Uefa Champions League 2011/12

OB have done well to send out Panathinaikos, but I think their style would suit us well. They can't really park the bus and while they're decent on the counter it's not their strongest side either. They play in a very weak league and will not at all be used to the pace we would bring to the game, I have a very hard time imagining a game where they wouldn't concede several times against us. Their biggest strength is the fact that the Danish tournament has already started and they will have played 7 or so significant games by the time they meet us. Zürich is a bit more of the same really, very equal qualitywise I reckon and they will have played just as many games too. These 2 opponents would however still be the easiest by a significant margin.

Then come Udinese and Twente. Both have done well in their league, Twente were inches from winning the Dutch league and you don't end 4th in Serie A without showing quality, which Udinese certainly did last season. Both teams have however lost significant players however, Twente lost their midfield star Theo Janssen and Udinese lost Sanchez, Inler and Zapata, a huge blow for the team. Ultimately both teams seem to be weakened from last year. Also worth noting is that both teams generally play reasonably attacking football and I don't think we would see either of the teams digging a trench in their own third, these are generally the teams we perform best against. Teams that are a bit weaker and don't play defensively.

The last option is Rubin Kazan, little needs to be said about this team. They are not exceptionally strong, as seen last season in the CL. However they have tended to do extremely when they don't have to create the game, as proven especially by their good results against Barcelona, whereas against opponents similar in strength they tend to have some problems. Even without the long journey, this would be the worst opponent, their playing style doesn't suit us at all and a quick goal for them in the first leg would see us playing two very tough games, with a reasonable non-neglible risk of us not coming out as the winner by the end. Add to that the long travel in the middle of some very busy weeks.

^ Nice analysis there.

I heard one of the ar5eholes on the board, can't remember which one, say ages ago that we had a budget in place to prepare us for not qualifying once in every four seasons. Could that be why we don't spend money?

We have cash reserves in case of emergencies such as not qualifying for the Champions League, yes.

Cash reserves of every bit of profit we have made since moving to the emirates probably

Is the first leg away or home?

The last option is Rubin Kazan, little needs to be said about this team. They are not exceptionally strong, as seen last season in the CL. However they have tended to do extremely when they don't have to create the game, as proven especially by their good results against Barcelona, whereas against opponents similar in strength they tend to have some problems. Even without the long journey, this would be the worst opponent, their playing style doesn't suit us at all and a quick goal for them in the first leg would see us playing two very tough games, with a reasonable non-neglible risk of us not coming out as the winner by the end. Add to that the long travel in the middle of some very busy weeks.

would hate to draw them, with the tough start to the season I don't want the squad to travel far.

Let them get a tough draw. Its their own fault for slacking off at the end of the season. Like the group stages last year. Ended up getting Barca. Shouldn't have happened. They won't learn

I think we have a better chance of winning the Champions League... yes that includes beating barcelona, then we have of winnign the Premier league in my opinion.

However whenever we do well in the champions league i.e 05-06, 08-09 we always start off poorly, or at least do poorly between November and February in the premier league, then once we started doing well in Europe from Ferbruary onwards in those two seasons our league form picked up.

So idealy, we would want to have a decent November-February in the league and avoid Barcelona until the semi finals/ final of the Champions league and we should win both LMAO.

I think we have a better chance of winning the Champions League... yes that includes beating barcelona, then we have of winnign the Premier league in my opinion.

However whenever we do well in the champions league i.e 05-06, 08-09 we always start off poorly, or at least do poorly between November and February in the premier league, then once we started doing well in Europe from Ferbruary onwards in those two seasons our league form picked up.

So idealy, we would want to have a decent November-February in the league and avoid Barcelona until the semi finals/ final of the Champions league and we should win both LMAO.

This goes for every club in the world regarding any cup tournaments.

If I supported any team in that draw I'd want Arsenal. Good time to get them

Thanks for your opinion,but:

If I supported any team in that draw I'd want Arsenal. Good time to get them

Thanks for your opinion,but:

But what? can't see that image

If I supported any team in that draw I'd want Arsenal. Good time to get them

Thanks for your opinion,but:

But what? can't see that image

It was a "This just in...Nobody gives a ****" .
You're even right about what you say,but is it me or you hope to get knocked out from the Champions League?

I'm really not fussed about the champions league next season.

Group stages are rather boring and the knockouts... we'll be out in no time.

It's more for the money aspect, £17.4m for reaching the group stage which is massive. Not that we would spend a penny of it anyway!

