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Soccer Thread 2014-15

Funketown

By Funketown,
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Mike2k33 College Ball

Mike2k33

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The UEFA Champions League Draw for the group stage was today. The results:

 

Group A

Atletico Madrid

Juventus

Olimpiakos

Malmö

 

Group B

Real Madrid

FC Basel

Liverpool

Ludogorets

 

Group C

Benfica

Zenit

Bayer Leverkusen

AS Monaco

 

Group D

Arsenal

Dortmund

Galatasaray

Anderlecht

 

Group E

Bayern Munich

Man City

CSKA

Roma

 

Group F

Barcelona

PSG

Ajax

Apoel

 

Group G

Chelsea

Schalke 04

Sporting Lisbon

Maribor

 

Group H

Porto

Shakhtar

Athletic Club de Bilbao

BATE Borisov

 

 

Good draw for Liverpool. Being in Pot 3 it was always going to be a bit of a tough draw but Real, Basel and Ludogorets is about as easy as it's going to get.

 

Overall, I think Manchester United had the easiest draw. They won't be playing ANY difficult teams.

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RobDeer 45 ACL Brewers

RobDeer 45

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Sorry guys, I still have not grasped the UEFA league stuff yet so bear with me. Is this all based on last years results (like from the premier league, which just started again)? When do they start playing this? Do they stop playing league games during this period of time?
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TooLiveBrew Milwaukee Brewers

TooLiveBrew

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Sorry guys, I still have not grasped the UEFA league stuff yet so bear with me. 1) Is this all based on last years results (like from the premiere league, which just started again)? 2) When do they start playing this? 3) Do they stop playing league games during this period of time?

1) Yes.

2) The qualifying round just ended, & the draw of the full 32-team field was yesterday.

3) No. Champions League matches are typically scheduled for Tuesdays & Wednesdays, with club's league games typically being played on weekend days.

 

UEFA determines, through statistical analysis, how many CL spots each league gets. I'd recommend reading up a bit on it via Wikipedia & UEFA's website, but honestly the more you watch it, the more it'll make sense.

 

For example, in the Premier League, there are 4 CL spots. So the top 4 clubs* all are in the CL the following season, but the 4th-place finisher has to play its way in through the qualifying round (a home-&-home with another club trying to win a spot in the field of 32). This year, Arsenal drew 0-0 away to Beşiktaş & then won 1-0 at home, so the Gunners made the group stage.

 

* The exception here is if a team wins the CL, it automatically qualifies for the next season's CL, no matter where it finishes in its league. Example: in 2011-12, Chelsea won the CL, but finished 6th in the Premier League. Tottenham finished 4th that season, but were bumped out by Chelsea & didn't get to play in the CL.

 

CL rounds

-Qualifying round

-Group stage (round robin, 4-team groups)

-Round of 16/Knockout stage (this & following two rounds are home-&-home matchups)

-Round of 8

-Semi-finals

-Finals (this is a single match, played at a predetermined/neutral location, a la the Super Bowl)

 

Clubs are also ranked statistically by UEFA, so you don't see groups of four world power-caliber clubs. Teams are categorized as being drawn from Pot 1 (best teams), 2, 3, or 4 (useful link). Typically speaking, each group has one or two elite-level clubs.

Stearns Brewing Co.: Sustainability from farm to plate
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TooLiveBrew Milwaukee Brewers

TooLiveBrew

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Bayern. But really it's a group where any of the remaining clubs could win & it wouldn't be surprising.

I just noticed that Bayern are & will be missing both Robben & Ribéry. That changes my prediction to "I have no freaking idea"

Stearns Brewing Co.: Sustainability from farm to plate
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kalle8 College Ball

kalle8

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i pick Barcelona:

 

Pique returned to a good form from last year vacation, mascherano is playing well too.

Suárez-Neymar-Messi are playing without being selfish and they are simply illegal, simply there is no defense prepared for the clash provided by these threes.

 

Juventus is a step (and maybe more) behind the other teams, much depends on when and how Pogba will rejoin the team.

 

Yoshii8 don't be angry with me, but i hope Real Madrid will destroy them.

 

if you steal, bribe, cheat, and you add the Yankees, well, that is the recipe for Juventus.

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trwi7 Nashville Sounds

trwi7

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Congrats to Bournemouth and Watford on their promotion to the Premier League! One of Norwich City, Middlesbrough, Brentford and Ipswich Town will join them.

 

The Premier League title has already been determined but the relegation battle is really heating up.

 

Burnley must win their last 3 games.

 

QPR likely needs to do the same as even 2 wins and a draw only gets them to 34 points which is the point total that currently keeps a team out of the relegation zone.

 

Sunderland has an advantage because they've played one less game than the rest of their relegation rivals but they have a brutal schedule remaining. 3 road games against Everton, Arsenal and Chelsea and a home game with relegation rival Leicester City. Perhaps Chelsea play a bunch of subs since they've already won the title and Arsenal may have nothing to play for by the time they matchup with Sunderland. That Leicester City game is almost a must win though or at the very least can't lose.

 

Leicester has an interesting schedule. You know Southampton is probably fuming after their loss to Sunderland which knocked them out of the Europa League as the standings currently sit but after that it's a road game against Sunderland and a home game against QPR. They get 4 points from those games and they're probably safe.

 

Hull needs a win against Burnley and Burnley needs a win against Hull. That will be an awesome game this morning. After that Hull faces Tottenham on the road and Manchester United at home. Tottenham is going to be trying to hold their Europa League spot and United may have to be holding on to their Champions League spot so getting that win against Burnley is imperative for Hull.

 

The team I'm really keeping an eye on though in terms of being relegated is Newcastle. They close out their schedule with West Brom, QPR and West Ham which isn't a very difficult schedule but nothing is easy for Newcastle these days. They have been awful since Alan Pardew left for Crystal Palace. Suddenly he's not looking so bad, is he?

 

Also, congrats to our Miller Park friends in Swansea City for what looks to be their best Premier League finish ever! Great season for them.

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trwi7 Nashville Sounds

trwi7

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Well Burnley got the win they needed but other results mean they have been relegated. QPR will be relegated with a loss or a draw in any of their remaining games. Leicester get a huge win against Southampton and are now 3 points clear of relegation. Hull now in the bottom 3 with their loss to Burnley. Newcastle managed to salvage a point against West Brom.

 

Looks like the current bottom 3 might be the final bottom 3 with Burnley already down and QPR down with anything but a win it comes down to Hull who has Spurs and United to close the season.

 

The only thing that might save Hull is a win and their goal differential being better than everyone but Leicester.

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