CL Matchweek 5

[Savant]

TUESDAY 21 NOVEMBER
Group E: Spartak Moskva (5) v Maribor (1)*, Sevilla (7) v Liverpool (8)

• Liverpool will qualify with a win, or with a draw if Spartak lose.

• Sevilla will qualify if they win.
  
  
• Spartak cannot be eliminated whatever their result and will ensure at least third place with a draw.
  
  
• Maribor must win and hope Sevilla lose to stay in contention for a top-two finish. They will finish fourth if they fail to win.

Group F: Napoli (3) v Shakhtar Donetsk (9), Manchester City (12) v Feyenoord (0)

• Man. City are through and will clinch first place if they win and Shakhtar do not or if City draw and Shakhtar lose
  
  
• Shakhtar will be through if they avoid defeat or if they lose but hold a better head-to-head after both games against Napoli.
  
  
• Napoli therefore must win by any scoreline that leaves them at least level with Shakhtar on head-to-head. They will confirm a top-three finish if they pick up more points than Feyenoord.

• Feyenoord are unable to finish in the top two and will be confirmed in fourth if they draw and Napoli win or if Feyenoord lose and Napoli avoid defeat.

Group G: Beşiktaş (10) v Porto (6)*, Monaco (2) v RB Leipzig (4)

• Beşiktaş are through (and would clinch first place) with a draw. Even if they lose, they are through if Leipzig do not win.
  
  
• Porto are through if they win and Leipzig do not.
  
  
• Leipzig will be out of contention for a top-two finish if they do not win and Porto do.
  
  
• Monaco must win and hope Porto do not to stay in contention for a top-two finish. They will be confirmed in fourth if they lose.

Group H: Borussia Dortmund (2) v Tottenham Hotspur (10), APOEL (2) v Real Madrid (7)

• Tottenham are through and would ensure first place with a win, or if they at least match Madrid’s result (due to their superior head-to-head).

• Madrid will qualify if they win, or if they draw and Dortmund fail to win.

• Dortmund must win and hope Madrid do not to stay in contention for a top-two place.

• APOEL must win to stay in contention for a top-two place.

WEDNESDAY 22 NOVEMBER

Group A: CSKA Moskva (6 points) v Benfica (0)*, Basel (6) v Manchester United (12)

• Man. United will qualify (as group winners) with a draw. Their progress will be confirmed if CSKA do not win.

• Basel will be through if they win and CSKA lose due to better head-to-head.

• Benfica must win and hope Basel lose to stay in contention for a top-two place. If they fail to win they will be confirmed in fourth.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain (12) v Celtic (3), Anderlecht (0) v Bayern München (9)

• Paris are through and will clinch first place if they win and Bayern do not, or if Paris draw and Bayern lose.

• Bayern are through.

• Celtic cannot finish in the top two but will seal third place if they win and Anderlecht do not, or if Celtic draw and Anderlecht lose.

• Anderlecht cannot finish in the top two.

Group C: Qarabağ (2) v Chelsea (7)*, Atlético Madrid (3) v Roma (8)

• Roma are through with a draw. They can clinch first place if they win and Chelsea do not.

• Chelsea are through with a win, or a draw if Atléticodo not win.

• Atlético will remain in contention with a win, or with a draw if Chelsea lose. They will seal at least third place if they win and Qarabağ lose.

• Qarabağ must win to stay in contention for a top-two finish. They will be confirmed in fourth if they lose and Atlético win.

Group D: Juventus (7) v Barcelona (10), Sporting CP (4) v Olympiacos (1)

• Barcelona will be through, as group winners with a draw. They will also qualify even if they lose should Sporting not win.

• Juventus are through if they avoid defeat should Sporting not win.

• Sporting will remain in contention if they win but will be unable to be finish in the top two if they lose, or if they draw and Juve do not lose. A draw clinches at least third place.

• Olympiacos must win and hope Juventus lose to stay in contention for a top-two finish. If Olympiacos do not win they will finish fourth.

*Kick-off 18:00CET rather than 20:45CET

Click to read more...

