UEFA Champions League Playoffs Draw – LIVEBLOG

1. 11/12/2008 Nate

   suprisingly, I agree with the liverpool prediction. Rafa would absolutely love to take down Real Madrid and he would put his all behind it. However, for us dedicated Liverpool fans who suffered through the painstaking preseason, I would definitely not like to draw Villareal.

   Honestly, I’d like Sporting or Lyon.

   We’ll just have to see.

   Thanks for putting this together.

2. 11/12/2008 Spasticated Manc

   Woop woop i think we will get thrashed by Panathanikos 4-0 in the 2nd round and the mighty POOL will win it.

3. 11/12/2008 Liverpool_Fan

   Bring on Inter or Madrid. Jose vs Benitez or nando and benitez to gun down madrid. Looking at the Inter and Madrid forums they are absoloutley adament not to draw us but i hhope they do because ties like that are what the champions league is all about

4. 11/12/2008 Soccergoalx

   I would like to see Manchester United v Real Madrid. I have wrote my own review about the draw.

   http://www.soccergoalx.com/2008/12/11/uefa-champion-league-second-round-draw-who-vs-who/

5. 12/12/2008 Dave Stopher

   I personally think that this season anyone in the second position has a better chance of progression!!!

6. 12/12/2008 victor

   Any of Barcelona’s possible opponents seem like a Champions league final already. There are a lot of good 2nd placed teams this year. I’m particularly interested in how far Juventus and Bayern will go this year… they were absent from the competition last year and to become group winners is a feat.

7. 12/12/2008 BD Condell

   Despite a lot of the talk going on I don’t believe for a minute that any of the English teams, Barca, Real or Inter would choose to face each other at this stage. Why would you want to run the risk of elimination compared with facing (say) Atletico, Sporting, Porto, Lyon etc.?

   Some funny choices in the article though. Roma would prefer Real to Atletico?
   And why all the Least Wanted slots for Liverpool? Wait and see what difference it makes if they are still in contention in the PL with all the pressure that brings!

8. 12/12/2008 Liverpool_Fan

   I agree Villareal in pre season was painful to watch. Based on form right now Liverpool and Barca are the top teams he cant take a guess at the future he has to do it on current form

9. 12/12/2008 Ahmed Bilal

   @Brain – I don’t trust Pool to do anything in the league, but I do trust them to do the business in Europe as they have in the past few years. Its based on past and current form.

   Roma v Real – they beat them before, plus Real aren’t exactly the hottest ticket right now.

   United for Real – that was put in for fun, I think it would make for a great match and the psychological factor behind it would give United an edge (if there’s one match Ronaldo better perform in, it would be that one). But as someone said via email (will put that article up in a bit), without Rooney a big game like this could be lost just as easily.

10. 12/12/2008 Andrei

    I want to see the Rainieri vs Chelsea draw.. then hope so we have to face Barsa and we will win that match

11. 13/12/2008 Almajiri Leonard Wilson Manchester Fan

    I would like all England Team qualified so as to meet again in the Final but i trust my Team, i want to see Ronaldo, Evra, Rooney, Tevez, Ferdinand and Baban Yaro Anderson and Rahpeal De-silver performing well. Sir use your initiative to carry again. Real Madrid and Inter Milan can never be a stable block to Manchester United.

12. 13/12/2008 Japhet

    I ‘m a die hard realmadrid fan and i will prefer to meet man u in the second round. I knw we will beat them just like old times.

13. 18/12/2008 Telederek

    C’mon Bayern. Show the world the Deutsche Fussball

14. 19/12/2008 k .c

    given the blues form in europe this season i dont think we can survive in this ko phase

15. 19/12/2008 BD Condell

    Huge draw! It’s not beyond the bounds of possibility that ALL 4 EPL teams could go out! Of course a lot depends on form/injuries etc. when the time comes.

    You’d have to say that Arsenal and Chelsea have the easier ties but neither Juve or Roma will be push-overs. Ranieri back to Chelsea will be nostalgic. A true gentleman.

    Liverpool v Real is a huge game. Stuttering from from both at the moment.

    But the pick of the round has to be Inter v Utd. One potential competition winner will bite the dust here! AND the added spice of Mourinho returning to Old Trafford. How long before the mumbling parrot starts to utter his gibberish in the build-up? It has probably started as I write.

    But for those who get through……will anyone fear the winners of:

    Villarreal v Panathinaikos
    Sporting Lisbon v Bayern Munich
    Atletico Madrid v Porto

    in the quarter finals?

    Yes, a real test at this stage for the English teams but get through and they’ll have a very good chance of getting to the semi’s.

16. 19/12/2008 ohene

    these are my predictions:
    A. juventus to qualify.
    B. villarreal to qualify.
    C. bayern munich to qualfy.
    D. atletico madrid to qualify.
    E. barcelona to qualfy.
    F. liverpool to qualify.
    G. roma to qualify.
    H. inter milan to qualify.

    but the finals will be liverpool vs barcelona.
    i will bet my last coin on liverpool to lift the cup again.

17. 19/12/2008 BD Condell

    Really ohene? I’ll gladly take your last coin!

    Very balanced predictions. Kudos.

18. 19/12/2008 Ahmed Bilal

    predictions for these ties should be fun, the results not so much.

19. 19/12/2008 Harasuke

    hahaha…inter vs man utd…champions are going out early it seems

20. 19/12/2008 BD Condell

    Very cryptic Ahmed…meaning??

21. 19/12/2008 Marco Pantanella

    I think he means this time, Man Utd is running a serious risk of not making it past the first playoff round.

    Then again, Inter are well-known European chokers, so…

22. 19/12/2008 Ahmed Bilal

    I mean that there are a lot of potential finals being played in these playoffs, and we’re going to see some big teams go out very early.

    Of course United will wipe the floor with Inter, that’s the last game I’m concerned with.

23. 19/12/2008 De-wise-genius

    Whao! a suprised one.Come next year a tough and interesting match is will be seen.But at Rome in the final FCBarcelona will be the champion(amen)

24. 20/12/2008 Sempre Milan

    i hope ahmed doesnt hate and erase my post but united must be shaking in the nickers u have a coach who has butcherd uniteds midfield chelski and fc porto and far as arsenal oh god either arsenal will hit or miss roma will drop back and wait like always arsenal to expose there back four and make menez look like the second coming of franck ribery this is where technique composure and tactics are valued the most not brute stength or speed chelsea juventus barely beat FC Cluj last game london was about to begin a riot….this the only thing that matters now fellas the big european crown!! lets go to the war as in the movie gladiator…gladiators i salute u!!

25. 21/12/2008 MangoSoup

    i couldnt even read half that paragraph (guy 1 above). Might as well have written blahblahblah 30 times.

    It looks we might actually get an entertaining knockout this year, instead of English domination. I could easily see a semi-final of 1 Italy, 1 Spain, 1 England, 1 Germany/Portugal. Bayern won the lottery that and got Lisbon which every 1 seed wanted. Let’s hope we don’t choke on the christmas present.

26. 21/12/2008 Mr.Galacticos

    Real againts liverpool…. that tough one.. but i think real can handle it…. juande ramos transform the team 360′ but… liverpool seriously good at europe…. last time they meet is at 1982 i think, and M.U will lose againts inter, believe me. Real againts liverpool already look likes a final match…. ><