2017/18 Champions League and Europa League thread

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

First topic message reminder :

Dejan Lovren is hilariously awful

[LivinginItaly]

Roma will fancy taking Liverpool too.

True, i think both teams will be happy with avoiding Real Madrid and will fancy their chances of progressing to the final. They should be two very interesting and entertaining games for the neutral. I just fear for the Liverpool supporters who go to Rome.

[Marky]

Glad Real avoided Roma. They would have been right up for it after the Barca game. A 'homecoming' for James Rodriguez aswell.

Is he even allowed to play? What are the terms of his loan in that regard?

[GSC]

Courtois was allowed to play against Chelsea while at Atletico from memory

[GSC]

Lot of time of Buffon but hes well out of line on this.

[Guest]

Lot of time of Buffon but hes well out of line on this.

Yeah, I've seen some of the headlines and he's come across badly this time.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

I think I speak for everyone outside of Merseyside when I say...

Forza Roma. Please don't let those damn kopites go any further

[Duty281]

Controlled start by Roma, but then Liverpool proceeded to tear their opponent's defence to shreds.

Somehow it's only 1-0, not three or four.

[Duty281]

Oh, this is brilliant to watch. Gorgeous link-up between Firmino and Salah.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Tearing them to shreds. Liverpool against good teams are just a joy to watch.

[Guest]

Liverpool 4-0 Roma (Salah twice, Mane, Firmino)

The Italians looking like a distinctly average side, that are 20 points off Juve domestically.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

I think I speak for everyone outside of Merseyside when I say...

Forza Roma. Please don't let those damn kopites go any further

Please Madrid/Bayern, don’t let this happen

[Guest]

I think I speak for everyone outside of Merseyside when I say...

Forza Roma. Please don't let those damn kopites go any further

Please Madrid/Bayern, don’t let this happen

Hop on board, Ollster

[Guest]

Liverpool 4-0 Roma (Salah twice, Mane, Firmino)

The Italians looking like a distinctly average side, that are 20 points off Juve domestically.

They are but one swallow made a summer, apparently.

[Duty281]

Roma's second half performance has been utterly pathetic. Encapsulated by that fifth goal.

[Guest]

5-2

Interesting

[No name Bertie]

Roma started off very well and ended very well.  Roma could have scored one or two goals in the first twenty minutes.  Oxlade-Chamberlain injured himself in the 16th minute trying to prevent a Roma attack.  But in between Liverpool went on a roll.  Overall a very good result for Liverpool but Roma have shown they can overturn such a deficit - but Liverpool should also be able to expect to score.

[lfc91]

Wouldn't be Liverpool of we didn't make things that bit harder for ourselves....

In all seriousness though, would have bitten your hand off for that result post game. Liverpool were quality for the majority of the game. Roma had their spells where they were the better side though (start and end of the game). Fair play to them for giving it a go aswell at 5-0 down. They will be full of belief after dumping barca out trailing by the same margin so all to play for in Rome.

Based on the way he reacted and what Klopp said, I would expect Ox to miss the rest of the season.(Hopefully back for the world cup for his sake). With Lallana and Can also out for the rest of the season Liverpool now have 3 fit senior CM's for 3 positions.... At least their is no issues with hurting anyone's feeling by leaving them out....

[daraghj82]

strange game , can't believe roma got their tactics wrong with conceding some very bad goals but they finished very strongly at the end and might have had 3 goals, still Liverpool will probably score over there , should make for an interesting 2nd leg next week

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Think Roma have conceded 17 away CL goals this season and 0 at home (or so I possibly read)

Their high line was daft. They scored when they showed willingness to sit a bit deeper and bypass midfield when pressed. Any team outside the top 6 in England would tell you that that works

[Ent]

Atletico down to 10 men and simeone sent off within 15 minutes.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Simeone just absolutely schooled Wenger

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Did he? What tactically did he do? They got a chance and took it, just barely, and Arsenal had to kick the ball at themselves and slip over to make it happen having battered them all game.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Over to you CR7. Save us

[Ent]

Think Liverpool are strong favourites.

Real have been a shambles defensively all season.

Should be plenty of goals anyway.

[compelling and rich]

liverpool got away with some real kind decisions then, they wont get that against real

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Think Liverpool are strong favourites.

Real have been a shambles defensively all season.

Should be plenty of goals anyway.

Real haven't been great all season, but have knocked out PSG, Juventus and Bayern, and are going for a 4th CL in 5 years, 3rd in 3 years. They've heavy favourites for me

[Ent]

They haven't really played wel since the first leg versus juventus.

