Champions League Quarter Final

[soccer365-old]

Looking at the other teams left in the CL you have to say that there isn't an easy draw. All of the teams look tough.

AC Milan - Tied for 1st in the Italian League;
Chelsea - 1st in the EPL
Bayern Munich - 1st in the Bundesliga
Juventus - Tied for 1st in the Italian League
Inter Milan - Only one loss in the Italian League this season.
Lyon - 1st in Ligue 1.
PSV - 1st in the Dutch league.
Porto - Portugese Champions.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE STATS

Goals Scored per game/ total

1) Lyon 3.38 27
2) Internazionale 2.14 15
3) Bayern 1.88 15
4) Chelsea 1.88 15
5) Liverpool 1.5 12
6) Milan 1.5 12
7) PSV 1.13 9
8) Juventus 1 8
9) Porto 0.71 5

Goals Conceded per game /total

9) Lyon 1.25 10
8) Porto 1 7
7) Bayern 0.88 7
6) Chelsea 0.88 7
5) PSV 0.88 7
4) Liverpool 0.63 5
3) Internazionale 0.57 4
2) Milan 0.38 3
1) Juventus 0.25 2

[Matt Clark]

Nice job on the stats. If you're looking at it in that empirical fashion, then it's got to be Lyon. Because whilst they know their way to goal, they are the most likely to concede - which, in a home-and-away set-up is crucial. It would be interesting to see how many of those 10 goals they have conceded were scored at their place.

Thinking about it less factually, you'd still have to go with Lyon or PSV for the simple reason that they don't play in as habitually competitive an environment as the others. Without wishing to disrespect either the Eredivisie or the Championat, I think most neutral observers would agree that those are the weakesst of the domestic leagues represented in the quarter-finals. Porto could also be included on that basis, but if Liverpool have to face anyone, I would prefer it not to be a team that has the recent taste of glory and an Iberian team at that - we play better against Northern European opponents - always have done. Well, except if their southern Europeans called AS Roma. :D

Nah, let's get PSV in the next round for a tough, hard set of matches against good opposition and then (assuming progress for the purposes of this discussion) let's get Chelsea in the semi's.

[royalstilton]

Porto could also be included on that basis, but if Liverpool have to face anyone, I would prefer it not to be a team that has the recent taste of glory and an Iberian team at that.

Nah, let's get PSV in the next round for a tough, hard set of matches against good opposition and then (assuming progress for the purposes of this discussion) let's get Chelsea in the semi's.
---
looking at these stats on the surface, it is pretty clear that FC Porto is the most favorable opponent, based on the fact that they score the least and concede the most. i think they are the only team with a negative goal differential. how could they have done this? the only problem is that Porto may not pass thru.

when you look at Lyon, you are seeing a team that has scored far more goals per game in CL play than Le Championnat. this largely has to do with the last series with Werder Bremen, where they scored 10. and they defeated Sparta 5-0. this is very uncharacteristic. they have scored less than 1.5 goals in Le Championnat, and they were held to 0-0 draws away to both Bordeaux and PSG.

PSV Eindhoven has a scary goals per game average in the Eredivisie. almost 2.5.

[usscouse]

Stats have never won a championship. Who want's to dig out stats from last years surprise winners. Stats for league places more than often work out. Stats for cup games....well, who did Liverpool lose to in the FA cup and how did those stats work out...?

No, stats are for baseball fans with absolutely nothing else to do between eating hot dogs, pretzels and drinking buckets of cola. (Mmm! hot dogs)

I personally but not realistically want a Liverpool Chelsea final. (With us winning of course.:))
One, because of the rantings of some silly people who think that their respective crappy leagues are superior and are vocal about it.
Two, because I would like it...a lot.

Mind you, I would like to retire and buy a 40 foot sail boat...a lot.

[655321]

No, stats are for baseball fans with absolutely nothing else to do between eating hot dogs, pretzels and drinking buckets of cola...

April 5th can't come soon enough...

I'm going with Lyon simply because, as Matt said, it's a less "competitive enviroment".

[TruReds]

As much as I would like to see Liverpool to beat Chelsea, but realistically I wouldn't want to face them at this stage. Barring the outcome of Inter v Porto, all quarterfinals teams except Liverpool are top/joint top of their respective leagues. It's gonna be real tough from now on. Hence, it's important but also very much dependent on luck for us to be drawn against a less confident team with comparatively less capabilities.

