Rank the teams through to the last 16 of the CL

Group Winners
Chelsea
Bayern
Liverpool
Valenica
Lyon
Man Utd
Arsenal
Milan

Group Runners-up
Barcelona
Inter
PSV
Roma
Real Madrid
Celtic
Porto
Lille

e.g.
Group Runners-up
1 - Best
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 - Worst

1. Liverpool
2. Chelsea
3. Bayern
4. Milan
5. Valencia
6. United
7. Arsenal
8. Lyon

1. Inter
2. Real
3. Porto
4. PSV
5. Barca
6. Lille
7. Celtic
8. Roma

Group Runners-up (all of who we could meet):

Inter 1
PSV 3
Roma 4
Real Madrid 2
Celtic 7
Porto 5
Lille 6

Took Barca out, but they would be my number 1.

Group Winners
1. Chelsea
2. Lyon
3. Milan
4. Bayern
5. Man Utd
6. Liverpool
7. Arsenal
8. Valencia

Group Runners-up
1. Barcelona
2. Inter
3. Real Madrid
4. PSV
5. Roma
6. Porto
7. Celtic
8. Lille

There is very little between the sides now apart from one or two exceptions like Lille or Celtic.

Like S4P has done I will rank the runners up who Arsenal could possibly face.

1. Barcelona
2. Real Madrid
3. Inter
4. Porto (Cannot face them anyway)
5. PSV
6. Roma
7. Celtic
8. Lille

On the face of it out of the seven teams we could possibly play 4/7 of them I would look upon as favourable.

I think he means a straight out 1-16, not who you want to meet, and not split up into 1st and 2nd placed teams.

Here's mine:
Chelsea
Barcelona
Inter Milan
Lyon
Liverpool
Real Madrid
Bayern
Valencia
Man. Utd.
Milan
Arsenal
Roma
PSV
Porto
Lille
Celtic


Very hard to do Milan and Valencia, because both will be stronger come February.

kas wrote:I think he means a straight out 1-16, not who you want to meet, and not split up into 1st and 2nd placed teams.

Here's mine:
Chelsea
Barcelona
Inter Milan
Lyon
Liverpool
Real Madrid
Bayern
Valencia
Man. Utd.
Milan
Arsenal
Roma
PSV
Porto
Lille
Celtic


Very hard to do Milan and Valencia, because both will be stronger come February.

If he means like that, I would go along with your rankings

I think our only downfall might be if Cech doesn't return this season. I would feel much more comfortable with him in goal.

Chelsea
Barcelona
Inter Milan
Lyon
Roma
Real Madrid
Man. Utd.
Liverpool
Bayern
Valencia
Milan
Arsenal
PSV
Porto
Lille
Celtic

In that order on current form ...

Chelsea
Man Utd
Lyon (We cant play Lyon they were in our group)
Pool
Bayern
Arsenal
Milan
Valencia (we cant get Valencia for being Spanish)

So that leaves you with 4 English teams, 1 Italian and 1 German LSR?

England is still pretty cold in winter. Make sure fatty is wearing some gloves.

'S4P' of Orient Are wrote:So that leaves you with 4 English teams, 1 Italian and 1 German LSR?

England is still pretty cold in winter. Make sure fatty is wearing some gloves.

Indeed, looks like we will get an english team

Fatty ? Cassano ? I doubt he will be here then

Group Winners
1. Lyon
2. Chelsea
3. Bayern
4. ManUtd
5. Valencia
6. Arsenal
7. Liverpool
8. Milan

Group Runners-up
1. Barcelona
2. Inter
3. Roma
4. Real Madrid
5. Porto
6. Lille
7. PSV
8. Celtic

Total Points:

14 Lyon
13 Chelsea, Liverpool, Valencia
12 Bayern Munich, Man United
11 Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Porto
10 Werder Bremen, Inter Milan, PSV, Roma, AC Milan
9 Celtic, Lille
8 CSKA Moscow, AEK Athens
7 Bordeaux, Benfica, FC Copenhagen
6 Shakhtar
5 Spartak Moscow, Sporting Lisbon, Steau Bucharest
4 Galatasary, Anderlecht
3 Olympiacos, Hamburg
2 Dynamo Kiev
1
0 Levski Sofia

Group Winners
1.Chelsea
2.Lyon
3.Man Utd
4.Milan
5.Liverpool
6.Bayern
7.Arsenal
8.Valenica

Group Runners-up
1.Barcelona
2.Inter
3.Real Madrid
4.Roma
5.Porto
6. PSV
7.Celtic
8.Lille

my predicted draws

United - Real
Milan - Barca
Liverpool - Roma

Actual chances of winning the CL

1.Chelsea
2.Barca
3.Lyon
4.Inter
5.Real
6.United
7.Roma

There is no ranking system. Celtic have no chance, the rest do.

People shouldn't underestimate Lille because they were closed to win all their games !

Group Winners
1. Chelsea
2. lyon , Manu, arsenal, pool, bayern
8. Milan - they could be in the top 2 depending who they sign in january

Group Runners-up
1. Barcelona
2. Inter
3. Roma, PSV, madrid
6. Porto, Lille
8. Celtic

Napoléon wrote:People shouldn't underestimate Lille because they were closed to win all their games !

Yeah but that was the easiest group in the tournament. Milan are in such bad form that if they were in our group they wouldn't have done half as well as Werder, and probably wouldn't have qualified out of any of the other groups in this year's tournament.