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

We need to win both games remaining. Need a 3-0 or something like that tomorrow against Spurs, which could happen, but unlikely, given our current form. Our game doesn't even matter that much though. If Madrid beat APOEL, thats the end of the group. If not, our result matters.

Auba should be back tomorrow, Pulisic and Sokratis won't play, maybe they'll be back at the weekend against Schalke. Toprak will likely take Sokratis place, as he was back in training. If they choose not to risk him, it'll probably be Zagadou. Bosz likes the rotation policy with the wingers, but with Pulisic out, I think we see Yarmo and Philipp again, although Schurrle is a possibility in one of those positions, and I wouldn't be against Guerreiro as the LW. I'm hoping for a Weigl, Dahoud, Goetze midfield.

 

[hatterson]

"Tottenham are through and would ensure first place with a win, or if they at least match Madrid’s result (due to their superior head-to-head)."

3 months ago I would have bet a large sum of money against this happening. Crazy how well they've played continentally this year.

 

[Savant]

"Tottenham are through and would ensure first place with a win, or if they at least match Madrid’s result (due to their superior head-to-head)."

3 months ago I would have bet a large sum of money against this happening. Crazy how well they've played continentally this year.

Spurs did well. Man U and Liverpool has the easy draws but could easily run into Madrid/PSG/Juventus in the Round of 16.

 

[Gecklund]

Spurs did well. Man U and Liverpool has the easy draws but could easily run into Madrid/PSG/Juventus in the Round of 16.

If United do run into one of those teams in the Round of 16, I could see them still getting through. NOT SAYING THEY ARE THE FAVORITES OR EVEN CLOSE. With Pogba, our offense is just so good. Pogba and Lukaku work so well off each other and hopefully Luk’s goal is the end of this rough patch. With those two working so great in unison and United’s good/great defensive system/bus parking, I truly believe they could challenge the top clubs.

 

[YNWA14]

All of the EPL teams can give any team trouble in the knockout rounds. They won't be favourites in every match, but I wouldn't be surprised if any of them make a deep run this year.

 

[hatterson]

United have the potential to give any team trouble. All it takes is a fluke goal and we've seen how effective Mourinho is at locking things down. That doesn't mean they're favorites at all, but I'd put them in the second group of teams after the big favorites.

 

[Edo]

United have the potential to give any team trouble. All it takes is a fluke goal and we've seen how effective Mourinho is at locking things down. That doesn't mean they're favorites at all, but I'd put them in the second group of teams after the big favorites.

United are probably the least likely to advance. Mourinho's record in the CL is actually pretty shitty when you consider some of the squads he's had at his disposal. And this United squad isn't anything special. I suppose he can always play for 2 draws and pray for a penalties win.

 

[hatterson]

United are probably the least likely to advance. Mourinho's record in the CL is actually pretty ****ty when you consider some of the squads he's had at his disposal. And this United squad isn't anything special. I suppose he can always play for 2 draws and pray for a penalties win.

Won it with Porto, 2x semis with Chelsea in his first stint, won it with Inter, 3x semis with Real, semis in his second stint with Chelsea.

In 11 seasons where he's been in the CL and been manager for the full campaign (excluding 15-16 with Chelsea) he's won twice, and made 6 semis. Only three times has he failed to advance to the semis. 05-06 with Chelsea, 08-09 in his first year with Inter, and 14-15 with Chelsea. 05-06 with Chelsea they lost to Barca who won and in 08-09 they lost to a United team that went to the finals after having won it the year before.

Yea that's definitely shitty.

 

[Edo]

Won it with Porto, 2x semis with Chelsea in his first stint, won it with Inter, 3x semis with Real, semis in his second stint with Chelsea.

In 11 seasons where he's been in the CL and been manager for the full campaign (excluding 15-16 with Chelsea) he's won twice, and made 6 semis. Only three times has he failed to advance to the semis. 05-06 with Chelsea, 08-09 in his first year with Inter, and 14-15 with Chelsea. 05-06 with Chelsea they lost to Barca who won and in 08-09 they lost to a United team that went to the finals after having won it the year before.

