The Official 2007/08 Champions League Thread

[Mac 10 †]

Anyway down to business:

The criteria for teams level on points (in case anyone is still unaware) are separated by:

1) The results of games between the teams in the tie (if tied, by goal difference and then by away goals counting double).

2) Goal difference in all group games.

3) Highest number of goals scored in all games.

4) Highest Uefa ranking over the previous five seasons.


UEFA Champions League : Group A
Put simply, if Liverpool beat Marseille in their final group game then they will definitely go through. If they lose they will definitely go out. Complications arise should Liverpool and Marseille draw. Marseille beat Liverpool at Anfield earlier in the campaign, meaning they would edge the Reds out on the basis of that result, assuming Porto beat or draw with Besiktas in the group's other match.

But if Liverpool and Marseille draw and Besiktas pull off a shock by beating Porto, the Reds would go through. In this scenario, Liverpool, Marseille and Porto would all be on eight points. Liverpool would go through with the best goal difference in the head-to-head matches between the three teams.


UEFA Champions League : Group B
Chelsea are definitely through as group winners, regardless of the result of their final match against a Valencia side who cannot progress. A home win against Rosenborg will be enough for Schalke to join the Blues in the last 16, but the Norwegian side would go through with a point away from home.


UEFA Champions League : Group C
All four teams can still qualify but Real Madrid and Olympiakos will be favourites as they are at home to the bottom two teams in the last matches and a draw would be enough for either to qualify. Bremen will qualify only if they win at Olympiakos. Lazio will be sure of qualification if they win in Madrid but Bremen do not win in Greece. If Bremen do win in Greece, Lazio would have to win by at least two goals in Madrid to go through.


UEFA Champions League : Group D
AC Milan and Celtic have sealed their places in the last 16. Benfica qualify for the knockout stages of the Uefa Cup.


UEFA Champions League : Group E Table
Barcelona will go through as group winners, and Rangers will join them in the last 16 if they draw or beat Lyon at home in the final group match. Rangers won 3-0 in Lyon earlier in the competition so a draw at Ibrox would put them through thanks to a better head-to-head record against the French team.


UEFA Champions League : Group F Table
Manchester United have taken first place in the group and Roma have secured the second spot.


UEFA Champions League : Group G
Inter Milan have clinched top spot in the group and Fenerbahce are favourites to go through with them. PSV must beat Inter at home and hope Fenerbahce fail to beat bottom-of-the-table CSKA in Turkey to take the second place.


UEFA Champions League : Group H
Arsenal and Sevilla have both qualified for the last 16, with Slavia Prague taking a place in the Uefa Cup. Arsenal will finish top of the group if they beat Steaua Bucharest at home and Sevilla fail to win in Prague in the last group games.

[K.Dub]

Go Rosenborg and Arsenal!

[wcsoldier]

I hope Lyon gonna win against the Rangers ... pretty stupid how they lost the game at home though ..

[Mac 10 †]

I hope Lyon gonna win against the Rangers ... pretty stupid how they lost the game at home though ..

I'm fairly certain I want Lyon to win more than you do.

 

[TheDeli]

I hope Lyon gonna win against the Rangers ... pretty stupid how they lost the game at home though ..

I'm fairly certain I want Lyon to win more than you do.

 

Thats a shock eh   

Are Celtic the luckiest team in Europe    2 goals in stoppage time at home and then lose in Milan (to keep up that great away record) and still go through due to Benfica defeating Shakhtar 

[Mac 10 †]

I hope Lyon gonna win against the Rangers ... pretty stupid how they lost the game at home though ..

I'm fairly certain I want Lyon to win more than you do.

 

Thats a shock eh   

Are Celtic the luckiest team in Europe    2 goals in stoppage time at home and then lose in Milan (to keep up that great away record) and still go through due to Benfica defeating Shakhtar 

Almost as lucky as setting a new Champions League record for qualifying through the group stages with the lowest amount of points ever.......

[Boo-Yaa †]

I hope Lyon gonna win against the Rangers ... pretty stupid how they lost the game at home though ..

I'm fairly certain I want Lyon to win more than you do.

