Champions League Revamp.

[Viola Star]

Mock Draw 2007/2008
76 Cl entrants (52 champions/24 non-champions)

Round 1 (two legs)
*champions from 24 countries with lowest co-efficients.
Hb v Rustavi
SK Tirana v Sarajevo
FH v Khazar
Astana v Ventspils
Derry v Bate
Kaunas v Sheriff
Pobeda v Marsxlokk
Linfield v Dudelange
Tampere v Pyunik
Zeta v Murata
Tallinn v Domzale
Rangers of Andorra v New Saints

Round 2
*24 non-champions v 24 champions with lowest league coefficients.
* Non-champions must play one-legged tie away against champions.
* Non-champions in CAPS.

FC Copenhagen v SPARTAK
Dinamo Zagreb v AEK
Ventspils v BESIKTAS
Zaglebie v SLAVIA PRAGUE
Levski v CHELSEA
Linfield v LIVERPOOL
SK Tirana v AJAX
Rustavi v STEAUA BUCHAREST
Debrecen v BARCELONA
fh v LAZIO
Beitar v SHAKHTAR
Derry v WERDER BREMEN
Kaunas v SPORTING
Marsxlokk v SEVILLA
Nicosia v GENK
Pyunik v ARSENAL
Murata v VALENCIA
Ziline v BENFICA
Red Star v RANGERS
Zilina v SCHALKE
Elfsborg v MILAN
Salzburg v ROMA
Rosenborg v TOULOUSE
New Saints v MARSEILLE

Note: Losers go into UEFA Cup.

Round 3: Group Stage
*16 champions from the countries with the highest league coefficients are seeded and drawn randomly and evenly into 8 groups.
*Teams from the same country are separated.
* 4 games are played with home advantage being determined on league placing. Example:
1. Champions (4 home)
2. Champions (3 home)
3. Runners-up(2 home)
4. Third Place(1 home)
5. Fourth Place(0 home)
*Non-champions in CAPS.
* denotes seed.
A
Anderlecht* 4 home
Man Utd* 3 home 1 away
FC Copenhagen 2 home 2 away
SPARTAK 1 home 3 away
LAZIO 4 away
B
Sparta Prague* 4 home
Lyon* 3 home 1 away
SLAVIA PRAGUE 2 home 2 away
BREMEN 1 home 3 away
LIVERPOOL 4 away
C
PSV* 4 home
Stuttgart* 3 home 1 away
STEAUA BUCHAREST 2 home 2 away
SPORTING 1 home 3 away
SEVILLA 4 away
D
Inter* 4 home
Olympiakos* 3 home 1 away
CHELSEA 2 home 2 away
SHAKHTAR 1 home 3 away
TOULOUSE 4 away
E
FC Zurich* 4 home
Cska * 3 home 1 away
GENK 2 home 2 away
BENFICA 1 home 3 away
ARSENAL 4 away
F
Porto* 4 home
Dinamo Buch* 3 home 1 away
ROMA 2 home 2 away
AJAX 1 home 3 away
VALENCIA 4 away
G
Celtic* 4 home
Madrid* 3 home 1 away
Red Star 2 home 2 away
SCHALKE 1 home 3 away
MILAN 4 away
H
Kiev* 4 home
Fenerbahce* 3 home 1 away
BARCELONA 2 home 2 away
AEK 1 home 3 away
MARSEILLE 4 away

Note: 3rd placed teams go into UEFA Cup.

Round 4: Last 16
*1st placed clubs drawn against 2nd placed clubs as usual.
*Teams from the same country are separated.
*Champions have home advantage in one-legged ties against non-champions.
*Champions v champions over 2 legs.
* Non-champions in CAPS.
Man utd v Stuttgart
FC Copenhagen v CHELSEA
Lyon v BARCELONA
Psv v LIVERPOOL
Inter v Fenerbahce
Real Madrid v ROMA
Celtic v BENFICA
Porto v CSKA
QF
Man Utd v CHELSEA
Lyon v ROMA
Porto v LIVERPOOL
Celtic v Inter
SF
*Both semi-finals are two-legged ties.
Man Utd v Roma
Porto v Celtic
F
Man Utd v Porto

Thoughts?

[cthomer5000]

without a level playing field (home games) how would a team/country every realistically hope to improve their coeffecient and standing in this tournament?

[johan neeskens]

Exactly.

