UEFA Champions League Thread

[Peong]

Inter vs Bayern Munich, a repeat of the last final is the biggest matchup.

Except both of those teams are in a mess this season. 

True, but at least that means they are evenly matched.  Arsenal gonna get steamrolled.

[kicker]

True, but at least that means they are evenly matched.  Arsenal gonna get steamrolled.

lol...

Wenger said he wanted Barca, so maybe he has a plan. 

[Small Magician aka Wazza]

AS Roma    v    Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan    v    Tottenham Hotspur
Valencia    v    FC Schalke
Inter Milan    v    Bayern Munich
Lyon    v    Real Madrid
Arsenal    v    Barcelona
Marseille    v    Manchester United
Copenhagen    v    Chelsea

Some great games.. United and Chelsea got good draws..still cant underestimate nobody

predictions:

Shakhtar...Spurs...Valencia...Inter...Real...Barca(would prefer Arsenal)....United...Chelsea

[sammy]

arsenal beating barca this time fer shore.

[D.H.W]

arsenal beating barca this time fer shore.

 

[Disgruntled_Trini]

Some great games.. United and Chelsea got good draws..still cant underestimate nobody

as phoqing usual

tell we something new

[kicker]

as phoqing usual

tell we something new

 

[Small Magician aka Wazza]

Some great games.. United and Chelsea got good draws..still cant underestimate nobody

as phoqing usual

tell we something new

I guess AC Milan last year and Inter the year before in the RO16 can be called easy draws for United 

asshole

[grassrotts]

Geez Lyon again!!!... They are they are Madrid's bogey team- can't remember ever beating the in Champions' League...

Arsenal - Barcelona will be the matchup of the first round & Milan- Tott 2nd...

Higuain does rehl choke in champions league. He rehl throw way against lyon last year . Honestly if he doh score against lyon dis time I say get a new stiker. I doh care how much goals he does score vs la liga teams.
I know he score vs milan dis year but das not enough IMO.

[kicker]

Higuain does rehl choke in champions league. He rehl throw way against lyon last year . Honestly if he doh score against lyon dis time I say get a new stiker. I doh care how much goals he does score vs la liga teams.
I know he score vs milan dis year but das not enough IMO.

Yeah he didn't perform in the CL last season, and last season, when he played poorly...Madrid played poorly- it was a pretty clear correlation. 

Lyon has been a jumbie side for Madrid from before Higuain was a factor though.

[100% Barataria]

Higuain does rehl choke in champions league. He rehl throw way against lyon last year . Honestly if he doh score against lyon dis time I say get a new stiker. I doh care how much goals he does score vs la liga teams.
I know he score vs milan dis year but das not enough IMO.

Yeah he didn't perform in the CL last season, and last season, when he played poorly...Madrid played poorly- it was a pretty clear correlation. 

Lyon has been a jumbie side for Madrid from before Higuain was a factor though.

More lix for los putos blancos 

[Disgruntled_Trini]

Some great games.. United and Chelsea got good draws..still cant underestimate nobody

as phoqing usual

tell we something new

I guess AC Milan last year and Inter the year before in the RO16 can be called easy draws for United 

asshole

you bias knows no bounds

[Small Magician aka Wazza]

Some great games.. United and Chelsea got good draws..still cant underestimate nobody

as phoqing usual

tell we something new

I guess AC Milan last year and Inter the year before in the RO16 can be called easy draws for United 

asshole

you bias knows no bounds

hoss be serious... you bawl out United gets easy draws.... AC Milan and Inter the year before are easy draws? and Bayern, Arsenal, Roma in that mix too... where in that can you have the nerve to bawl out "as phoqing usual" to united getting a good draw..

this is our first good draw since Lille in 07... and Marseille ent that easy.. that will be a hard game

I hope Arsenal bury allyuh

[Disgruntled_Trini]

Date
Wednesday the 16th of February 2011

Time
20:45, Barcelona Time (CET)
3:45, Trinidad

Where
Emirates Stadium, London



Team Ties

• In addition to their meetings during the 1999/2000 season, the rival coaches also lined up against each other when Wenger was coach of AS Monaco FC and Guardiola a player at Barcelona. Guardiola came out on top with Barcelona winning home (2-0) and away (1-0) in the 1993/94 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Guardiola was in the Barcelona team which won the European Cup for the first time on English soil with a 1-0 extra-time victory against UC Sampdoria in the 1992 final at Wembley.

