18th/19th September CL discussion

Tuesday, 18 September 2007
AC Milan v Benfica, D, 19:45
Chelsea v Rosenborg, B, 19:45
FC Porto v Liverpool, A, 19:45
Marseille v Besiktas, A, 19:45
Olympiacos v Lazio, C, 19:45
Real Madrid v Werder Bremen, C, 19:45
Schalke 04 v Valencia, B, 19:45
Shakhtar Donetsk v Celtic, D, 19:45

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Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Arsenal v Sevilla, H, 19:45
Barcelona v Lyon, E, 19:45
Fenerbahce v Inter Milan, G, 19:45
PSV v CSKA Moscow, G, 19:45
Rangers v VfB Stuttgart, E, 19:45
Roma v Dynamo Kiev, F, 19:45
Slavia Prague v Steaua Bucuresti, H, 19:45
Sporting v Man Utd, F, 19:45

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Some cracking games there. Barca V Lyon is obviously the pick of the games but Madrid V Bremen, Porto V Liverpool, Milan V Benfica and Arsenal V Sevilla all look to be interesting top drawer ties

Barca way out of form, Lyon not been that great either can see that game dissapointing. Sevilla v Arsenal should be a very good open game.

Aye, Sevilla are in dangerously good form at the moment. I have to admit I'm worried we might even lose this one! It depends how much (if at all) we rotate I guess

Can see ours being quite a borefest with us winning 1/2-0 always in control.

Then again I wouldn't back our strikers to hit a barn door at the moment (unless Piza and Drogba are back).

Well Arsenal are not exactly in bad form either. Definitly will be a few goals could go either way, if it was in spain i would fancy Sevilla, but they wont win at Arsenal.

Confident about Man Utd's game are you lrd?

Yep they play good open football, should suit us.
However i would take a loss if it meant we got back to playing good stuff

A draw and then beat them when they come back to Old Trafford would suit me.

Still hope we play for a win though. We're shite when we play conservative.

It's a shame Luso (has he left?) isnt about to write about Sporting, a bit of friendly banter would have made the game a bit more interesting.

Unfortunately Ronaldo is suspended, although if he plays like he did on Saturday he wont be missed, so Giggs will have to play. I would be delighted if Hargreaves returns as carrick has been awful this season. Tevez has finally started playing well and if he starts with Saha up front, then I think he will score his first goal for us. Hopefully Rooney will be on the bench and feature for at least 30 minutes to get him ready for the Chelsea game.

I think we should be able to achieve a draw in Lisbon, but I hope we do this by playing good attacking football, as I cant bear to watch another trepid defensive (4-5-1) display.

Forgot Ronaldo was suspended.

Probably be Scholes, Carrick*, Nani, Giggs, Tevez & Saha with Rooney starting from the bench.

*Hargreaves if he's fit.

I think we will see our best performance of the season so far against Sporting on Wed.

The team that SAF has assembled i think will do well in Europe this season.

Keeping possession and not conceding goals = success in the Champions League.

@Park

I think as we're away from home, he will play Carrick, Scholes and Hargreaves in midfield, with Giggs, Saha and Tevez up front. I would probably bring on Rooney and Nani after 60 minutes for Giggs and Tevez.

@Batman

It wont be hard, to have our best performance of the season. The biggest obstacle to us winning the CL is our horrible away form; last season we won every game scoring at least 3 goals in every match (bar the Lille game). Away from home we only won 2 games and only scored a measly 3 goals. I think our horrible away form stems from having too many attacking players in the team and no specialised ball winner, so our midfield always got overrun; causing our attacking players to became redundant.

I do think we will play better away from home this season, especially now that we have Hargreaves and Tevez.

Scholes is naturally an attacking midfielder/support striker who's game is based on slick distribution of the ball and not winning the ball or stopping the opposition playing. So away from home, were we tend to have less of the ball, he has been ineffective. With Hargreaves around to pressure the opposition and win the ball, Scholes (along with Carrick) will be able to play his natural game and increase the chances of controlling the midfield and in turn the game.

Away from home Giggs has been really poor; he has lacked the energy to make a difference and the games have passed him by. Tevez will provide the energy and the directness that Giggs has lacked recently.

With Rooney and Ronaldo finally learning how to score in the CL, with the right luck (with injuries) we should do well in this seasons CL. However Wednesday game should give an inclination into how the team will do away from home.

L.r.d wrote:Barca way out of form, Lyon not been that great either can see that game dissapointing. Sevilla v Arsenal should be a very good open game.

Not anymore, we won our last four games, and 5-1 away this weekend.

Shaktar beating Celtic.

1-0.

Expected...

The right side of Liverpool is having a shocker!

Penalty to Porto!

Reina to take 11 points for the second fantasy game in a row? Surely not.

1-0 to Porto. Liverpool are embarrassing in defence

HAHA.

1-0 Porto.

Glad i dont have Reina as Keeper, and Agger didnt start!

Goodbye 5 points, brilliant.

Terrible team selection by Rafa. Liverpool are going to spend the whole game giving the ball away with that midfield!

Hyypia is slow. The winger just breezed past him.

Bosingwa gets a yellow card for a great tackle. What the f@ck?

Dwarf wrote:Goodbye 5 points, brilliant.

$h!t!

Who gave the penalty away, and who took it?

Reina gave it away. Lucho scored.

1-0 Milan

Pirlo


2-0 Shaktar.

Rosicky wrote:1-0 Milan

Pirlo


2-0 Shaktar.

Free kick for Pirlo?

Glad I put Finnan on the bench. Bit shite my Shaktar player jadson wasn't involved in the goals.

Am not watching, so dont know.



Lucarelli (sp) scored the 2nd for Shaktar.

Marcello is clueless

Goal RAUUUL!!!!!!!