Champions League - 2016/17

[RichieS]

It looks like we are going to be 3rd seeds in the Group Stages of the Champions League.
With 15 clubs so far above us in the UEFA coefficients out of the definite group contenders (These include Leicester and CSKA Moscow who although with lower coefficients, will be top seeds as Champions of the 7 top countries).
Only if Man City, Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto all fail to qualify from the Play-offs (Shakhtar start in the 3rd Qualifying Round) will allow us into the 2nd Pot!!
So, since Leicester cannot be drawn with us in the same group, preferable for our group seeders would be CSKA Moscow!

TOP SEEDS: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Leicester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Benfica, PSG and CSKA Moscow.
DEFINITELY IN SECOND POT: Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Arsenal, Dortmund and Napoli
PROVISIONALLY IN SECOND POT: Leverkusen, Basel and Spurs
IN SECOND POT IF THEY QUALIFY FROM PREVIOUS ROUNDS: Man City, Porto, Shakhtar (provided one of the other two fail to qualify)

Do we have a lower ranking than both Basel and Leverkusen then? I'd take:

CSKA/Benfica
Leverkusen/Basel/Napoli
Spurs
Whoever

as a group. But then, being in a "Group of Death" would be quite fun in terms of seeing us up against the very best.

 

[Saoirse]

Do we have a lower ranking than both Basel and Leverkusen then? I'd take:

CSKA/Benfica
Leverkusen/Basel/Napoli
Spurs
Whoever

as a group. But then, being in a "Group of Death" would be quite fun in terms of seeing us up against the very best.

Yep - years of mediocre Europa performances are going to bite us in the bum. The new system of putting the winners of the biggest leagues into Pot 1 doesn't help, and neither does teams from lower-ranked countries who perrenially qualify actually doing well (such as Shakhtar Donetsk). Had they won the Europa final, Liverpool would've only marginally been a Pot 3 team these days - they'd have been a fraction of a coefficient point away from Pot 4.

 

[Saoirse]

In terms of a potentially fun away tie, there's been a huge result for Irish football tonight as Dundalk beat Bate Borisov 3-0 to make it through to the Playoff. Means they're just one tie away from becoming the first ever Irish side to play in the group stage, and at a minimum are in the Europa League.

 

[Dundalk_Spur]

In terms of a potentially fun away tie, there's been a huge result for Irish football tonight as Dundalk beat Bate Borisov 3-0 to make it through to the Playoff. Means they're just one tie away from becoming the first ever Irish side to play in the group stage, and at a minimum are in the Europa League.

Yeah I am almost in tears here, stuck in Cambridge watching on a dodgy stream, so proud of the boys.

I am still dreaming of a Spurs v Dundalk tie!!!!

Come on you Lilywhites!!! * Yes we both have the same nickname

 

[EQP]

Yeah I am almost in tears here, stuck in Cambridge watching on a dodgy stream, so proud of the boys.

I am still dreaming of a Spurs v Dundalk tie!!!!

Come on you Lilywhites!!! * Yes we both have the same nickname

Good luck!!!

 

[spurs mental]

Absolutely unbelievable by Dundalk.

Kenny is really a very good manager. They are a strong team and even if they don't make it to the CL, they are guaranteed a Europa spot and they will do well there. A match for anyone.

I grew up playing football with their left back Dane Massey as well. And worked for his father and older brother for 4 years. So got close ties to them so absolutely delighted not only for the family but for Dundalk as a club.

Great advert for the LOI.

 

[Dundalk_Spur]

Absolutely unbelievable by Dundalk.

Kenny is really a very good manager. They are a strong team and even if they don't make it to the CL, they are guaranteed a Europa spot and they will do well there. A match for anyone.

I grew up playing football with their left back Dane Massey as well. And worked for his father and older brother for 4 years. So got close ties to them so absolutely delighted not only for the family but for Dundalk as a club.

Great advert for the LOI.

Dane is the best left back in the country, Martin O'Neill has been considering him for the national team, which would be huge.

In the right back role we have Sean Gannon, our very own white Cafu

Unfortunately I can see them both making a move to England soon along with Daryl Horgan who are head and shoulders above the rest in the league.

 

[spurs mental]

Dane is the best left back in the country, Martin O'Neill has been considering him for the national team, which would be huge.

In the right back role we have Sean Gannon, our very own white Cafu

Unfortunately I can see them both making a move to England soon along with Daryl Horgan who are head and shoulders above the rest in the league.

I always remember Dane being the best player by miles when we were younger. He used to walk the ball into the net in training and carried us in games but you never think when you are that age that someone will make it because there was always someone of that ilk in underage football.

But he's done really well for himself and I'm very happy for him. He's such a nice fella and very down to earth.

 

[Indacupfortottenham]

TEAMS TO ENTER IN GROUP STAGE

Seeded Pot 1: Real Madrid (holders), Barcelona, Leicester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Benfica, PSG, CSKA Moscow

Pot 2: Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Sevilla, Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen

Pot 3: Olympiakos, Dynamo Kiev, Lyon

Pot 4: Besiktas

Pot to be determined: FC Basel, Tottenham Hotspur, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, Club Brugge

 

[SurreySpur82]

Roma and Monaco both unseeded in the playoff round so it won't necessarily be a walk in the park for Man City and Porto. Still pot 3 looking most likely.

 

[Saoirse]

Roma and Monaco both unseeded in the playoff round so it won't necessarily be a walk in the park for Man City and Porto. Still pot 3 looking most likely.

Rostov will be interesting as well. David Bentley played there after leaving us and it sounds like a rather forboding place. Just in terms of footballing quality City and Porto should be fine there, but even Russian teams seem to struggle going to it so it won't be a fun away trip. As an added bonus for us it'd be fairly disruptive to City for whoever they play in the next game in the league.

 

[Graysonti]

Got a feeling we will get Barca/BM

 

[Lighty64]

really hope we get Barca, and then 2 easier teams, would hate to face them in the last 16

 

[Gedi]

really hope we get Barca, and then 2 easier teams, would hate to face them in the last 16

Well at least if we get Barca or Real we can't get Atletico or Sevilla as well. Similarly if we get Bayern we avoid Dortmund.

 

[spurs mental]

Having got my tickets I can't fucking wait for the draw now.

 

[Grey Fox]

Well at least if we get Barca or Real we can't get Atletico or Sevilla as well. Similarly if we get Bayern we avoid Dortmund.[/QUO

Having got my tickets I can't fucking wait for the draw now.

When is the draw?

 

[JAYSTAR]

Yes, play off draw today:

http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=2394111.html#teams champions league play draw

Apparently, being shown live on Uefa.com only

 

[KingKay]

Group stage draw;

Thursday 25th August

 

[Chris Flynn]

You know we'll end up getting CSKA. We always seem to have to play teams from eastern europe

 

[mightyspur]

I can't work out if Leicester being seeded in pot 1 is laughable, or actually good