Champions League Draw (Cont...)

[Bill]

Re: Champions League Draw

paranoid-we have only been in it 2 years!!

Was thinking the same.

Calm down Bill calm down got a weekend in the dam to look forward to;)

three great trips mate, can't wait. i was just pointing out that it IS fixed and shame on twatini thinking we are too thick to notice.

 

[JoeMercer'sWay]

Re: Champions League Draw

United are paired with us, Dortmund are paired with Bayern, Barca with Real, AC with Juventus, Chelsea with Arsenal for TV and policing reasons:

Look at the draw:

Group A: Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Paris St Germain, Dinamo Zagreb
Group B: Arsenal, Schalke, Olympiakos, Montpellier
Group C: AC Milan, Zenit St Petersburg, Anderlecht, Malaga
Group D: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund
Group E: Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, FC Nordsjaelland
Group F: Bayern Munich, Valencia, Lille, BATE Borisov
Group G: Barcelona, Benfica, Spartak Moscow, Celtic
Group H: Manchester United, Braga, Galatasaray, CFR Cluj

City/United, Arsenal/Chelsea, Barca/Real, Benfica/Porto, PSG/Lille, Juventus/AC, Dortmund/Bayern all on opposite sides of the draw.

Thus when it came to the last 3 teams(I believe), Nordsjaelland, Cluj and Dortmund, it was clear that Dortmund were to be drawn in the opposite half of the draw to Bayern so had to be drawn in the top half of the draw, the only remaining group was D, ours. Nordsjaelland came out first so were drawn into E, Cluj then had to go in H and Dortmund into D.

Way it works.

Policing? As I said previously Dortmund & Schalke are only 35km away. Munich is the other end of the country. Can understand the logic though for TV rights. Say it was Arsenal, Chelsea & Spuds what would they do then? (We know it wouls be Arse n Spuds kept apart and probs Chelsea and Spuds on same day). 35Km is similar as from Etihad to Reebok stadium

yeah, it's mainly TV, though I guess the police could tell them no for certain clubs, Spurs and Arsenal would be kept apart like they were a couple of years back.

 

[FeedTheGoat10]

Re: Champions League Draw

How are Ajax fans with away fans? Going in the home end over there won't be dangerous at all unless I start being a massive bellend, will it?

 

[the-ecstacy-of-eight]

Re: Champions League Draw

The Rags can rest players for more important league games when they are playing Europe's equivalent of The Dog and Duck. Their group looks even easier than the one they somehow failed to qualify from last year.
We will have to go all out in every game to try to qualify from the group of death. It will no doubt impact on our league form.

Yeah, but if we have Norwich/Reading/Villa...etc at home after we've played any of those European games WE can rest a few players for that game, can't we?

I know what you're saying, but a just think a few of us are excited about MAN CITY actually playing meaningful matches against some of Europe's best. Waited all my life for this and I'm 40.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

Re: Champions League Draw

Don't any of you think that they might be looking at us as a side they preferred not to have been drawn with?

I suspect we have all considered that. That doesn't address the issue that united now have been given a huge bonus in terms of the prem though does it?

 

[andyhinch]

Re: Champions League Draw

Was thinking the same.

Calm down Bill calm down got a weekend in the dam to look forward to;)

three great trips mate, can't wait. i was just pointing out that it IS fixed and shame on twatini thinking we are too thick to notice.

Think they gave up hiding it a bit ago

 

[JoeMercer'sWay]

Re: Champions League Draw

I don't envy the rag fans going to Galatasaray.

should tell the lovely Galatasaray fans about the songs the Rags sing about those poor Leeds fans.

 

[01cravend]

Re: Champions League Draw

Much rather our group than say United's, just much more exciting, and if we get through we've earned it.

Playing at the Santiago Bernabeu ....EXCITING

 

[cptaidan88]

Re: Champions League Draw

I accept our group is more difficult than Uniteds but I'd much rather have ours. All three are good places to go and relatively easy to get to. Whereas all of theirs are costly, and potentially dangerous (ask Leeds fans). An easy draw didnt do them any favours last year.

Dortmund and Ajax are both good teams, but they are not as good as we now are. We underperformed in the two matches against Napoli and thats why we went out. On paper we should go through in 2nd place, but its up to Mancini and the players.

 

[Groke]

Re: Champions League Draw

I don't envy the rag fans going to Galatasaray.

Thought they were their second team - they seem to like waving Galatasary signs about when they play Leeds.