[FOOBALL] Midweek European Fixtures - final week of group stages (5-7 December)

[Reg]

All on the various BT channels. http://www.live-footballontv.com

Tuesday 19:45
Benfica v FC Basel
Manchester United v CSKA Moscow
Celtic v RSC Anderlecht
Bayern Munich v Paris Saint Germain
Chelsea v Atlético Madrid
Roma v FK Qarabag
Barcelona v Sporting Lisbon
Olympiakos v Juventus

Wednesday 19:45
Liverpool v Spartak Moscow
NK Maribor v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Napoli
Shakhtar Donetsk v Manchester City
FC Porto v Monaco
RB Leipzig v Besiktas
Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund
Tottenham Hotspur v Apoel Nicosia

Thursday (selected)
Apollon Limassol v Everton - 18:00
Atlanta v Lyon - 18:00 (BT's free Showcase channel)
Arsenal v BATE Borisov - 20:05

[Lewis]

It's worth watching Dermot Gallagher calmly calling Mark Clattenburg a wanker on Sky Sports News earlier.

Jim White: 'WOULD YOU GO AS FAR AS TO SAY HE'S AS BAD AS ANY PAEDOPHILE?!'
Dermot Gallagher: 'The role of the referee...'

[Lewis]

I think I'm more interested in seeing Daley Blind in midfield than watching Big Fat Luke Shaw bricking it every time he spies the manager.

[Ian]

The Beeb have it as Blind being part of a back three.

[Danny]

CSKA will never see that coming

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Why do CSKA have 6 subs only?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Oh and Torres to don, Chelsea.

[Lewis]

There are a few empty seats at Old Trafford. Football fatigue. People are over it. THE BUBBLE IS BURSTING.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

It's the curse of the rainbow laces.

[Reg]

That was a great move from United leading to the Shaw volley. This formation quite suits them.

A little strange how strong the lineup is, though? They're going through unless they lose 5-1 or worse (and Basel win).

[SvN]

I imagine Lukaku is playing in the hope he bags a couple of goals and helps his confidence. The rest of the team isn't that strong, although I'm not sure we needed Valencia to be playing.

[Reg]

Smalling surprising too. But that makes sense about Lukaku. He could have played McTominay and Tuanzebe.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Pogba is also going to be suspended for 3 games.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

PSG :harold:

[Reg]

Why is Hargreaves ignoring that Blind was beyond the byline on his arse? It's not offside, you melon.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

He doesn't know the offside rule.

[Lewis]

PSG :harold:

Jupp Heynckes. :cool:

[Pen]

Why is Hargreaves ignoring that Blind was beyond the byline on his arse? It's not offside, you melon.

Seems ridiculous that pundits are unaware of such basic stuff. Everyone agreed in the studio I’m watching that it was an offside.

[Lewis]

Paulp Ogba is absolutely mega. Shaw has been really good as well, but soz lad you're still behind the best left-back in the league. :cool:

[Pen]

United’s first goal was really good. Is this McTominay supposed to be good enough to actually play for United in the future?

[Raoul Duke]

United’s first goal was really good. Is this McTominay supposed to be good enough to actually play for United in the future?

It all seems a bit Tom Cleverley.

Where's that youngster with the mental hair? We oughta be giving him a game.

[Danny]

So, at what point do we address the fact that goal was onside then? :gs:

[Reg]

A few hours ago.

Allardyce apparently might not even travel for Everton's Europa game, so he can focus on the first choice players ahead of the weekend. Seems a strange one - couldn't he train the first team players and then travel later in the day?

[Kikó]

Not big Sam. The man is a maverick.

[Giggles]

Are they already out? Pointless going near it if so.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I was thinking when I saw the fixture list that a dead rubber away at Apollon Limassol, flying four hours and then going in a rickshaw over dirt tracks past elephants and magic caves for 50 miles to get to the other side of the island, is just what they need ahead of the derby.

[Giggles]

Don't the religiously lose the derby anyway? Probably should sit it out too and concentrate on the following week.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Apparently if Liverpool win tonight, then our only draw options are Barcelona, PSG and Besiktas.

Still scared stiff of Besiktas after that bald cunt rolled us in 2003, so I'll take Barcelona.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've misremembered him being bald, but what a legend he is according to this Wikipedia entry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergen_Yal%C3%A7%C4%B1n


Despite heavy speculation, he finished the season at arch-rivals Galatasaray SK and displayed impressive showings to help Galatasaray do the domestic double. Sergen signed for the club too late in the season to be eligible for the UEFA Cup campaign, and as Galatasaray made the trip to Leeds for the second tie of the semi-final, Sergen was instructed to report to training in Istanbul. But instead of continuing his training in Istanbul, he took a little trip of his own to Northern Cyprus. While casinos were banned on the Turkish mainland, they remained open in Northern Cyprus which attracted quite a lot of gambling trade from Turkey. It attracted Sergen for precisely that reason and he spent much of his brief stay there in a casino. When he returned to Istanbul, he told manager Fatih Terim he was tired from the journey and asked if he could skip a training session. Terim is a fearsome disciplinarian and the reaction was predictably explosive. Sergen skipped title celebrations after the Galatasaray board made it clear they would not have him back next season.

