Champions League Group Stage

[aguero93:20]

Any Ties with dates yet ?

Only if I'm bringing them somewhere with formal dress really.

 

[SWP's back]

Tell that to one of the best ever club sides who lost away at Celtic. It's nonsense to dismiss them when they are at home and "bollocks" is exactly that.

Did you see their four qualifying games?

A one off result with different players and manager five years ago means fuck all.

 

[jrb]

two fullemptyhad houses against Barcelona and Celtic.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

This whole draw process needs knocking on the head.
It's not remotely exciting, it's dreadful. I understand the need to 'big it up' etc, but just dragging it out isn't cutting the mustard.

Have a random draw to press a button - and each bottom sets off some fireworks that spell out the name of the club.
Have a stripper.
Have anything but that tedious and sycophantic rubbish.

Ian Rush was as much use as a chocolate teapot as well. He's such a clot I'm surprised he got the letters right when he finally got the balls open

 

[SebastianBlue]

THEY MAY TAKE OUR SEATS.....

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

Come back here after we played them. Pep struggled against them with a better team in Bayern. We should never dismiss teams. Gladback will be wanting revenge too, they are a lot better than last year

Strange team

I saw them lose 1-0 at Cologne last September, and they looked a complete dispirited shambles. Two weeks later, we could easily have been 3-0 down at half time. In fact, there were large periods during both games, when Gladbach were the dominant force.
However, they'll be facing a fitter, faster, and focussed City. Not the lacklustre outfit from last year.

 

[Tbilisi]

Heard some shocking stories about that game with Celtic fans taking liberties all over and with it being in Ireland it gave them a ridiculous advantage numbers wise.

Was up at Parkhead for our friendly there in 2008 and it wasn't too bad. Then again, I was in a mini-bus from Leve with a fair few Irish descent blues so we got a decent welcome in the Celtic pub we went in.

Yes about 500 City and 8000 Celtic and they let us know it.My Grandad was Irish and im Catholic but ive hated them ever since.

 

[SWP's back]

Kobayashi Maru time, eh?! Reality is there were no tougher teams we could have landed out of pots 1 and 3 than the ones we did.

And there aren't many tougher in pot 2.

We beat Bmg last season with a worse team and manager.

 

[bluwes]

Based on the way UEFA allocate the games of Team 1 plays Team 4 on such a date while Team 2play Team 3
I am guessing the dates and fixtures will be something like this;

Gladbach at home on Match Day 1 13/14 Sept, then Barca away match Day 2 27/28 Sept, Celtic home Match day 3 18/19 Oct, Celtic away Match day 4 1/2 Nov. Gladbach away Match Day 5 22/23 Nov. Barca Home Match day 6 ,6/7 Dec

Edit, its all bollox as Barca have just tweeted they play us at theres on 19/10 and at the Etihad on 1/11

Gladbach tweeted Etihad fixture 13/9, at theirs 23/11

 

[Josep]

Think we will get beat comfortably by Barca. Pep never does well against Spanish teams in the champions league. They're the finished product whereas city are a work in progress. A battering may not be a bad thing as it gives the players the experience

Not so sure. 2010-2011 Pep beat Mou's Madrid in the semifinals. At Bayern, yes he lost all 3 semifinals to Spanish teams. But if u look at the details:

2013-14 Semi: Pep & the players fked up in the second leg; Actually they were the better team in the first leg but unfortunate to lose it 1-0 at Bernabeu
2014-15 Semi: Bayern were ravaged by injuries; 6 first-team starters missing against Barcelona - Robben, Ribery, Alaba, Martinez, Thiago, Badstuber. Game was delicately poised until the 75th minute at 0-0 until Messi intervened. 2nd leg Pep won but it was more or less a dead rubber, though Bayern had enough chances to overturn the 1st leg deficit. Ter Stegen played a blinder. But yes, Barca were the better team overall. However, one cannot discount the 6 big 1st team player injuries. If tables were reversed and Barca had those injuries, Bayern would hv won it. Certainly bad luck.
2015-16 Semi: Bayern were the best team of last year's CL. And they were certainly much better than Atleti. Mueller missed a penalty, Atleti's 2nd goal was offside. In any case, Bayern should hv won but narrowly lost. But Bayern attacked Atleti in that 2nd leg in a manner, nobody has attacked Simeone's Atletico - absolutely relentless! Simeone even acknowledged after the game that Pep's Bayern were the best team he had faced as Atleti manager

I would say, overall with Pep, we hv a very good shot as any of the other elite clubs. Of course we are a work in progress. Pep has just started. Hopefully all the players buy-into Pep's ideas and tactics quickly!