Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 22/23

[Sanguine]

City v RB Leipzig
Club Brugge v Benfica
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Milan v Tottenham

[Silver Fox]

Nice to not get beaten by Madrid in the final I guess!

[Sanguine]

Napoli v Eintracht Frankfurt
Dortmund v Chelsea
Porto v Inter
Bayern v PSG

With the exception of Inter, struggling to see a runner-up that might win their tie.

[Hendo]

Napoli v Eintracht Frankfurt
Dortmund v Chelsea
Porto v Inter
Bayern v PSG

With the exception of Inter, struggling to see a runner-up that might win their tie.

I guess Dortmund v Chelsea could go either way, along with AC Milan v Spurs. Looks like AC are doing well in Serie A.

Some decent R16 ties though.

[Winston Biscuit]

Bayern Vs PSG and Brugge Vs Benfica are the 2 I would find it hard to predict from that (the latter because, while I lazily assume Benfica are better, I just keep hearing how good Brugge are and how they could be underdogs for the QFs)

[South Coast Royal]

Nice to not get beaten by Madrid in the final I guess!

Tie of the round between two of the most regular winners of the competition.

The trouble is now that the lower standard of a World Cup competition gets in the way.

[Sanguine]

Nice to not get beaten by Madrid in the final I guess!

Tie of the round between two of the most regular winners of the competition.

The trouble is now that the lower standard of a World Cup competition gets in the way.

Can't for the life of me understand the CL scheduling at the best of times, but it's particularly weird this season. R16 normally played in December, but this put back to February - first and second legs three weeks apart. Each subsequent round a month later, QFs in late April, SFs in May, and final on 10th June.

[Winston Biscuit]

Europa League

Barcelona Vs Man Utd
Juventus Vs Nantes
Sporting Lisbon v Midtjylland
Shakhtar Donetsk v Rennes
Ajax v Union Berlin
Bayer Leverkusen v Monaco
Sevilla v PSV
FC Salzburg v Roma

[Stranded]

Nice to not get beaten by Madrid in the final I guess!

Tie of the round between two of the most regular winners of the competition.

The trouble is now that the lower standard of a World Cup competition gets in the way.

Can't for the life of me understand the CL scheduling at the best of times, but it's particularly weird this season. R16 normally played in December, but this put back to February - first and second legs three weeks apart. Each subsequent round a month later, QFs in late April, SFs in May, and final on 10th June.

Round of 16 is never played before Xmas. Group stage normally only finishes in the first or second week of December - draw normally a week or two before Xmas. Knock-out stage always starts in Feb with massive gaps. This is due to the Europa and Conference League having an extra round - the play-off round.

UEFA could of course give their other competitions a clear run for 2 midweeks but instead have always chosen to stretch out the Round of 16 - causing ties to lose all momentum. Must be particularly gauling to say lose a first leg 4-0 and know you have to wait 3 weeks to get it over and done with.

In terms of final - it will be the 5th June final since 2015 and whilst the latest (excl - the Covid affected season) it is only so by 4 days - 2015 final between Juve and Barca was on 6th June.

So it is pretty much running to a normal schedule bar the group stage being finished a month earlier than usual.

[Sanguine]

Good stat this. Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have been knocked out of the Champions League exclusively by teams from Madrid*. The only season in which they didn't play a team from Madrid, they won it. In Madrid.

*Two finals and a QF to Real Madrid, and R16 to Atletico.

[Winston Biscuit]

SPL for all but 2 teams is just a race for 3rd place. It must be incredibly dull for your Motherwells and your Aberdeens

I wonder when the last time was, aside from when Rangers got booted out, that anyone aside from the big 2 finished in one of the top 2 places

[Hendo]

SPL for all but 2 teams is just a race for 3rd place. It must be incredibly dull for your Motherwells and your Aberdeens

I wonder when the last time was, aside from when Rangers got booted out, that anyone aside from the big 2 finished in one of the top 2 places

2017-18:

1st Celtic
2nd Aberdeen
3rd Rangers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Scottish_football_champions

[Royal Rother]

Good stat this. Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have been knocked out of the Champions League exclusively by teams from Madrid*. The only season in which they didn't play a team from Madrid, they won it. In Madrid.

*Two finals and a QF to Real Madrid, and R16 to Atletico.

Love it.

[Franchise FC]

Good stat this. Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have been knocked out of the Champions League exclusively by teams from Madrid*. The only season in which they didn't play a team from Madrid, they won it. In Madrid.

*Two finals and a QF to Real Madrid, and R16 to Atletico.

I love a good stat and that’s a brilliant one

[Stranded]

Good stat this. Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have been knocked out of the Champions League exclusively by teams from Madrid*. The only season in which they didn't play a team from Madrid, they won it. In Madrid.

*Two finals and a QF to Real Madrid, and R16 to Atletico.

So what you are saying is - if they get past Real, with Atletico already out, lump on Liverpool to win the CL*.

*assuming Kopp hasn't walked/been fired

[Sutekh]

City v RB Leipzig
Club Brugge v Benfica
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Milan v Tottenham

Well Real and City are odds on favourites for the last 8

Dortmund will give Chelsea a game

Reckon Inter, Benfica, Napoli and Milan should all progress

Think Bayer v PSG is the hardest to call

[Silver Fox]

City v RB Leipzig
Club Brugge v Benfica
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Milan v Tottenham

Well Real and City are odds on favourites for the last 8

City maybe but Liverpool are favoured in the first leg and are shorter than Real to win the whole thing so Real certainly not odds on

[South Coast Royal]

City v RB Leipzig
Club Brugge v Benfica
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Milan v Tottenham

Well Real and City are odds on favourites for the last 8

Dortmund will give Chelsea a game

Reckon Inter, Benfica, Napoli and Milan should all progress

Think Bayer v PSG is the hardest to call

Liverpool are 10/1 to win the competition.

They are capable of beating all of those teams left in and do raise their game more often than not for the big games.
Better value IMHO for a team with such a good record in the competition when compared to the miserly 13/8 about City.

[South Coast Royal]

City v RB Leipzig
Club Brugge v Benfica
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Milan v Tottenham

Well Real and City are odds on favourites for the last 8

City maybe but Liverpool are favoured in the first leg and are shorter than Real to win the whole thing so Real certainly not odds on

Interesting that Real are as big as 12/1.
Both PSG and Bayern Munich are shorter in the betting and of course one of those won't qualify.

Also Napoli look a big price at 12/1 for a team that has lost only one game this season.

[Conservative_dad]

Good stat this. Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have been knocked out of the Champions League exclusively by teams from Madrid*. The only season in which they didn't play a team from Madrid, they won it. In Madrid.

*Two finals and a QF to Real Madrid, and R16 to Atletico.

There was a fact on the "quickly Kevin" podcast about the classic 19/20 LFC Klopp side everyone thinks of...never actually started a league game together

Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Matip, Robertson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Henderson, Salah, Mane, Firmino.