• Thierry Henry, a UEFA Champions League winner with Barcelona in 2009, is Arsenal's record league scorer. He hit 174 goals in 254 Premier League appearances, and 226 in 369 matches overall, between 1999 and 2007, when he left for Spain, winnng two league titles and three FA Cups during his time in north London. His first coach when he joined Monaco as a teenager was Wenger.

• Fàbregas left Barcelona's youth ranks to join Arsenal as a 16-year-old in September 2003.

• Andrey Arshavin was in the Russia side beaten 3-0 in the UEFA EURO 2008 semi-final by a Spain team including Puyol, Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta along with Fàbregas.

• Seydou Keita scored the opening goal for Sevilla FC when they beat Arsenal 3-1 in the UEFA Champions League group stage in November 2007. Daniel Alves and Adriano also played for the Andalusian side that night, while both Alves and Keita were involved in Sevilla's 3-0 reverse at Arsenal two months earlier.

• Javier Mascherano was in the Liverpool FC team that opened the Premier League season with a 1-1 home draw against Arsenal on 15 August. He played against them on seven previous occasions – including a 2007/08 UEFA Champions League quarter-final which Liverpool won 5-3 on aggregate – but won just two of those encounters.

• During two seasons with Sevilla, Sébastien Squillaci was on the losing side against Barcelona on three occasions in the Liga, his team shipping a total of ten goals.


Previous Meetings

Arsenal recovered from 2-0 down to force a 2-2 home draw in last season's quarter-final first leg against the then holders. Zlatan Ibrahimović (46, 59) put Barcelona in charge before Arsenal replied through Theo Walcott (69) and Cesc Fàbregas' 85th-minute penalty following a professional foul by Carles Puyol, for which he was sent off. Arsène Wenger's team went ahead in the return through Nicklas Bendtner's 18th-minute effort only for Lionel Messi to take matters in his own hands, scoring all Barça's goals in a 4-1 victory.

[Disgruntled_Trini]

Guardiola will take all of his available first team players to London for the first leg of the Champions League knockout stages. Thiago has also been called up, while the injured pair of Puyol and Jeffren will not travel with the team.

Although the game will take place in London, Guardiola has decided that the training before the match of the Champions League where the media can observe the team for the first quarter of an hour, would be done at home. This is a rare option used today by Guardiola. So the first team trained on Tuesday at noon on field no. 1 of the Ciutat Esportiva.

The training involved all 18 available first team players. The only absences were Carles Puyol and Jeffren Suarez, who continue with their recovery.

The squad will travel to London this afternoon. Also making the trip with the first team is Barça B midfielder Thiago Alcantara. While he is the only player making the squad for Wednesday, some other B team players were involved in training on Tuesday, namely Marc Muniesa, Victor Vasquez and Marc Bartra.

After the session, the players had lunch together at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper before leaving for London. Their plane will take off with the Barça party at 4 pm and will land in London at 17:50 hours (local time). The team will head to their hotel, except coach Pep Guardiola and Andres Iniesta, who will head to the Emirates Stadium, where they will give a press conference prior to the clash with Arsenal beginning at 19:50 (local time).

Squad list for Arsenal: Valdés, Pinto, Adriano, Alves, Piqué, Maxwell, Milito, Abidal, Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Keita, Messi, Bojan, Afellay, Pedro, Villa, Mascherano and Thiago.

[Mango Chow!]

I hope Barca put this talented team of whiners to the sword very early.  Let tomorrow be the wake for next Tuesday's funeral......and also....I really hope arsenal ask way too much for fabergas because he really doh belong in a Barca uniform.  He's a real asshole on the pitch that fits in perfectly with the team he already on.

