Topic: UEFA Champions League Discussion Thread - page 841. (Read 129819 times)
7 Days until Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona will be without Araujo. Nowadays Barca is not competent to challenge to any other team! As a Barca fan I will remain positive that they will win. But, I have feeling PSG gonna win the game. We should keep a watch out how it goes this season.
Tuesday 16th February
Barcelona 20:00 Paris Saint-Germain
RB Leipzig 20:00 Liverpool
Barcelona 20:00 Paris Saint-Germain
RB Leipzig 20:00 Liverpool
I want to share my opinions about the first games of 1/8 finals.
Barcelona 20:00 Paris Saint-Germain : For this game, I expect a draw. Each side has a very tight schedule until this game. Each side will have 2 games on Feb 10 and Feb 13 before this game. Barcelona still depend on Messi too much and I've no doubt that he will play a key role in this draw too. But I think PSG are too strong compared to them. I believe that Barcelona can withstand them in Camp Nou.
RB Leipzig 20:00 Liverpool : This game is going to be played in a neutral location, Puskás Aréna. This is a disadvantage for Leipzig. But Liverpool have been too bad for some weeks and they could struggle in this game. So I think that Leipzig can get an advantageous result before going to Anfield.
UEFA has just officially announced:
''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
Yeap good advantage for Liverpool even if closed doors is not so big.
Anyway its almost time, 10 day left!
Tuesday 16th February
Barcelona 20:00 Paris Saint-Germain
RB Leipzig 20:00 Liverpool
Wednesday 17th February
FC Porto 20:00 Juventus
Sevilla 20:00 Borussia Dortmund
Tuesday 23rd February
Atletico Madrid 20:00 Chelsea
Lazio 20:00 Bayern Munich
Wednesday 24th February
Atalanta 20:00 Real Madrid
M'gladbach 20:00 Manchester City
Source: https://www.skysports.com/champions-league-fixtures
Well to be fair, almost any organization or company is concerned about their financial interests. UEFA is not unique here. But some of their decisions remain unclear to me. In addition, we should not forget that it is one of the most corruption organizations in sports. So it's possible that their decision could somehow be influenced.
Of course, financial interests must also be looked at and a company without money does not work. But it is also about trust. Trust that health is not being played with. And in my opinion, that's where it fails.
The BBC has published the official UEFA position on the possibility of postponing the match between Liverpool and Leipzig.
We must support this decision! We are not in a good situation because of the fast spread of Covid-19. To ensure the security of all players and club management, postponing the match may be the best solution for now. There are many things to be considered on pandemic days, we cannot force to hold the match if it will be too risky for all parties and those players of the two clubs (both players of Liverpool and Leipzig).The point is that each country has its own Covid rules and UEFA cannot influence the decisions of the state authorities.
As last season in the Champions League showed, the most important thing for UEFA is that all their competitions somehow end, because of the big money that is at stake here.
The German government's decision to ban matches will not stop the Champions League and other competitions, but only transfer those matches to other countries.
Regardless of all the problems surrounding Covid and border closures, the most important thing for Uefa will always be to protect their financial interests.
Well to be fair, almost any organization or company is concerned about their financial interests. UEFA is not unique here. But some of their decisions remain unclear to me. In addition, we should not forget that it is one of the most corruption organizations in sports. So it's possible that their decision could somehow be influenced.
M'gladbach 20:00 Manchester City
This game is also going to be played in Puskás Aréna like Leipzig-Liverpool game. This means a really big advantage for City. But if it was decided to play in Borussia-Park, I would see City as the absolute favourite team of this game again. There is really a huge power difference. I appreciate Gladbach's performance in the CL so far. But they have a very unlucky draw and I think it is time for them to be eliminated. City are fighting for the championship in the Premier League and I think they can climb to the Semi Finals in the CL at least.
UEFA has just officially announced:
''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
RB Leipzig 20:00 Liverpool''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
I agree that Liverpool are in a very big crisis at the moment but I wouldn't write them off so easily.
Champions League is a completely different competition in which players always give their maximum and are especially motivated.
After losing to Manchester City the Liverpool players know this competition is their last chance and I'm sure they will be particularly motivated and show their best.
It wouldn't be the first time that a club that stands badly in the national championship wins the Champions League.
Liverpool was in this situation a couple of years ago where they had to win at least 1-0 in their home field again Atletico Madrid if I remember correctly and they were fighting only for the Champions League and they couldn't go more than a 0-0 draw so I doubt Liverpool is capable to win the Champions this year.I think Manchester City is better suited to win the Champions as they have fought so far for this without achieving it.Based on their form which is at the top winning every game and beating every opponent they for me are the top contender this year together with a few other teams.
