing into the UK a brand of football that might never have seen British shores if not for him? They may very well break the record for wins in a row. Let's not bemoan the fact that the record will be broken by City playing beautiful football, Guardiola football "the Barcelona way". 

I've heard and read many a football fan stating that the football City are currently playing puts the "Invincibles" of Arsenal in the shade. I didn't get the chance to watch Arsenal football during that time period. From what I've see on retrospectives and YouTube,  City have a bit of a way to go, not having won any trophies just yet this season.

Yes, PSG are absolutely devastating in attack. Their midfield links up so well with the forwards it's almost unconscious. The fact that their defense and goalkeeping are relatively average assuaged by the fact that they can unlock and outscore anyone. They play attractive football too.

I, for one, love the Champions league match ups. 

@Stan did you say that it was Group H teams that have yielded the most Champions League winners over the years? If so Group H this season includes Real Madrid and Spurs :):) 

14 out of 18 of the past CL winners have been Group Winners. I know that people don't like stats but that's not an insignificant stat.

Btw does anyone really think Real Madrid will threepeat!?

Let's go over them again (unseeded vs seeded (Group Winners), I know these match ups and even the dates they'll meet in the Round of 16 by heart :):) 

Juventus vs Spurs Feb 13 & Mar 7  (This will be a good one. Spurs won the most points (16) in the Group Stage. Juventus doesn't seem as formidable this season, only because we're comparing them to their very high standards. I'd love to see Spurs go through but Juve may just have too much experience. Heart says Spurs, head says Juventus. (hope I'm wrong, mind. Have a soft spot for English teams.) Kane is in irrepressible form, hopefully too much for Juventus' vaunted defense))

Basel vs City  Feb 13 & Mar 7   Utd didn't have it all their way with Basel but City shouldn't have any such problems. The only questions are how many goals City will score and whether Basel will score.

Porto vs Liverpool Feb 14 & Mar 6   Sorry, Casillas, if you play, expect to be scored on in both Estadio Dragao and Anfield!! Liverpool all the way. Porto will defo score too (come on, it's the Liverpool defense we're talking about here but the Reds should make it through to the next round relatively unscathed).

PSG vs Real Madrid Feb 14 & Mar 6     Now this is a corker. May very well be the best of the bunch. Let out a yell when the pairing was announced. If Zidane is smart, he'll focus on winning the CL cos he knows the La Liga title may be out of his reach. Which means he'll focus all his considerable energies into motivating his players against PSG,  players who won't need any motivation whatsoever in the CL. Don't count out Madrid: I expect them to beat PSG. I do like PSG and the football they play but again, in the knockout stages, that winning mentality and winning experience still belongs to Real Madrid.

Chelsea vs Barcelona Feb 20 & Mar 14     I like this tie. Barca has unfinished business with the Blues. I do like Chelsea as a club but I won't/cant forget that they knocked us out in the 2011-2012 semis. 2008-2009 was oh so sweet ;) 

Chelsea this season are underperforming. Barca, on the other hand, are "getting it done." Can't see any other result than a Barca progression.

Bayern vs Besiktas Feb 20 & Mar 14    I've said elsewhere in the forums that I may not particularly like Bayern,  but I do respect them as a club and culture. It's a healthy respect mixed with healthy sensible bit of fear (nothing whatsoever to do with 2012-2013 semis, that was a fluke with offside Bayern goals galore. Barca wasn't really that bad and Bayern wasn't really that good). I do know what Heynckes brings to the table. He always gets Muller to play his best. Once you get Muller playing well, the whole team falls into line. Bayern will beat Besiktas handily. Players play for him, the coach Heynckes. This will be the final season for several of the players and the coach himself. They will go all out. No-one wants to meet them next round.

Germans who aren't Bayern fans all hate Bayern very much btw

Sevilla vs United    Feb 21 & Mar 13    United should beat Sevilla. 

Shakhtar  vs Roma     Feb 21 &  Mar 13   I expect the Ukrainians to beat Roma. Had Chelsea not lost their focus, they would have been Group Winners. Easily. I respect what Roma did in winning the Group but remain unconvinced by them. I was very impressed by how Shakhtar played against City. The fact that the Final is in Ukraine will give them added incentive. 

Ideal Matchups in the quarters, semis and Final: They all involve Barca :) 

Quarters and Semis: I want City/PSG in the quarterfinals and one of them in the semis. Doesn't really matter which. Probably City in quarters and PSG in semis. 

Final in Kiev: UEFA's never had an El Clasico Final. Trust me, they do want it! They know Ronaldo and Messi won't be playing forever. So they'll figure that now's as good a time as any to engineer such a Final :) Ratings will be through the roof. Super Bowl who? :) 

May the best FOOTBALL win :):) 

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Barca has unfinished business?

With what? You lot got wonderfully fortunate in 2009 by some of the worst officiating the CL has ever witnessed, to which justice was served in 2012. 

This tie has the making of an all out classic, which it always is. May the best club win. 

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The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Manchester City would beat PSG should they meet in the later stages of the knockout rounds. 

PSG, while potent in attack (probably the best attack this season) aren't quite the finished article.

There's a reason why City are doing so well this season. Guardiola's second season is proving to be a watershed in the way football is played in the Premier League, "the toughest domestic league of them all").

If you were to analyze PSG on a player-by-player basis, they probably do have the better more talented squad (by far) compared to City, individually speaking. All that would be for nought though against the collective might of the team that is this current City. Guardiola has molded and helped gel City into "England's FC Barcelona". Didn't think it would happen so quickly. Well on their way to breaking the consecutive wins record. Playing beautiful football while doing so.

Mbappe is truly something special btw. A scorer and creator extraordinaire at such a young age.

