Liverpool Champions League Draw

[liverbird]

The draw will be announced today at 2:30 GMT --- that's 9:30 here in EDT and at breakfast for 655321 and USScouse. Discuss here.

[Shiftee]

It would be great to get Bayern Munich as the top seed in our group. Not only are they by far the weakest of the top seeds, but it would also mean we couldnt draw Werder Bremen, who is by far the strongest of the lowest seeds.

[SuperElf]

The draw will be announced today at 2:30 GMT --- that's 9:30 here in EDT and at breakfast for 655321 and USScouse. Discuss here.We're in pot 2, so I think it's pretty obvious that the most important part of the draw is which pot 3 team we end up with. We ought to take 4 or 6 points off of the pot 4 team, and I'd be happy with 1-3 out of the pot 1 club. Obviously I'd love to see Celtic, after the pre-season debacle. I think Anderlecht or PSG would be nice as well. Thoughts?

FYI:

Pot 1
1 FC Porto (POR) Title-holders 99.969
2 Real Madrid CF (ESP) 146.350
3 Valencia CF (ESP) 139.350
4 FC Barcelona (ESP) 134.350
5 Manchester United FC (ENG) 119.511
6 FC Bayern München (GER) 105.331
7 RC Deportivo La Coruña (ESP) 104.350
8 Arsenal FC (ENG) 103.511

Pot 2
9 AC Milan (ITA) 93.531
10 Liverpool FC (ENG) 90.511
11 Juventus FC (ITA) 84.531
12 FC Internazionale (ITA) 82.531
13 AS Roma (ITA) 78.531
14 Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) 70.947
15 Chelsea FC (ENG) 67.511
16 Panathinaikos FC (GRE) 65.467

Pot 3
17 PSV Eindhoven (HOL) 65.247
18 Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) 62.331
19 Celtic FC (SCO) 60.600
20 AC Sparta Praha (CZE) 54.914
21 AS Monaco FC (FRA) 51.947
22 RSC Anderlecht (BEL) 49.528
23 AFC Ajax (HOL) 48.247
24 Paris Saint-Germain FC (FRA) 45.947

Pot 4
25 Rosenborg BK (NOR) 42.226
26 FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) 41.300
27 Olympiacos CFP (GRE) 40.467
28 Werder Bremen (GER) 37.331
29 FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) 17.300
30 Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) 16.656
31 Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR) 14.012
32 PFC CSKA Moskva (RUS) 8.572

[Suss]

The key teams to avoid are Ajax from pot 3, and Fenerbache or Bremen from part 4. I could see Ajax going really far in the champions league this year. They kept their entire team from last year. Getting the German champs from Pot 4 would be really tough, and I would hate for Liverpool to have to go to Turkey and play a very good Fenerbache team. The team from Pot 1 does really matter since we are not expected to finish ahead of them anyway. Bayern would probably be the easiest but Real Madrid would be the most interesting.

BTW, its exciting to be in the Champions League again.

[SuperElf]

BTW, its exciting to be in the Champions League again.Nod.

Who knows, maybe I'll even spring for one of those hot CL shirts with the yellow lettering . . .

[tomvandamn]

bayern the easiest lol

since milan is in the second group like liverpool im hoping for either
porto or depor

bayern is very deep this season you dont want them

[Suss]

bayern the easiest lol

since milan is in the second group like liverpool im hoping for either
porto or depor

bayern is very deep this season you dont want them

Compared to the other 6 teams we could draw, I would take Bayern. Either Bayern or Depor. But there is no way I would want to play Madrid, Valencia, or Barca, and Porto are the defending champs.

[SuperElf]

Apparently, the fun starts at 10 eastern.

Another funny from the Guardian guy: "2.35pm: Come on, you know the drill by now: at 3pm Uefa suits will waddle on the stage and waffle about botherhood of man for 10 minutes. Then, in doublequicktime, the draw will take place. What's the betting Manchester United get Panathinaikos, Sparta Prague and Rosenberg?"

[augie]

I have the "flash" video up from the UEFA web site, but there's none of the groups being filled up as of yet.

They must still be introducing dignitaries. :confused:

[tomvandamn]

Compared to the other 6 teams we could draw, I would take Bayern. Either Bayern or Depor. But there is no way I would want to play Madrid, Valencia, or Barca, and Porto are the defending champs.


porto doesnt have carvalho and ferreira nor mourinho and deco
sure they added quaresma and diego
but they just arent that dangerous as the other teams are in group1
plus i think they used all their luck up in last years cl especially that scholes disallowed goal

bayern---solid keeper,,they upgraded their defence lucio
midfield----ballack,frings,deisler,ze roberto,salihamidzic
the youngster schwansteger
makaay

[Lanky134]

I have the "flash" video up from the UEFA web site, but there's none of the groups being filled up as of yet.

They must still be introducing dignitaries. :confused:
The draw starts at 10:00.

[SuperElf]

Guardian guy - "3.05pm: Lennart's speech comes to an end, and one of Uefa's traditional - and silly - montages gets underway. Basically it involves pre-pubescent boys wearing kits of all the 32 teams walking on the stage, to the accompaniment of flash graphics and a choir. You're not missing much, honest."

Why can't they just take all the extra money it costs to put that crap on, and give it the clubs? Or help cure cancer? Or buy me some beer?

[Dr. Wankler]

How many friggin' dignataries are there? Do they all get to make speeches?

[Lanky134]

Why can't they just take all the extra money it costs to put that crap on, and give it the clubs? Or help cure cancer? Or buy me some beer?

http://images.forbes.com/images/2002/09/13/gordon.jpg

[Dr. Wankler]

Quoth the Guardian...

3.13pm: Uefa certainly know how to drag things out. Lars-Christer Olsson is currently explaining the draw and how TV obligations, the lunar cycle, etc, etc will impact on it. God, he's taking ages. But Michel Plantini is out on stage, ready to draw the balls....

[SuperElf]

Pot A teams all drawn. Let's see when we pop up in B . . .

[Flying Weasel]

Group A
Deportivo (Pot 1)
Liverpool (Pot 2)

[augie]

We get Deportivo!

[SuperElf]

We get Deportivo in Group A.

[Shiftee]

Its Depor. Lets pay em back for Shelbourne.