Just seen the teams who are looking to qualify through the 'champions' route. They are so much worse than the 10 others competing in the 'league' route: FC Copenhagen, FC BATE, Maccabi Haifa, Dinamo Zagreb, Apoel Nicosia, Wisla Krakow, Sturm Graz, Genk, FC Viktoria Plzen, Malmo. Pretty much all weaker than the 10 clubs we are included with, yet 5 of them will reach the group stages. It's a bit sh!t to consider FC Viktoria Plzen being there instead of us; Chelsea would probably paste them about 12-0 in the first game.

The final is on the 19th May 2012 at Bayern München and 1860 München's Allianz Arena (However for this occasion must be called Fußbal-Arena München as UEFA does not allow sponsorship by companies that are not among its partner organisations).

Uefa are a fvcking bunch of idiots. The majority of the clubs participating in CL would be financially dead without sponsorship by companies and that would clearly affect the quality of the competetion. Such a classless thing to bite the hand that feeds you.

Of course the EPL title is more important to us than the CL, but it doesn't mean the team shouldn't give their best efforts to get as far as possible. No one will be disappointed if we pull off a Liverpool, but it's unlikely.

I will be extremely dissapointed if we fail to qualify for the knock out rounds.

Good to see Odense and Zurich going through.Hopefully we get them tomorrow,as a trip to Russia during the period we face Liverpool and Manure would be a bad thing.

A trip to Russia prior to the away match against United would be a nightmare.

We, the Russians, would love to have Arsenal here. I understand that this trip is not any good for the team though...

I hope that you qualify, draw Barcelona in the group stage for the third year in a row and embaress them at Camp Nou again.

Is the first leg away or home?

We'll find out in about 15 hours.

Rubin would be really terrible indeed. I have no clue what the weather is like there, currently, but last year FC Twente had to go there and it was freezing 15 Celsius.

Twente has lost Janssen, who was their playmaker and by far their best player last year. They still have quite a dangerous attack; Ruiz is a really magnificent winger and they have Janko, a 6'6 striker.
They are a really dangerous team, not in the greatest form yet, but they can pose a real threat. One advantage: they play an attacking game, they will definitely not park a bus in front of their goal.

Udinese has weakened with the loss of a few players, still dangerous team, though; Di Natale is an excellent striker.

Odense and Zurich seem like ideal opponents. Don't know much about those teams, but should be a breeze if we are lucky enough to get them.

Interesting to see who we get. I Predict our start to the season will be harder as we draw kuzan ,love to be wrong though.

I think with the way our luck is going we will draw Kazan.

I would be happy with any of the sides but them. I can see them beating us something silly like 1-0 on aggregate after knicking a 'smash and grab' goal in either leg.

Twente would be the second hardest draw.

Udinese are pretty much a weakened side now.

Someone on twitter earlier said that Odense are a really big, rough team with an average height of 6'1"....

That doesn't really fill me with confidence about facing them either.

Odense are one of the physically stronger teams in Denmark, but their playing style isn't extremely physical and compared to Panathinaikos, who they just sent out of the CL play offs, they were physically weaker. Strength and height wise they're nothing compared to the likes of Stoke, Blackburn, Chelsea etc..

Their main striker is Peter Utaka, a somewhat "round" striker whose look is very deceptive however, as he's actually fairly quick. He has been in a dip of form over the last many months however and their main source of goals is actually the midfielder Hans Henrik Andreasen, who is by many not considered the world's greatest midfielder, but nonetheless scores goals in abundance. As long as we play a few of our stronger players (Song, Djourou, Sagna, Frimpong, Diaby, Chamakh) I think it'd be a pretty even game physically.

They have a newly bought striker at 190cm and a midfielder at 192cm, neither are starters however. Then they have 2 defenders at both 187cm, that's it.

http://www.totals.ilive.ro

From Rubin Kazan to Udinese - the teams that could stand between Arsenal & the Champions League group stage
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2914/cha ... ould-stand

What time is the draw at tomorrow?

What time is the draw at tomorrow?

12PM CET.

Arsenal draw Udinese. 1st leg at the Emirates.


I had a gutsy feeling it would be them.

Arsenal draw Udinese. 1st leg at the Emirates.


I had a gutsy feeling it would be them.

Tricky match this! and with RvP, Nasri, and Wenger suspended, i fear the worst

Good to have A-M back though lol

Full CL playoff draw:

Champions route:

Wisla Krakow v APOEL
Maccabi Haifa v Genk
Dinamo Zagreb v Malmo
FC Copenhagen v Plzen
BATE Borisov v Sturm Graz


League route:

Odense BK v Villarreal
FC Twente v Benfica
Arsenal v Udinese
Bayern Munich v Zurich
Lyon v Rubin Kazan

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