Group Winners
Chelsea
Man Utd
Milan
Lyon
Bayern
Valencia
Liverpool
Arsenal


Group Runners-up
Barcelona
Real Madrid
Inter
Roma
Porto
PSV
Celtic
Lille

Chelsea
Lyon
Man Utd
Bayern
Arsenal
Liverpool Valencia
Milan (would normally be in the top 2)

Group Winners
1 Chelsea
3 Bayern
4 Liverpool
7Valenica
2 Lyon
6 Man Utd
8 Arsenal
5 Milan

Group Runners-up
1 Barcelona
2 Inter
4 PSV
5 Roma
3 Real Madrid
8 Celtic
6 Porto
7 Lille


current favourites for the title:

1. Chelsea/BARCA/LYON
2. Bayern, MILAN, Liverpool, Man UTD, INTER, Real Madrid
3. Arsenal, VAlencia, Roma

From my Barça point of view:

Group Winners
1 Chelsea (can't get them anyway)
2 Lyon (no, thank you)
3 Milan (come Feb it's going to be another team altogether, very experienced and very hard to beat)
4 Liverpool (tough opponent)
5 Valenica (on full strength and they know Barça inside out, can't draw them though)
6 Man Utd (they play fairly open and wouldn't mind Ronnie against Neville)
7 Arsenal (good rematch)
8 Bayern (my preferred opponent)

Group Runners-up
1 Barcelona (what can I say, we'll be back with a vengeance)
2 Real Madrid (team in progress)
3 Inter (tough cookie)
4 Porto
5 Roma
6 PSV (flatter to deceive IMO)
7 Celtic
8 Lille

I still think alot of people are too quick to write off Bayern and Inter this season.

Bayern may not have the best coach, best first team or best individual's but there's a solidity about them this season; atleast in the group stages. I'm not entirely sure they'll ship many goals this season.

They've also got some genuine 'footballers' in the likes of Schweinsteiger, Podolski and Deisler especially who have enough talent and pace between them to hurt any team. And Makaay is scoring now (...Maybe).

Add that to the fact that they've got Hargreaves to come back by the time of the knock-outs, and have the likes of Van Buyten and Lucio in defence - two players who between them should have enough power, aerial ability, pace and cannyness to deal with whatever style of forward they're up against - and they look strong.

Oh, and to top it all off they've got 2 of the best fullbacks in the world.

They're no mugs.


They and Inter are the teams I'm desperate to avoid throughout.

Inter are a scary prospect for anyone - people are forgetting that they've been just as, if not more impressive, than Barca domestically this season. They've beaten all their main rivals away from home already. They've got Stankovic, who forgive the lazio-fan overhype, can be as good as any midfielder in the world.

And I think they have more finishers than anyone.

Ibrahimovic - though not exactly liked - is playing well this season.

Adriano - again, much like Ibrahimovic - is, forgive the cliché, "due a goal". And most people know once he gets started he's nigh on impossible to stop until his motivation runs out - if he gets a goal in the next Champions league game, he could end up with 7 or 8 come the final. He's nigh on unstoppable when he's doing well.

Cruz is playing relatively well this season aswell and he's getting goals. He's not exactly a glamour name but also not a striker you want to take lightly.

Oh, and Crespo is just about the best natural finisher in Europe and has movement across the frontline that's unrivaled anywhere.


Inter may shoot themselves in the foot again, just like Bayern may stumble and capitulate massively again, but Inter can score 3 or 4 goals against anyone. Just like Bayern look like they might just be able to stiffle anyone this season.

Well I certainly haven't been underrating them - I've said that the two teams that I would immediately think can knock us out are Barca and Inter and I've said to the Germans that I expect no less than a quarter final spot from Bayern.

Its the Utd fans that are underhyping Inter

Obviously no English teams can face Bayern yet but they're definately one to avoid, then again I don't think there are many teams you'd want to face that finished top of the group

I'm not sure about that. I'm trying to look at it from all angles with regards to our next opponent:-

Can we match them as individual players?

Can we match them as a team?

Would our style of play be a positive or a negative against such opposition?

Would I trust Benitez to tactically out smart their coach?


It's why I want to face Barca. I think that our style of play would be a positive against them, I think that as a team we can close them down in all areas and obviously, I'd trust Benitez to get one over on Rijkaard.

Group Winners
Chelsea
Lyon
Man Utd
Bayern
Milan
Arsenal
Liverpool
Valenica


Group Runners-up
Barcelona
Real Madrid
Inter
PSV
Porto
Roma
Celtic
Lille

As a Benfiquista it pains me to say it, but, it seems that generally, most people would be happy to face Porto. When the next round games come around, Anderson will probably be fit. I think that after the balls up that their coach made away to Arsenal, he has settled on selecting the usual team and tactics, and not tried to be too clever, as he did away to Arsenal.
Were I a fan of a group winner, I wouldn't be over confident of getting past Porto.
Still, with luck, maybe players and coaches will be thinking the same.

holly hunter wrote:
6 Man Utd (they play fairly open and wouldn't mind Ronnie against Neville)

Ronnie will be chasing Gazz.

Obi,

I don't think people are underestimating Bayern by saying they are the favourite option for their team. I say so, because generally they do like to play football, unlike some other teams that are much more apt at stifling an opponent. I suppose it comes with the name and fame of Bayern. They to me are my preferred opponent for Barça.

I don't understand why you are making little of Lyon's chances though for being underachievers, when you are hyping the kings of underachievement, Inter. They always look strong and falter at the most important moment. I don't think anyone's underestimating them though.

Snowbispo wrote:


It's why I want to face Barca. I think that our style of play would be a positive against them, I think that as a team we can close them down in all areas and obviously, I'd trust Benitez to get one over on Rijkaard.

Don't you mean negative?

But I do agree with the fact that Benitez is the smarter coach tactically.. but we can always hope for some insane rotation so that we face a Carragher in midfield, Hyppia and Paletta in defense, Aurelio as right back, Luis García as left back, Bellamy in left midfield, Gerrard as lone striker etc etc..