[Danny]

A few hours ago.

Allardyce apparently might not even travel for Everton's Europa game, so he can focus on the first choice players ahead of the weekend. Seems a strange one - couldn't he train the first team players and then travel later in the day?

Was a poor attempt at a joke on being late to the party :face:

Reading the thread for the goal on Reddit was hilarious. So many people posting it was offside, getting lol’d at and deleting their comments.

He really should travel so he can actually watch the game and work with those other lads too but you can see his point. The campaign is over so why not put your energy where it is needed.

[Disco]

If only there was some way he could watch the game from here.

[Shindig]

Send for Sammy Lee.

[phonics]

Or he could go? It's a chartered flight. You catch a cab that you don't pay for, get on a plane you don't pay for to go do your job that you are paid for.

Training lasts about 2.5 hours, what could be possibly be doing that takes up so much time? It's just being lazy and if he wants to manage at at a club in Europe, he should get used to it because they're never, ever getting into the CL.

[Shindig]

This is Sam Allardyce. He obviously has a meeting with someone masquerading as a foreign investor. Again.

[phonics]

Limmasol is in Cyprus, there's hundreds of actual Russians to nick money off rather than fake journos. He could probably pocket a few hundred grand in brown envelopes just in the break at half time.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Was trying to remember if he was in charge when Bolton made Europe last time. He wasn't but it's reminded me of this brilliant season and terrible UEFA Cup format which I'd forgotten about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007%E2%80%9308_Bolton_Wanderers_F.C._season

As I recall they beat Atletico Madrid over two legs while trying to lose, and then Gary Megson really threw the towel in for the next round against Sporting.

[Reg]

Or he could go? It's a chartered flight. You catch a cab that you don't pay for, get on a plane you don't pay for to go do your job that you are paid for.

Training lasts about 2.5 hours, what could be possibly be doing that takes up so much time? It's just being lazy and if he wants to manage at at a club in Europe, he should get used to it because they're never, ever getting into the CL.
Exactly my feelings. It's his job. Unless he's getting the others in for an additional evening session, or is doing such a huge amount of video analysis / chin stroking ahead of the weekend that he can't fit it in on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

[Waffdon]

Apparently if Liverpool win tonight, then our only draw options are Barcelona, PSG and Besiktas.

Still scared stiff of Besiktas after that bald cunt rolled us in 2003, so I'll take Barcelona.

It’ll be PSG, as it is every other year. Barcelona would be fun with Hazard running at them. Lol at Gary Cahill coming out and publicly saying they want to avoid both Barcelona and PSG after Hazard’s interview last night.

[Baz]

Foden starts.

[John Arne]

We appear to be playing 4-2-2-2, with Firmino and Coutinho behind Salah and Mane.

[John Arne]

This is a spanking. 3-0

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Ederson :harold:

[Giggles]

RTÉ persist in showing that homeless looking cunt and the tinfoil hat brigade every fucking week.

[John Arne]

I reckon Moreno and Coutinho may be proper bumchums.

[Baz]

Even de Gea wouldn’t have saved that. :eek:

[John Arne]

Woof.

https://gyazo.com/9102e717aa3662cb7d87a79f77b787a7.gif

[Ian]

Even de Gea wouldn’t have saved that. :eek:

A lie.

Any time you have seen Dave "concede" it's an optical illusion.

[Lewis]

He wouldn't have done, but Antonio Valencia would have blocked the cross anyway so it doesn't matter.

[CJay]

Is the draw on Friday? Juventus, Bayern, Basel, Real Madrid, Porto, Shakhtar are Liverpool's potential second round opponents. That has to be the best set of second placed teams ever? There could be some potentially tasty ties early on, hopefully leaving the latter stages open for some of the non super-club teams.

[John Arne]

Milner with 3 assists since coming on at half time :drool:

[Baz]

Milner with 3 assists since coming on at half time :drool:Hopefully that’s Moreno on the bench for the rest of his life.

[Giggles]

3-0, big Sam out.

[Pleb]

Man Utd v Real Madrid
Bayern v Man City
Juventus v Liverpool
Tottenham v Porto
Barcalona v Chelsea

Imagine the scenes if this happened :chief:

[Adramelch]

Ostersunds could have even gotten 1st place in the group but missed a penalty at the end.

[Weaver]

Tottenham are probably the best positioned team for the Champions League draw on Monday, as they’ll avoid Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Roma, PSG and the other group winners, and yet I still fancy them least from the English teams left.

Chelsea can only draw one of three teams - PSG, Besiktas or Barca.

[mugbull]

Spurs will make it to the quarterfinals and lose, Liverpool will shit the bed in the ro. 16, Utd will lose valiantly in the quarters and City/Chelsea will make it to the semis. Done and done.