[davidephraim]

Hope Arsenal bring out their A game today and at least make this an entertaining game unlike the last encounter when they put their tails between their legs and held their breath.

[Lower St. John]

This has the potential to be an open game with some excellent passing football on display.  If that is the case, I am not sure that my beloved Arsenal could win against Barca.  But then again that is why the game is played.

Go Arsenal!!!

Blessing

[kicker]

I think Arsenal is stronger than last season, and Barca is weaker than last season- so it will be closer than last year

The Spanish league is kind of a joke so far this season- Barca hasn't really been pushed.  Their defensive work rate isn't near what it was last season...and that is what has set them apart from the rest in the past 2 - 3 seasons

I have to say, the last time I claimed  that Barca isn't as good as last season they dropped 5 on Madrid in Camp Nou- so I hope I didn't goat mouth the Arsenal faithful. 

[Touches]

We beating Barca...1-0.

Goal N.Bendtner 73'

 

[Disgruntled_Trini]

We beating Barca...1-0.

Goal N.Bendtner 73'

 

you trying to irritate me.


Nasri named in Arsenal squad

Arsenal have included Samir Nasri in the squad to face Barcelona at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

Nasri suffered a hamstring injury in the FA Cup victory over Huddersfield at the end of January, and it was believed he had little hope of recovering in time for the Champions League second round first leg against Barca.

Having taken part in a training session on Tuesday morning, though, Arsene Wenger has now confirmed he is in contention to feature against the Spanish champions.

"Samir is in the squad and the starting line-up will be decided tomorrow," Wenger told a press conference on Tuesday. "I will take no medical risk. It's good to have him in the squad.

"He's recovered quicker than expected. I said it would be 21 days but it will be only 17 days. Everybody's absolutely adamant that he's completely medically available. It's down to me to make the decision."

Nasri confirmed on his Twitter page: "Hi tweeps good session today im fully fit and back with the squad looking forward to it."

Wenger also said Tomas Rosicky will be available but there is no place for Abou Diaby, who missed Tuesday's training session.

"Rosicky is available as well," he said. "He is in the squad, but there is no Diaby. He has a calf problem that he did against Brazil with the French national team."

Arsenal were dumped out of last season's competition at the quarter-final stage by Barcelona but Wenger is adamant his side has what it takes to get the better of the "best team in the world".

"It's one of the toughest tests," he said. "Barcelona at the moment are the best team in the world. If you knock Barcelona out you have straight away a good chance to win the competition. It is the toughest test in the European Cup, certainly.

"We have a good opportunity to show we are not anymore the team that played against them last year. We have the belief and strong togetherness to show that. I belief in my players, I believe 100% they have the quality to do it."

One player who should be full of confidence heading into Wednesday's clash is Robin van Persie, who has scored ten goals in nine games in 2011.

"I'm very happy because I've always been a fan of Robin," Wenger said. "I bought him at a time when not everyone was convinced, and when he has been fit he has never disappointed me. I've always been very happy that he's here because he's a world class player.

"You exist in our job at the top, top level because you have specific qualities that belong to you. You survive at our level or you make your career at our level because it's you, you have your own qualities and Robin has exceptional qualities."

[FF]

We beating Barca...1-0.

Goal N.Bendtner 73'

 

[dwn]

I think Arsenal is stronger than last season, and Barca is weaker than last season- so it will be closer than last year

Can't comment on how strong Barca is but Arsenal is definitely stronger. The team that lost 4-1 didn't have van Persie, Fabregas, Arshavin & Song - and included players like Denilson, Bendtner, and Silvestre.

Going to Barca is hard enough. Going with Silvestre in the central defence and Denilson as your holding mid ..... you get the point

 

[Disgruntled_Trini]

Is only Van Persie I fraid on that side.

The little half chances that Bendtner got and wasted, he would of definitely scored those.

Guardiola may have to release Mascherano on him and share some blade.

[kicker]

No thread for this game?