These two teams (PSG and City) may very well take turns in winning the Champions League season after season over the next decade or so.

It must be said that PSG and City are variations on a theme (Chelsea) vis a vis the Champions League. Yes, admittedly, success on the football pitch CAN be bought. But hasn't that been the case all along?

City does seem to have a more solid foundation compared to PSG. It remains to be seen whether the City of Light's only football team will be punished and sanctioned for their spending habits.

Off-topic: I dunno what to make of this current Utd team. They simply have no character, no identity. What a colourless team they are. The Kanchelskis and Giggsy day were much more fun. 

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15 minutes ago, 11Neymar Ousmane Dembélé11 said:

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Manchester City would beat PSG should they meet in the later stages of the knockout rounds. 

PSG, while potent in attack (probably the best attack this season) aren't quite the finished article.

There's a reason why City are doing so well this season. Guardiola's second season is proving to be a watershed in the way football is played in the Premier League, "the toughest domestic league of them all").

If you were to analyze PSG on a player-by-player basis, they probably do have the better more talented squad (by far) compared to City, individually speaking. All that would be for nought though against the collective might of the team that is this current City. Guardiola has molded and helped gel City into "England's FC Barcelona". Didn't think it would happen so quickly. Well on their way to breaking the consecutive wins record. Playing beautiful football while doing so.

Mbappe is truly something special btw. A scorer and creator extraordinaire at such a young age.

These two teams (PSG and City) may very well take turns in winning the Champions League season after season over the next decade or so.

It must be said that PSG and City are variations on a theme (Chelsea) vis a vis the Champions League. Yes, admittedly, success on the football pitch CAN be bought. But hasn't that been the case all along?

City does seem to have a more solid foundation compared to PSG. It remains to be seen whether the City of Light's only football team will be punished and sanctioned for their spending habits.

Off-topic: I dunno what to make of this current Utd team. They simply have no character, no identity. What a colourless team they are. The Kanchelskis and Giggsy day were much more fun. 

Without a doubt City are the superior side... The only curious thing the two have in common and would be interesting to witness is they both have devestating attacks BUT VERY DIFFERENT attacks and how they reproduce them. 

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23 hours ago, 11Neymar Ousmane Dembélé11 said:

 

Mbappe is truly something special btw. A scorer and creator extraordinaire at such a young age.

 

He has it all to become a truly special player. You don't get many players showing the talent he is at his age. Messi and the Brazilian Ronaldo were two who did, but it's rare.

It's all about Mbappe now keeping himself focused on football, not making any daft career moves(or even staying at PSG too long, as it will hold him back), then the sky is the limit for him.

I think Spain would be the perfect destination for him, specifically Barcelona, especially while the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Suarez, Busquets and Pique are still at the club, as he would learn a lot there from a group of winners. Not to mention, finding a way of convincing him not to sign full term for PSG once his loan is up, before going to Catalunya would really piss on their chips after the whole Neymar shenanigans last summer.

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  • 3 months later...

4 left. This competition is wide open.

The beauty of these semi's, however they are drawn, is that anyone can beat anyone.

Real - Can't defend for shit and extremely vulnerable, but have Ronaldo.

Bayern - Like a machine, efficient but unspectacular. 

Roma - Unpredictable. The dark horse. 

Liverpool - The most improved team in the competition. And the most feared IMO.

Liverpool would be the team I'd want to miss if I was the others. Very daunting going to Anfield for a semi when they want it.

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That  "Advanced after losing first leg" stat is pretty interesting. The fact that it's happened so rarely means that getting a good result (as in, not losing) in the 1st leg is even more important nowadays, the way clubs' approach playing in the semifinals.

Perhaps this will be the first time since the 2005-2006 season (12 years ago) that a team that beat Barca in the knockout rounds does NOT make the Final.
 
Boston Derby: Roma vs Liverpool. There'll be a Boston-owned team in the Final either way!
 
 
 
Still, it's hard to wager against Real Madrid, even if I do want Bayern to take care of them. Don't expect a Heynckes Bayern team to capitulate so easily.
 
That said, BOTH Roma and Liverpool have that "2012 Chelsea Champions League Winning Ways/Team of Destiny" air about them and I wouldn't count either of them out. This season's Semifinals (and indeed whole competition) have been some of the most unpredictable in recent memory. Long may it continue this way.
 
Champions League semi-final records and statistics
 
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  • 2 weeks later...
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On 23/08/2017 at 11:48, Stan said:

Probably Real Madrid for the 3rd time in a row. Their squad and form is looking unreal. 

 

On 23/08/2017 at 13:20, Devon Von Devon said:

Real will either lose the final or get knocked out of from the semis. Don't want to see them winning it again. 

 

On 23/08/2017 at 16:34, Toony said:

Real Madrid, fairly comfortably too.

 

On 24/08/2017 at 06:23, Philippe Coutinho said:

It's a Real Madrid "threepeat", I'm afraid. Pretty comfortably too. They're that good and stacked with talent and depth. Amazing chemistry. This iteration of Real Madrid could become legendary.

 

On 25/08/2017 at 19:48, Asura said:

cant see past real madrid at this point but its a cup competition so anything can happen on their given day

 

On 27/08/2017 at 09:59, Danny said:

It would be very Real Madrid like to win it again.

 

On 27/08/2017 at 12:54, Bundesligafan93 said:

It has to be Real Madrid isn't it ? Unless they face Juve in two legs.

we all knew :D 

On 05/09/2017 at 19:57, Stan said:

Sevilla, Roma, Dortmund, Liverpool & Napoli aren't getting anywhere close to winning it in my opinion. Probably not Monaco either given how they've been deconstructed over this summer.

I didn't know :( 

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