[compelling and rich]

Winning ugly. Doesn’t matter how you do it in a final. Klopps team always look fantastic but have you seen his final record?

[Ent]

Yeah his final record isn't brilliant and real have the experience etc but they have struggled defensively all year and the midfield isn't really firing either.

Think they will struggle with Liverpool.

[Guest]

You do know Liverpool struggle defensively too? Or have you missed that? Madrid are heavy favourites, whoever thinks otherwise is pretty mental.

Experience is key too. Madrid players know how to win trophies, whereas Liverpool players have won nothing. I hope not, but I fear Liverpool will get stage fright.

[Eyetoldyouso]

liverpool got away with some real kind decisions then, they wont get that against real

Yes they did but in the interests of balance how about Roma's 2 penalties?

[Marky]

As long as Zidane isn't stupid enough to leave a high defensive line they'll win.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

I’d hate to see them counter attacked on by Salah, Firmino and Mane.

Casemiro gonna be big. If Modric and Kroos can carousel the ball then it will be interesting.

Very interesting match up. Liverpool have shown weaknesses against narrow and deep teams, so does Zidane defend narrow and Marcelo covered at all times? 

Real’s clasico record this season? Movement and decline in their own players are problems

[Duty281]

Both teams have atrocious defences. Both teams will get a bucketload of chances. It's actually pretty close to 50-50!

Of course, after all the hype, it'll obviously be a tame 0-0, going to penalties.

[superflyweight]

Dani Carvajal's fitness is key. Zidane won't want Mane to have free reign to run at Vasquez which means that one of Casemiro or Modric has to move out of the middle to double-up on Mane. If that happens, Liverpool should control the midfield and can press aggressively.

If Carvajal is fit then he probably stands up better to Mane and even keeps Robertson honest by offering an attacking option when Real are on the ball.

Salah exploiting the space behind Marcelo and Ronaldo and Isco (or Asensio) doubling up on Alexander Arnold are the other key areas.

[No name Bertie]

In getting to the final, does Zinedine Zidane save his job - even if he loses the champions league final (thus failing to win three in a row)?  

Earlier in the year, when it looked like there was a possibility Real Madrid might not make it into the top four of La Liga - the media were saying Zidane could be sacked any day - it was just that while Real Madrid was still in the Champions League, they were going to stick with him "for now".   Now it looks like Real Madrid will finish third or second in La Liga, and they have got to another Champions League Final.  

Earlier in the year Ronaldo was not firing in the goals at his usual rate - it seems that Ronaldo is now on fire and it was a good decision by Zidane to bench Bale.  It seems that Zidane's best team doesn't have Bale in it - either Bale is not quite good enough or he unbalances the team somehow.

[GSC]

If there was ever a game for Arsene to go out on, it was probably that. Atletico expose every criticism of the last half of Arsenes reign.

[compelling and rich]

Yeah they were crying out for giroud that game, but for no reason they shipped him to a rival

[Ent]

Predictions?

3-2 Madrid.

Hard game to predict, madrids defense poor all season but they've beaten psg, juventus, Bayern to get here.

If Liverpool can disrupt their midfield and feed their front 3 they'll get plenty of joy.

Should be a good game.

[GSC]

Liverpool high energy at the moment while Real pretty happy to ease in. Liverpool got leads against City and Roma, need to capitalise.

[GSC]

Might be Salahs collarbone which is probably his WC too.

[Guest]

Congratulations, Real, 3 in a row is some feat

[GSC]

Be interesting to see what Marcelo does now.

[Guest]

With Salah removed, cant look past Madrid turning it up now

[Nathaniel Jacobs]

Typical Real Madrid either get gifted titles by corrupt officials or resort to injuring the oppositions best player.

Sergio Ramos is the one man you'd hope gets punched in the face

[GSC]

Marcelo now camped in Liverpools half and Mane over to the right

[No name Bertie]

Great tactics by Real Madrid - injure Mohammed Salah - with Ramos pulling his arm out of his shoulder and then jumping on him (broken collar bone?).   No card for Ramos.  I wonder if they need to injure any further Liverpool players.  All we need now is a Ronaldo dive to win a penalty and this will be a perfect exhibition of European football.

[Guest]

Sergio Ramos is the one man you'd hope gets punched in the face

Have an upvote

[GSC]

Ronaldo offside first time, not sure Benzema is on the follow up

[GSC]

Liverpool probably need to find something in the first 10-15 mins in the 2nd half, else you'd bet on Kroos/Modric having more of an influence after than they have in this half.

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