UEFA has just officially announced:
''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
RB Leipzig 20:00 Liverpool''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
I agree that Liverpool are in a very big crisis at the moment but I wouldn't write them off so easily.
Champions League is a completely different competition in which players always give their maximum and are especially motivated.
After losing to Manchester City the Liverpool players know this competition is their last chance and I'm sure they will be particularly motivated and show their best.
It wouldn't be the first time that a club that stands badly in the national championship wins the Champions League.
''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
Does this also mean that their return leg could be on neutral ground as well?Of course not, the return match will be played normally in England, according to the schedule.
Therefore, the question of the regularity of this competition arises, because obviously not all clubs will have equal conditions.
EDIT: Prominent Italian journalist Tancredi Palmeri just posted the exclusive news that the matches between Benfica and Arsenal will be played in Rome, Real Sociedad-Manchester United probably in Turin, Italy, and Atletico-Chelsea in Warsaw, Poland.
Sources: https://twitter.com/tancredipalmeri/status/1358803592010956800
https://twitter.com/tancredipalmeri/status/1358806558130503680
- The participants list would we extended from 32 to 36 teams.
~Snipped~
I liked almost all of the proposed changes apart from this one...~Snipped~
- IMO, other leagues deserve an additional spot as well [it's unfair to only give those spots to teams from England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France].
''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
Does this also mean that their return leg could be on neutral ground as well? UEFA has just officially announced:
''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
RB Leipzig 20:00 Liverpool''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
I agree that Liverpool are in a very big crisis at the moment but I wouldn't write them off so easily.
Champions League is a completely different competition in which players always give their maximum and are especially motivated.
After losing to Manchester City the Liverpool players know this competition is their last chance and I'm sure they will be particularly motivated and show their best.
It wouldn't be the first time that a club that stands badly in the national championship wins the Champions League.
The point is that each country has its own Covid rules and UEFA cannot influence the decisions of the state authorities.
As last season in the Champions League showed, the most important thing for UEFA is that all their competitions somehow end, because of the big money that is at stake here.
The German government's decision to ban matches will not stop the Champions League and other competitions, but only transfer those matches to other countries.
Regardless of all the problems surrounding Covid and border closures, the most important thing for Uefa will always be to protect their financial interests.
I understand both sides, when on the one hand the government is trying to stop the spread of the pandemic, on the other hand, it is understandable UEFA built to protect businesses and jobs. Although I believe that it would be possible to make an exception for the football club itself, while of course requiring thorough testing of all participants. Still, the number of players and staff of a football club is incomparable with the number of fans. As last season in the Champions League showed, the most important thing for UEFA is that all their competitions somehow end, because of the big money that is at stake here.
The German government's decision to ban matches will not stop the Champions League and other competitions, but only transfer those matches to other countries.
Regardless of all the problems surrounding Covid and border closures, the most important thing for Uefa will always be to protect their financial interests.
UEFA has just officially announced:
''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
RB Leipzig 20:00 Liverpool''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
UEFA has just officially announced:
''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
Yeap good advantage for Liverpool even if closed doors is not so big.
Anyway its almost time, 10 day left!
Tuesday 16th February
Barcelona 20:00 Paris Saint-Germain
RB Leipzig 20:00 Liverpool
Wednesday 17th February
FC Porto 20:00 Juventus
Sevilla 20:00 Borussia Dortmund
Tuesday 23rd February
Atletico Madrid 20:00 Chelsea
Lazio 20:00 Bayern Munich
Wednesday 24th February
Atalanta 20:00 Real Madrid
M'gladbach 20:00 Manchester City
Source: https://www.skysports.com/champions-league-fixtures
UEFA has just officially announced:
''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
So, some other possibilities that were mentioned in the media have been dropped and these two clubs are playing in Hungary.
Great news for football fans in Hungary!
Source: https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0266-118507f7b277-e0b239dfd239-1000--uefa-confirms-leipzig-vs-liverpool-venue-change/
''UEFA can confirm that the Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Liverpool will now take place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on 16 February.''
So, some other possibilities that were mentioned in the media have been dropped and these two clubs are playing in Hungary.
Great news for football fans in Hungary!
Source: https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0266-118507f7b277-e0b239dfd239-1000--uefa-confirms-leipzig-vs-liverpool-venue-change/
The BBC has published the official UEFA position on the possibility of postponing the match between Liverpool and Leipzig.
We must support this decision! We are not in a good situation because of the fast spread of Covid-19. To ensure the security of all players and club management, postponing the match may be the best solution for now. There are many things to be considered on pandemic days, we cannot force to hold the match if it will be too risky for all parties and those players of the two clubs (both players of Liverpool and Leipzig).The point is that each country has its own Covid rules and UEFA cannot influence the decisions of the state authorities.
