Who will win this seasons Champions League!

Who will it be?

Still can't see past Barca. They have strengthened with the additions of Alex Song in midfield and Jordi Alba at LB. Add to the fact David Villa is back and its like a new signing.

Bayern have a good side, also strengthened with Shiqiri and Javi Martinez and there's Madrid also. Still, if I had to pick a side it would be Barca.

If Barca can get past the mighty Celtic in our group then they might have a chance

Has to be Celtic though, free money lads....honest

the-gaffer wrote:If Barca can get past the mighty Celtic in our group then they might have a chance

Has to be Celtic though, free money lads....honest

Never know with Celtic. I actually think they have an alright side and just need to concentrate on winning their home games (Apart from Barca, no chance there). They have what is priceless in the champions league and that's a goal scorer in Hooper. If they have any chance of getting out of the group, they need to win their first game.

I think Real Madrid could win it this year, Mourinho has managed to topple Barcelona in the league last year so can focus on Europe this year. I think that last year was possibly their best shot, but still think they can do this year.

I was just joking to be honest, not sure if we're ready for the Champions League just yet, I do think 2nd place is possible, but I feel we need to get 6 points at home from Benfica and Spartak and try and sneak a draw away from home, if by December we finish 3rd and go into the Europa League knock-outs I wouldn't be devastated

Great bit of technical insight by Savage on how to beat Real Madrid - "If you kick Ronaldo off the park then Madrid are average" - talk about the Einstein off football!

Smirnoffpriest wrote:Great bit of technical insight by Savage on how to beat Real Madrid - "If you kick Ronaldo off the park then Madrid are average" - talk about the Einstein off football!

I was just away to post that!!!! Savage has sunk to new levels of idiocy.

He is an awful pundit, why the BBC employ him I have no idea.

I have a feeling Mancini is going to regret starting Maicon and probably Barry as well. Ronaldo will tear Maicon apart, and I think Barry will be overcome by the Alonso, Essien, Khedira trio.

Anybody ever read his Daily Mirror column on a Friday? Every week he belittles his missus to the point where he's actually belittling himself being married to the apparent air-headed bimbo.

The Guy is a grade A prat.

FreekShow wrote:The Guy is a grade A prat.

Never a truer word spoken

That's Premier League winning midfielder and England international Gareth Barry you're talking about!! Why should he be scared of Liverpool reject Alonso, Chelsea reject Essien and some long haired German? What have they ever achieved in the game? Gareth Barry has 53 England caps on his own; those 3 combined have none. Gareth Barry has 3 international goals for England. Again, those 3 combined have none.


Seriously, I think it will end 0-0 tonight. Both teams might bore each other to death.

Is there a better long ball passer than Xabi Alonso?

City doing alright, they're obviously looking to hit on the break. Maicon already looking the weak link, Nasri is never going to give him support, Javi Garcia has to help. If Marcelo and Ronaldo start linking up, City are in trouble.

Crimey wrote:Is there a better long ball passer than Xabi Alonso?

City doing alright, they're obviously looking to hit on the break. Maicon already looking the weak link, Nasri is never going to give him support, Javi Garcia has to help. If Marcelo and Ronaldo start linking up, City are in trouble.

Well not Robbie Savage!

Yaya Toure might be the best all-round midfielder in the world. He can defend, pass and attack brilliantly.

Yup, I'm still gutted Arsenal just missed out on him!

Wow. Man City just got their souls preached.

Exactly the same way that they beat QPR 3-2 in last game of last season!

Yaya Toure needed to improve that final ball, if it was just slightly better he could have put Manchester City in scoring positions at least three more times.

I think that was probably the right result in the end, City were too content to let Madrid attack and gave them multiple shooting opportunities. Marcelo scored from the kind of position he'd been taking shots from the entire half.

Mancini made good substitutions, but an awful choice in selecting Maicon who was the weak spot the entire game. Nasri's selection was perhaps wrong as well, as they were pinned back the entire game he can't really offer anything.

Tonight's fixtures Predictions

Barcelona v Spartak Moscow 3-1 Barca
19:45
Bayern Munich v Valencia 2-0 Bayern
19:45
Braga v CFR Cluj-Napoca 3-0 Braga
19:45
Celtic v Benfica 2-1 Benfica
19:45
Chelsea v Juventus 0-0
19:45
Lille v BATE Borisov 1-0 Lille
19:45
Man Utd v Galatasaray 2-1 Man United
19:45
Shakhtar Donetsk v FC Nordsjaelland 4-0 Shakhtar

Chelsea vs Juve will be a good game as will Bayern vs Valencia

Oscar has just scored an amazing goal.

CLUJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ

I'm gonna stick my neck on the line here, having been at the game tonight, I don't think Celtic will win it this year...

A draw against Benfica isn't a bad result though? Clean sheet as well.

Yeah Benfica are a much better side than Galatasaray and so I think it's a quite a decent result considering the reduced playing budgets in the Scottish Prem.

Yeah, not a lot to be too disheartened about, the only negative for me was the front three. Commons, Forrest and Miku just didn't get into the game. Miku was feeding off scraps all night, but on the occasions that he did get the ball he didn't hold it up like the lone striker should. Commons was hot and cold all night, whilst Forrest was anonymous for the most part.

Positives were Scott Brown, Kelvin Wilson and Victor Wanyama. Brown had his best ever game in a Celtic shirt. I have long been one of his harshest critics, but was outstanding last night.