 

Thats a shock eh   

Are Celtic the luckiest team in Europe    2 goals in stoppage time at home and then lose in Milan (to keep up that great away record) and still go through due to Benfica defeating Shakhtar 

Over the last few days, many Rangers supporters have kindly pointed out that Celtic's qualification for the last 16 is not in fact valid because a number of fundamental football principles were ignored. Among these infractions, the most serious ones were:

1. SOME OF CELTIC'S OPPONENTS MADE DEFENSIVE MISTAKES OR GOALKEEPING ERRORS WHICH CELTIC EXPLOITED TO SCORE GOALS.
Celtic FC now accepts that it is unsporting to apply pressure on their opponents in the hope of capitalising on mistakes at some point in the course of a 90-minute match. The club had previously regarded this as a valid approach to creating scoring opportunities. Celtic FC apologises for this tactic and will never again try to benefit from their opponents' inability to handle this pressure.

2. CELTIC'S HAUL OF NINE POINTS FROM THREE MATCHES IS NULL AND VOID BECAUSE ALL THE POINTS WERE SECURED FROM HOME WINS.
Celtic FC had previously been unaware of this rule and begs forgiveness for only recently discovering that seven points is better than nine if some of the seven points were won away from home. Celtic FC regrets this oversight.

3. LATE GOALS DO NOT COUNT.
Celtic FC is at fault for believing that a goal scored towards the end of the game is worth the same as a goal scored at any other time. Had the club realised this, there would have been no need to feel any dismay after conceding a late goal to Benfica in Lisbon and Celtic FC now apologise for an inappropriate reaction to what has turned out to be a 0-0 draw.

4. GOALS DO NOT COUNT IF THE BALL IS DEFLECTED INTO THE NET.
It can now be admitted that some of the club's employees are in the habit of shooting towards goal before the opposing defenders have had a chance to get out of the way and this unsporting practice can make it difficult for the goalkeeper to read the flight of the ball. This is a reprehensible tactic and Celtic FC undertakes to forbid its application forthwith. Henceforth, no Celtic player will be allowed to direct the ball goalwards if there is any danger of a goal resulting from a deflection.

5. CELTIC HAD SOME LUCKY BREAKS IN QUALIFYING.
Admittedly, Celtic were very fortunate that Shaktar didn't take more advantage of their special dispensation to be allowed to control the ball with their hands, as Brandao did when he opened the scoring for Shaktar at Celtic Park. It was also fortuitous that AC Milan weren't awarded a soft penalty more than once when their forwards fell down dramatically in the penalty area. Luckier still was the fact that rival teams were not skillful enough to score more goals in the face of determined defending and goalkeeping by the Celtic players.

Celtic FC can only apologise to the faithful supporters of Rangers for the anguish and disappointment that they have endured in the wake of these violations of the Spirit of the Game.

[Lil White Azz]

Over the last few days, many Rangers supporters have kindly pointed out that Celtic's qualification for the last 16 is not in fact valid because a number of fundamental football principles were ignored. Among these infractions, the most serious ones were:

1. SOME OF CELTIC'S OPPONENTS MADE DEFENSIVE MISTAKES OR GOALKEEPING ERRORS WHICH CELTIC EXPLOITED TO SCORE GOALS.
Celtic FC now accepts that it is unsporting to apply pressure on their opponents in the hope of capitalising on mistakes at some point in the course of a 90-minute match. The club had previously regarded this as a valid approach to creating scoring opportunities. Celtic FC apologises for this tactic and will never again try to benefit from their opponents' inability to handle this pressure.

2. CELTIC'S HAUL OF NINE POINTS FROM THREE MATCHES IS NULL AND VOID BECAUSE ALL THE POINTS WERE SECURED FROM HOME WINS.
Celtic FC had previously been unaware of this rule and begs forgiveness for only recently discovering that seven points is better than nine if some of the seven points were won away from home. Celtic FC regrets this oversight.

3. LATE GOALS DO NOT COUNT.
Celtic FC is at fault for believing that a goal scored towards the end of the game is worth the same as a goal scored at any other time. Had the club realised this, there would have been no need to feel any dismay after conceding a late goal to Benfica in Lisbon and Celtic FC now apologise for an inappropriate reaction to what has turned out to be a 0-0 draw.