As last season in the Champions League showed, the most important thing for UEFA is that all their competitions somehow end, because of the big money that is at stake here.
The German government's decision to ban matches will not stop the Champions League and other competitions, but only transfer those matches to other countries.
Regardless of all the problems surrounding Covid and border closures, the most important thing for Uefa will always be to protect their financial interests.
Postponing will destabilize the knock out phases and also league ties; because if you postpone a champions league mid week game; it will affect league arrangement. Uefa instead should make the knock out stages a one legged tie, just like last season; it will ease travel burdens amidst the pandemic; and also helps to choose the safest location too.
Considering how hard the current Covid-19 keeps biting hard, it's a great idea and a welcomed one at that but not a lot of people would appreciate that. 2019/2020 UCL was just weird with those one-legged matches. If it has always been a one-legged affair, we wouldn't have gotten the chance to watch that glorious come back by Liverpool against Barcelona in 2018/19 campaign. Being a two-legged affair meant there was a second chance to fight for a comeback. Take that out and teams won't get much chances to redeem themselves.
Teams are not making any profit from fans who will buy tickets to go watch the game in the stadium, that's been like that for the whole year, and there is also obviously merchandise issue as well, most merchandise sales happen on match day but since there is no fans in stands that means merchandise loss as well.
This is exactly why we are going to end up with a lot less money in football for a while as it is, those are the sacrifices, if we do even more that is going to hurt even more people in the end and we should stop all the sacrifices here and not go overboard with it.
Sacrificing a leg for the UCL this season makes sense. Thus the players are not too tired due to the busy schedule. As we know, COVID-19 is spreading so fast. This is indeed the only thing that UEFA have to enforce. When the 2nd leg is eliminated, this means reducing activities that can help players stay fit and avoid COVID-19.
If this continues, it would make sense for this year to invite the last eight or four teams to a location from the quarter or semi-finals and play the matches in a small tournament with just one game (no return leg). There is now news that there is a new virus mutation in Tyrol (Austria) that is said to be even more infectious than the one in England. If so, then the mode intended for the tournament will come as described above. The UEFA European Championship will also be canceled.
In the Bundesliga, Robert Lewandowski has hit 24; can anyone equal that? UEFA.com monitors the highest scorers in the continent's leading domestic leagues and UEFA's most popular club competitions as the season unfolds. Since the start of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League group stages, six players have scored six goals, while Robert Lewandowski is only eight goals removed from the second highest scorer in the top domestic competitions. While Lewandowski is the best scorer, there are others who also slaughter the field like Silva of Frankurt, Mbappe of Paris, Ronaldo of Juventus, Salah of liverpool, Haland of Borussia, Lukaku of Inter, Suarez of Atletico, Immobile of Lazio and Cramaric of Hoffenheim.
You can't rely on one person to carry the whole team. If strikers and wingers can't get in shooting range because creative midfielders aren't passing the ball to them eventually, then what's the point? You also didn't take into consideration that some of these players get a good amount of their goals from penalties (Rolando) or free kicks compared to direct goals (Haaland and Suarez).
postponing is the only one solution
unfortunately we live in very particular times, and we cannot do otherwise (i mean covid)
indeed there are games to keep us company, think if they closed championships and cups, we could watch the games of the past (and it's not a nice thing)
unfortunately we live in very particular times, and we cannot do otherwise (i mean covid)
indeed there are games to keep us company, think if they closed championships and cups, we could watch the games of the past (and it's not a nice thing)
Postponing will destabilize the knock out phases and also league ties; because if you postpone a champions league mid week game; it will affect league arrangement. Uefa instead should make the knock out stages a one legged tie, just like last season; it will ease travel burdens amidst the pandemic; and also helps to choose the safest location too.
As much as I would like the Liverpool match with RB Leipzig postponed while we are still in terrible form, it's likely not going to happen. A one-leg tie will actually be better for Leipzig in the short term cause they have a better chance of scoring.
I feel like most visiting teams i.e. everyone who finished second in their groups have even worse odds of advancing except for Barcelona and Leipzig.
Ok let's start having fun again with the forthcoming Champions League Round of 16. Liverpool is getting better and better lately and I think they will win the first game away with Leipzig.
This will be one of the delightful draws in this round. Both sides have played strong in the Champions League games. But I think it is obvious that Liverpool are the absolute favorite team in the draw. Besides, Leipzig have a very big disadvantage. Because the first game isn't going to be in their home stadium. It is going to be played in a neutral location. The second game is going to be in Liverpool's home stadium. Hence, I think Liverpool can defeat them in both games and advance to the Quarter Final.
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