I've said for quite some time that Wilson isn't a bad player when up against pacy strikers. Put a high ball near him and he keeks himself, but he isn't bad on the deck. Showed that last night.

Wanyama is the best player at the club. If we got 5-6 million for Ki, then I wouldn't take any less than 10 for him. For a young lad, people just bounce off him. Still a bit roigh round the edges, but an exceptional talent.

A draw wasn't the worst result, but last night was a very winnable game.

Yea Wanyama is excellent, he and Brown really got stuck in about their midfielders. Pretty good performance by Celtic but don't have any cutting edge.

Great game at Stamford Bridge, that Oscar is something special, Juventus though are a top side again, their team is packed with talent if they could get Llorente i think they'll be one of the best sides in Europe again.

Crimey wrote:A draw against Benfica isn't a bad result though? Clean sheet as well.

Personally I disagree, Benfica are a much more expensively assembled team so beating them was never going to be easy but if Celtic had any hopes of sneaking second we'd have to get a win last night, its that simple

I think 7 points could be enough to get through, our next most winnable game though is at home to Spartak and that's not until game 6, so for me that leaves us with far to much ground to make up, we had to win our two home games and sneak a draw away, now we have to win away, while it's not impossible its far more unlikely, the game schedule definitely hasn't been kind to us

Benfica aren't great away from home in Europe, they play a completely different style, that played into our hands but we just had no cutting edge, we missed Samaras, Ledley and a fit Gary Hooper last night

Really liking the looks of Juventus I have to say.

42 domestic games unbeaten and they look the buisness, as above poster said a world class CF would be the icing on the cake for them.

That midfield wall of Pirlo, Marchisio and Vidal has all the qualities needed to win any game.

My second club is Fiorentina, been a fan since I first watched football Italia on Sundays as a kid ( it was the unique kit and Batigol that won me over ) but despite the rivalry between the two clubs I cant help but say job well done to Juve and hope they represent Italy and do them proud this year, especially seeing as AC Milan look a shadow of their former selves.

going with real madrod this time around..

they look a class above to me-

Despite being outplayed in both games by Dortmund?

James_182 wrote:Really liking the looks of Juventus I have to say.

42 domestic games unbeaten and they look the buisness, as above poster said a world class CF would be the icing on the cake for them.

That midfield wall of Pirlo, Marchisio and Vidal has all the qualities needed to win any game.

My second club is Fiorentina, been a fan since I first watched football Italia on Sundays as a kid ( it was the unique kit and Batigol that won me over ) but despite the rivalry between the two clubs I cant help but say job well done to Juve and hope they represent Italy and do them proud this year, especially seeing as AC Milan look a shadow of their former selves.

Juve are a very good team, i think presuming they sign Llorente in January and they get through, they can have a run at the Champions league. I think of all teams the top two from Spain and Germany are maybe a little better suited to going all the way but Juventus can certainly make a semi final. Just need to make sure they take their chances.

They'll need to get by us first

"Wembley...Wembley....we're the famous Glasgow Celtic and we're off to Wembley"

My vote and money is still on Borussia Dortmund.

Have to say I've been impressed by Dortmund too.

Chelsea all the way

Oh, you said Champions League, not Europa?

Well Barcelona will probably be there or thereabouts, and Dortmund and Juventus impressed me in the group stages (though Shaktar's performance last night was a disgrace). I will however be supporting the mighty Celtic (any team that beats Barcelona gets my support )

I still think Real Madrid will win it, they haven't been excellent in Europe so far, but I think Mourinho is focusing on Europe in his last season with Madrid.

it would be nice if you can get that europa year after CL!

that woiuld be a record that may never ever get matched..

And yes I will be supporting cetic an all..

That would be awesome and hillarious if they won...

Yep I am with crimey(for once )

madrid all the way..

well unless celtic can do it!

mystiroakey wrote:it would be nice if you can get that europa year after CL!

that woiuld be a record that may never ever get matched..

And yes I will be supporting cetic an all..

That would be awesome and hillarious if they won...

especially if they do away with the Europa League Of course, the reason it won't be matched is because usually the team who wins the CL doesn't get bundled out in the group stages the following year, but hey, silver linings and all that eh?

I'm a bit surprised no one's mentioned Bayern. They're dominating the Bundesliga at the moment, and will be as determined as anyone after what happened to them in last year's final.

I think Dortmund have been the most impressive so far, I think they're a really well run club too and the atmosphere they generate at games is fantastic, they play some brilliant football too, that performance at Man City was outrageous and shamed a lot of clubs who go to City and stand off or defend to deep

Having said that, we'll probably take 5 off them in that last 16

I think the main issue with Dortmund is the lack of experience in the latter stages of the Champions League, as once you get to the knock outs, the competition really starts, teams don't rest any players and I think there are quite a few teams in Europe this year who are more determined than ever to win it.

You've got Mourinho's Real Madrid who will be desperate to win the CL, especially after overcoming Barcelona domestically last year, and being so far behind this year and Mourinho probably leaving at the end of the year he hasn't won the CL with Madrid yet.

As Nakatomi Plaza says; Bayern will be really going for it, they have come very close in recent years and last year should have been the fairytale home win, ruined by Chelsea's improbable win.

Barcelona haven't quite been the same force over the last 18 months as the previous 18 months, and being so far ahead domestically they will want to show Madrid and the world that they're still the best team in the world by doing the same in Europe. Tito will also want to continue to perform at least on Guardiola's level, if not better by winning the Champions League as well.