Was a good one- Milan did all the running particularly in the 2nd half and really should have put one or two away, but Tott caught them on the break with a swift counter. 

Tott played a smart away team game without Bale and eked out a big win

1-0 Spurs 

[giggsy11]

I hope Barca put this talented team of whiners to the sword very early.  Let tomorrow be the wake for next Tuesday's funeral......and also....I really hope arsenal ask way too much for fabergas because he really doh belong in a Barca uniform.  He's a real asshole on the pitch that fits in perfectly with the team he already on.

If again! All this talk about Arsenal being the English version my arse, Barca is a side of winners who has an end product that results in trophies.

[Small Magician aka Wazza]

FORZA EPL!

No Bale, VDV for 60 minutes a half fit Luka for 30 minutes

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA 

I think I will always have a soft spot for Spurs..they real brave and bold.. Hope they crush them like we did last season

ENTER BALE

[GunnerStunner]

I think Arsenal is stronger than last season, and Barca is weaker than last season- so it will be closer than last year

The Spanish league is kind of a joke so far this season- Barca hasn't really been pushed.  Their defensive work rate isn't near what it was last season...and that is what has set them apart from the rest in the past 2 - 3 seasons

I have to say, the last time I claimed  that Barca isn't as good as last season they dropped 5 on Madrid in Camp Nou- so I hope I didn't goat mouth the Arsenal faithful. 

right i know who tuh cus after the games

[Bakes]

Spurs just undress Milan.  The score was only 1-0 with Crouch scoring in the 80'... but the score doesn't tell the full story.  Madman Gattuso in the thick of things.  Flamini mash up Corluka on what should have been a straight red card two-footed tackle.  Corluka was thrashing around in obvious agony while being treated... but apparently Robinho, Grosso and a couple others thought Spurs was wasting time.   They rush the fourth official complaining and then Grosso inexplicably... and completely unsportingly start having words with Spurs assistant, Joe Jordan.  Next thing yuh know Grosso mush de man in his face... and get away with it.  Completely unnecessary... completely disrespectful.

Throughout the entire second half Gattuso carrying on like he on crystal meth... hard kick, shove, tongue-lashing all kinda madness... all without reproach from the ref.  Finally he run thru Pienaar on what was ah hardluck 50-50 ball and get ah yellow.  My man explode... he start to cuff the ground and get up refusing to acknowledge the French ref (hmmmnn may dai's why Flamini stay on de field), finally he turn around to get he yellow and start to fling he arm dismissing the ref and obviously cussing him.

Fast-forward to the goal... Gattuso again, give away the ball to Modric, who pass it to Lennon 10 meters in the Spurs half.  Lennon turn on the jets and race the entire length of the field in a 2 v 2 with Crouch.  Crouch stayed wide to keep Nesta honest while Yepes beating ah furious backpedal towards his own box.  Lennon do ah push and run past just outside the box, with Yepes doing everything he could to try and take him out... but speed burns as Yepes find out.  Now Nesta must cover Lennon, who then pass to the wide open Crouch for the slotted goal into the left side of the goal.

This is where the action start... Milan equalize in stoppage time from a ah nice overhead by Ibrahe'sabitch ala Rooney, but ref (correctly) blow fuh ah foul.  Zlatan with a clear two-handed shove on Dawson to get both the ball and space to execute the kick.  No goal.  Seconds later game done... and Gattuso v. Jordan II start.  During the handshakes Gattuso gone to the Spurs bench, shake 'Arry hand and then gone up in Jordan face... they exchange words and Gattuso HEADBUTTS the man!  He then shove aside Flamini and one of the Milan assistants and try to attack Jordan again... even taking a swing at a Spurs reserve, Bassong.  Completely out of control... and accumulation of yellows done mean he'll miss the return leg at White Hart Lane, but it will be interesting to see UEFA's response to his disgraceful conduct in this match.

[sammy]

sorry i didnt see the first half.....but everyone saying that Tottenham played all over AC........all this without Bale. I gald they went and got Pinaar.

If any team have to win CL or EPL besides utd, should be Tottenham.