Yea that's definitely ****ty.

When you have a squad that should win the CL, and you don't win it, it's a disappointment. Him making the semi's with Real Madrid, if anything, should be looked at as a HUGE disappointment. Not an actual thing somebody should bring up when trying to prove his credentials.

Just like Pep not winning the CL with Bayern Munich. Gigantic disappointment. Mourinho has 1 CL title while being basically given unlimited resources since joining Chelsea.

It actually is pretty shitty when you look deeper. Especially given how Mourinho tends to play his game of trying not to lose and playing anti-football.

United ain't winning anything with him.

 

[YEM]

if Jose's CL record is shitty, then there are maybe only 1-3 other coaches in the world who have decent CL records. Maybe.

 

[hatterson]

When you have a squad that should win the CL, and you don't win it, it's a disappointment. Him making the semi's with Real Madrid, if anything, should be looked at as a HUGE disappointment. Not an actual thing somebody should bring up when trying to prove his credentials.

Just like Pep not winning the CL with Bayern Munich. Gigantic disappointment. Mourinho has 1 CL title while being basically given unlimited resources since joining Chelsea.

It actually is pretty ****ty when you look deeper. Especially given how Mourinho tends to play his game of trying not to lose and playing anti-football.

United ain't winning anything with him.

Maybe you should try reading the posts you're replying to.

I never said United would win, or even that they were favorites. In fact, I explicitly said they were in the group after the big favorites. I said they could give any team trouble because all it takes it one goal for Mourinho to turn it into a slog fest of anti-football.

I also didn't say he had the most amazing CL record ever, I simply said it wasn't "shitty" like you claimed. Yes, he had some big disappointments, but if that's a shitty record then there's about 3 managers on earth who don't have shitty records, if that.

 

[Edo]

if Jose's CL record is ****ty, then there are maybe only 1-3 other coaches in the world who have decent CL records. Maybe.

I go back to the whole argument of what teams he's coached, and the resources he's been given. So yeah, with that in mind, he has been a disappointment. Zidane, a first time coach, managed to win with Real Madrid. Mourinho tanked.

 

[hatterson]

I go back to the whole argument of what teams he's coached, and the resources he's been given. So yeah, with that in mind, he has been a disappointment. Zidane, a first time coach, managed to win with Real Madrid. Mourinho tanked.

Please name the coaches that you think don't have shitty CL records.

 

[YEM]

I go back to the whole argument of what teams he's coached, and the resources he's been given.

I'll go back to the fact that there are usually a half-dozen incredibly good champion-worthy teams in the CL each year along with many other very good ones capable of knocking out the greats & thus it's a very hard trophy to win, one of the toughest in the entire world of sport.

 

[Burner Account]

When LFC can go through with a win and you work four blocks from The Irish American

 

[spintheblackcircle]

"Tottenham are through and would ensure first place with a win, or if they at least match Madrid’s result (due to their superior head-to-head)."

3 months ago I would have bet a large sum of money against this happening. Crazy how well they've played continentally this year.

...til this weekend. :/

 

[spintheblackcircle]

 

[spintheblackcircle]

 

[cgf]

It's going to be so funny how much BVB improve the instant Bosz's successor starts to use Dahoud from the beginning of matches.

 

[YNWA14]

Robertson still out in the cold, and despite his fantastic display against West Ham Ox continues to ride the bench.

That said I still like our line-up aside from the backline (would prefer Gomez at CB, Trent at RB and Robertson at LB). Hope we can win and clinch here.

 

[Savant]

Robertson still out in the cold, and despite his fantastic display against West Ham Ox continues to ride the bench.

I would have played AOC instead of Wijnaldum today. Everything else looks about right. I’m not going to complain about Robertson being out as long as Moreno is in form though. I’m glad they don’t have too many defenders on the bench actually.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

...til this weekend. :/

We weren't that bad.

 

[bluesfan94]

...til this weekend. :/

That wasn't continental but yeah, you did lose to Arsenal

 

[Live in the Now]

FIRMINO.