4. GOALS DO NOT COUNT IF THE BALL IS DEFLECTED INTO THE NET.
It can now be admitted that some of the club's employees are in the habit of shooting towards goal before the opposing defenders have had a chance to get out of the way and this unsporting practice can make it difficult for the goalkeeper to read the flight of the ball. This is a reprehensible tactic and Celtic FC undertakes to forbid its application forthwith. Henceforth, no Celtic player will be allowed to direct the ball goalwards if there is any danger of a goal resulting from a deflection.

5. CELTIC HAD SOME LUCKY BREAKS IN QUALIFYING.
Admittedly, Celtic were very fortunate that Shaktar didn't take more advantage of their special dispensation to be allowed to control the ball with their hands, as Brandao did when he opened the scoring for Shaktar at Celtic Park. It was also fortuitous that AC Milan weren't awarded a soft penalty more than once when their forwards fell down dramatically in the penalty area. Luckier still was the fact that rival teams were not skillful enough to score more goals in the face of determined defending and goalkeeping by the Celtic players.

Celtic FC can only apologise to the faithful supporters of Rangers for the anguish and disappointment that they have endured in the wake of these violations of the Spirit of the Game.

HAHAHAHAHA, funny shit 
+1

[TheDeli]

I hope Lyon gonna win against the Rangers ... pretty stupid how they lost the game at home though ..

I'm fairly certain I want Lyon to win more than you do.

 

Thats a shock eh   

Are Celtic the luckiest team in Europe    2 goals in stoppage time at home and then lose in Milan (to keep up that great away record) and still go through due to Benfica defeating Shakhtar 

Almost as lucky as setting a new Champions League record for qualifying through the group stages with the lowest amount of points ever.......

Yeah cause we are the only club to have qualified with 7 points eh?  (Legia Warsaw, Dynamo Kyiv, Lokomotiv Moscow, Werder Bremen and Liverpool from the 2nd round group stage)

Though we only lost 1 game in the group that season and finished above the team that took 5 goals from you lot in the qualifying round

For a team that has never won an away game in the Champions League (and only taken 1 point in 15 games) you've got to admit that it you's have a fair amount of luck (and a very good home record) to qualify from the group again

Though where has all this 'group of death' stuff that the Scottish media came from  Most celtic fans that I know (and most of the Scottish media) thought that they would progress without too many major problems

[da_notorious_mack]

everyone loves celtic how can you not???...they have great fans...a great stadium and have had many a great player and team down the years...i still remember the great game we had with them when mcmanaman ran the length of their half and scored in the 92min to salvage a point in the uefa cup..ive always felt a sort of affinity for them maybe its them singin youll never walk alone that hooked me...who knows??

[Mac 10 †]

everyone loves celtic how can you not???...they have great fans...a great stadium and have had many a great player and team down the years...i still remember the great game we had with them when mcmanaman ran the length of their half and scored in the 92min to salvage a point in the uefa cup..ive always felt a sort of affinity for them maybe its them singin youll never walk alone that hooked me...who knows??

Coz he is one of "them". The rules of humanity don't apply.

[TheDeli]

everyone loves celtic how can you not???...they have great fans...a great stadium and have had many a great player and team down the years...i still remember the great game we had with them when mcmanaman ran the length of their half and scored in the 92min to salvage a point in the uefa cup..ive always felt a sort of affinity for them maybe its them singin youll never walk alone that hooked me...who knows??

Coz he is one of "them". The rules of humanity don't apply.

I am a Rangers fan, and celtic are our rivals - that would be the main reason that I don't 'love' them.

And I disagree with the majority of the post

As for 'one of them' I assume that you mean the privileged

 

[K.Dub]

everyone loves celtic how can you not???...they have great fans...a great stadium and have had many a great player and team down the years...i still remember the great game we had with them when mcmanaman ran the length of their half and scored in the 92min to salvage a point in the uefa cup..ive always felt a sort of affinity for them maybe its them singin youll never walk alone that hooked me...who knows??

Coz he is one of "them". The rules of humanity don't apply.

 

[Mac 10 †]

Predictable results mostly.

[da_notorious_mack]

torres is...


i swear ppl were stressing the point that he isnt a natural goalscorer beore he signed???..dosent look like it lol just has settled into english football with a huge price on his head and adjusted in a way that i cant think of one player to do the same has...if this is his bedding-in season then dammmmnn just makes scoring goals look easy...goal against marseille tonight being the perfect example


think we can banish the dark ole days of relyin on morientes,pongolle,mellor,cisse(though i quite liked him lol) etc