Personally I'll fancy PSV as our QF opponents as this is only their first foray beyond quarterfinals. Although they are at the top of Dutch Eredivisie but they are lacking experience in this tournament. On the other hand, after surprisingly well results over Leverkusen, our ever confident squad led by mercurial players like Gerrard and Garcia might just tilt the advantage to our side.

[Matt Clark]

The Chelsea thing is an interesting one. On the one hand it would be good to get them and beat them - we've played them three times this season, been as good or better every time and lost by a single sodding goal every time. Dues.

However, I think it bears remembering that our best performances against top class opponents this season have come in Europe. Clearly Rafa still feels more intrinsically and automatically at home there ... so a match-up against Chelsea could well be the least advantageous scenario, given that what we would end up is basically home and away Premiership matches.

Overall, I think we might as well just take whoever. We can beat anyone on our day and with away goals being the factor that they are, that could be decisive.

So I say bring on who-the-********-ever.

[liverbird]

Overall, I think we might as well just take whoever. We can beat anyone on our day and with away goals being the factor that they are, that could be decisive.

So I say bring on who-the-********-ever.

As ever, took the words straight out of my mouth! :D

[quentinc]

This is the CL, so no matter who you play, that team is going to be very good. I'm not going to fret too much over who we play.

On another note, when is the draw?

[liverbird]

This is the CL, so no matter who you play, that team is going to be very good. I'm not going to fret too much over who we play.

On another note, when is the draw?

I think next Thursday -- after the Inter-Porto match.

[TruReds]

I think next Thursday -- after the Inter-Porto match.

Should be Friday, after UEFA Cup postponed game Steaua v Villarreal.

[ise_bashis]

anyone but Milan...

i gave it some thought and this is how i want it to be:

Inter beats porto

and the tie will look like this:

chelsea vs lyon
Milan vs Inter
Juve vs bayern
liverpool vs psv (i think psv will be the easiest tie)

then the next round

lyon vs milan
liverpool vs Juve

Final:
Milan vs Liverpool

[Rafalution]

you cant underestimate Lyon or PSV. Lyon are the suprise package and work well as a team, whilst PSV are solid at the back and can score goals. I'd rather play Chelsea. We've been narrowly beaten and robbed 3 times and I reckon over two legs we'd have a great chance on gettin some revenge

[ULL NEVER WALK ALONE]

you cant underestimate Lyon or PSV. Lyon are the suprise package and work well as a team, whilst PSV are solid at the back and can score goals. I'd rather play Chelsea. We've been narrowly beaten and robbed 3 times and I reckon over two legs we'd have a great chance on gettin some revenge
I agree ,lyon and PSV are as good as juventus or bayern,but we would all fancy PSV over Juventus,wouldnt we???

I would love to play PSV now,and then play chelsea in the semis!

YNWA

[soccer365-old]

If we face PSV then Van Bommel vs Gerrard should be an interesting battle in the midfield. To me Lyon mirror last years Porto, in that I expect half of that squad to be elsewhere this summer. They have some fabulous talent and Juninho is a beast when it comes to taking free-kicks.

[NC RED]

I dont know why we wouldnt want Porto. The goals thing aside which is in or favor. Didnt they lose a bunch of stars and off course that pain in the arse mgr.

I think the odds of Porto to keep advancing is a long shot. At some point their bubble must burst. Might as well be the Reds to do it.

[ULL NEVER WALK ALONE]

I dont know why we wouldnt want Porto. The goals thing aside which is in or favor. Didnt they lose a bunch of stars and off course that pain in the arse mgr.

I think the odds of Porto to keep advancing is a long shot. At some point their bubble must burst. Might as well be the Reds to do it.
Dude ,oviously we all want porto in the next round,but realy,what are the odds of porto beating Inter in Italy?

[soccer365-old]

After seeing Adriano's brilliant hat-trick against Porto I definately wouldn't want to face him in the next round.

[ScouseCat]

anyone but Milan...

i gave it some thought and this is how i want it to be:

Inter beats porto

and the tie will look like this:

chelsea vs lyon
Milan vs Inter
Juve vs bayern
liverpool vs psv (i think psv will be the easiest tie)

then the next round

lyon vs milan
liverpool vs Juve

Final:
Milan vs Liverpool
And of course Liverpool coming out on top in the final. :D

[ULL NEVER WALK ALONE]

PEOPLE;PEOPLE;wake up!!!!!HHEELLLLOO!!
did anyone forgot the draw is tomorrow!?i realy do hope that we get PSV and that in the next round we meet chelsea!