[Nicky91]

no longer ''group stages''

but League Stage, with 6 teams each section, 3 home and 3 away games each team


goes for CL, EL and the ECL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024%E...ampions_League

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024%E..._Europa_League

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024%E...ference_League

[Nicky91]

CL Play Off

Young Boys - Galatasaray

Dinamo Zagreb - Qarabag

Midtjylland - Slovan Bratislava

Bodo/Glimt - Red Star Belgrade

Malmo FF - Sparta Prague

Lille - Slavia Prague

Dynamo Kyiv - Red Bull Salzburg

-----------------------
EL play off

Dinamo Minsk - Anderlecht

Jagiellonia Bialystok - Ajax

Ludogorets Razgrad - Petrocub Hincesti

FC Lugano - Besiktas

LASK Linz - FCSB

RFS - APOEL

Maccabi Tel Aviv - TSC

PAOK - Shamrock Rovers

Ferencvaros - Borac Banja Luka

Molde - Elfsborg

SC Braga - Rapid Wien

Viktoria Plzen - Heart of Midlothian
-----------------
ECL play off

Lincoln Red Imps - Larne

Pyunik - Celje

Vikingur Reykjavik - UE Santa Coloma

Panevezys - The New Saints

KI - HJK

Omonia - Zira

St Gallen - Trabzonspor

Lens - Panathinaikos

Hacken - Heidenheim

Copenhagen - Kilmarnock

Vitoria de Guimaraes - Zrinjski Mostar

Brann - Astana

Legia Warsaw - Drita

Rijeka - Olimpija Ljubljana

Fiorentina - Puskas Akademia

Djurgarden - Maribor

Wisla Krakow - Cercle Brugge

Mlada Boleslav - Paks

St Pats Athletic - Basaksehir

Chelsea - Servette

CFR Cluj - Pafos

Partizan Belgrade - Gent

Kryvbas Kryvji Rih - Real Betis

Noah - Ruzomberok

[Nicky91]

already qualified for the league

CL

Pot 1:
Real Madrid
Manchester City
Bayern Munich
Paris Saint-Germain
Liverpool
Inter Milan
Borussia Dortmund
RB Leipzig
FC Barcelona

Pot 2:
Bayer Leverkusen
Atletico Madrid
Atalanta Bergamo
Juventus
Benfica
Arsenal
Club Brugge
Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan

Pot 3:
Feyenoord
Sporting CP
PSV
Celtic

Pot 4:
AS Monaco
Aston Villa
Bologna
Girona
VFB Stuttgart
Sturm Graz
Brest

EL

Pot 1:
AS Roma
Manchester United
FC Porto
Rangers
Eintracht Frankfurt
Lazio Roma
Tottenham Hotspur

Pot 1 or 2:
Real Sociedad
AZ Alkmaar

Pot 2:
Olympiacos
Olympique Lyonnais

Pot TBD :
Fenerbahce
Union St-Gillis
Athletic Bilbao
Hoffenheim
FC Twente

.

[Nicky91]

to those who are shocked to see Bologna in the CL, yes they had a fabulous season tbh

the team of veteran coach Vinchenzo Italiano, last season the conference league final with Fiorentina

and former goalscorer Marco Di Vaio is their sports director, whom also played for them 143 times in which he scored 65 goals


they have stars like

scottish international Lewis Ferguson who is their captain, danish winger Jens Odgaard, former toulouse forward Thijs Dallinga, swiss internationals Remo Freuler and Dan Ndoye, italian international Lorenzo De Silvestri

[Nicky91]

this new concept is a little confusing but honestly i like it, we get more top matches earlier on like this


also more money to be earned for smaller teams in europa league, conference league this way

[Nicky91]

europa league fixtures for Ajax their home games, uncertain for now if they will happen or also would get postponed to later dates but they cannot be postponed much further due to knockout stage scheduled for the new year


so if Ajax are unable to host those home games, also regular 0-2 losses might be the outcome by UEFA and sanctions of fines will also follow likely

[Crimson Dynamo]

2 pointless DEI shoehorns doing the Man U game on TNT

[Nicky91]

solid from Twente against Man United

[Nicky91]

important game for my city's team PSV tonight


our first european home game of the season, vs Sporting CP



we're evenly matched i think


a good result here would be good news for our chances at surviving the league phase maybe (i mean i can see us win vs Red Star Belgrade, Stade Brest, and maybe even vs Girona idk)


our away game vs PSG is a calculated loss in my opinion

[Nicky91]

the standings after matchround 1



so yeah i am more realistic in thinking that we won't be among 1-8

but 9-24 could be possible maybe (i mean we always gotta think optimistically)



our line up tonight i think

Benitez

Mauro Junior, Flamingo, Boscagli, Oppegard

Schouten, Saibari, Til


Bakayoko, De Jong, Tillman




Veerman (light injury) Perisic (ineligible) Dest (still recovering from a nasty injury)




pretty sure we'll start with Tillman from left flank, and then maybe Noa Lang in the second half from that position as a replacement for Til, with moving Tillman onto midfield

[bots]

Arsenal vs PSG. That will be a good test @GiRTh

[bots]

Originally Posted by bots

Arsenal vs PSG. That will be a good test @GiRTh

it's been a good game

[bots]

did i just see an Arsenal player having a quick vape after he got booked?

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by bots

Arsenal vs PSG. That will be a good test @GiRTh

I didnt see this. Sorry.

Its been a good performance. Happy Merino is getting minutes. Not sure why Timber was taken off. He's my new favourite player. Routine win, hopefully.

[GiRTh]

I cant stand this format though. I was looking at the table and I'm not sure Arsenal play any of the teams above them. What's the point in this table if the clubs dont play each other home and away.

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by bots

it's been a good game

[bots]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

I cant stand this format though. I was looking at the table and I'm not sure Arsenal play any of the teams above them. What's the point in this table if the clubs dont play each other home and away.

they play 2 teams from each pot, and its pot luck who you draw home or away, but everyone plays the same number of home and away games. That's why it was such a bad result for united, in their competition, drawing against Twente at home, they can't get a result away to even it up against an easy team.

[bots]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

I didnt see this. Sorry.

Its been a good performance. Happy Merino is getting minutes. Not sure why Timber was taken off. He's my new favourite player. Routine win, hopefully.

i think timber was injured

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by bots

they play 2 teams from each pot, and its pot luck who you draw home or away, but everyone plays the same number of home and away games. That's why it was such a bad result for united, in their competition, drawing against Twente at home, they can't get a result away to even it up against an easy team.

I get the format but I think its much clearer when its obvious who the teams play home and away

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by bots

i think timber was injured

Was he? I didnt see it. I hope not, he's doing really well

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by bots

they play 2 teams from each pot, and its pot luck who you draw home or away, but everyone plays the same number of home and away games. That's why it was such a bad result for united, in their competition, drawing against Twente at home, they can't get a result away to even it up against an easy team.

easy on paper, yes


but Twente are more a team, unlike United


also with a better coach, whom is closer to the players group (he also was like that back at RKC Waalwijk, meanwhile RKC now under Henk Fraser sucks badly, 7 losses out of 7 games)

[bots]

boom

[bots]

2 howlers from the porto goalkeeper

[bots]

oops 2-2

[GiRTh]

Who actually thought De ligt was an update on Maguire.