My local newspaper today headlines on the sports pages:

"Champions league? Yawn"

The 16 clubs that qualified for the next stage include 9 of the 10 richest clubs in the world (the only top 10 rich club that didn't make it is Milan). It's getting more and more predictable and what's worse is that it seems set up to get even more predictable.

[Belgian guy]

Boring is what it is. I haven't even watched all Barca CL games this year, let alone any others. Wake me up when the knock-out stages start.

[comme]

Exactly.

My local newspaper today headlines on the sports pages:

"Champions league? Yawn"

The 16 clubs that qualified for the next stage include 9 of the 10 richest clubs in the world (the only top 10 rich club that didn't make it is Milan). It's getting more and more predictable and what's worse is that it seems set up to get even more predictable.

You don't think that the Dutch reaction might have been shaped by their poor showing this year, or the fact that PSV were the highest seeded team not to make it through, or that the finished bottom of their group.

This season actually had quite a few interesting games and groups, including some great showings from the minnows.

[Belgian guy]

And how many of those minnows had anything to show for those performances?

[zippy85]

Nobody wants to watch the minnows though, all they do is defend and make it a bad game to watch.

[comme]

And how many of those minnows had anything to show for those performances?

One. Aalborg.

But ultimately that's not the point is it?

Only 16 teams make it through, only 8 make it to the UEFA Cup. Those numbers are a constant every year. What does matter is how exciting the football is on the way to finding those teams.

I actually felt inspired to blog for the first time on how those minnows did.

[goliath74]

Mock Draw 2007/2008
76 Cl entrants (52 champions/24 non-champions)

Round 1 (two legs)
*champions from 24 countries with lowest co-efficients.
Hb v Rustavi
SK Tirana v Sarajevo
FH v Khazar
Astana v Ventspils
Derry v Bate
Kaunas v Sheriff
Pobeda v Marsxlokk
Linfield v Dudelange
Tampere v Pyunik
Zeta v Murata
Tallinn v Domzale
Rangers of Andorra v New Saints

Round 2
*24 non-champions v 24 champions with lowest league coefficients.
* Non-champions must play one-legged tie away against champions.
* Non-champions in CAPS.

FC Copenhagen v SPARTAK
Dinamo Zagreb v AEK
Ventspils v BESIKTAS
Zaglebie v SLAVIA PRAGUE
Levski v CHELSEA
Linfield v LIVERPOOL
SK Tirana v AJAX
Rustavi v STEAUA BUCHAREST
Debrecen v BARCELONA
fh v LAZIO
Beitar v SHAKHTAR
Derry v WERDER BREMEN
Kaunas v SPORTING
Marsxlokk v SEVILLA
Nicosia v GENK
Pyunik v ARSENAL
Murata v VALENCIA
Ziline v BENFICA
Red Star v RANGERS
Zilina v SCHALKE
Elfsborg v MILAN
Salzburg v ROMA
Rosenborg v TOULOUSE
New Saints v MARSEILLE

Note: Losers go into UEFA Cup.

Round 3: Group Stage
*16 champions from the countries with the highest league coefficients are seeded and drawn randomly and evenly into 8 groups.
*Teams from the same country are separated.
* 4 games are played with home advantage being determined on league placing. Example:
1. Champions (4 home)
2. Champions (3 home)
3. Runners-up(2 home)
4. Third Place(1 home)
5. Fourth Place(0 home)
*Non-champions in CAPS.
* denotes seed.
A
Anderlecht* 4 home
Man Utd* 3 home 1 away
FC Copenhagen 2 home 2 away
SPARTAK 1 home 3 away
LAZIO 4 away
B
Sparta Prague* 4 home
Lyon* 3 home 1 away
SLAVIA PRAGUE 2 home 2 away
BREMEN 1 home 3 away
LIVERPOOL 4 away
C
PSV* 4 home
Stuttgart* 3 home 1 away
STEAUA BUCHAREST 2 home 2 away
SPORTING 1 home 3 away
SEVILLA 4 away
D
Inter* 4 home
Olympiakos* 3 home 1 away
CHELSEA 2 home 2 away
SHAKHTAR 1 home 3 away
TOULOUSE 4 away
E
FC Zurich* 4 home
Cska * 3 home 1 away
GENK 2 home 2 away
BENFICA 1 home 3 away
ARSENAL 4 away
F
Porto* 4 home
Dinamo Buch* 3 home 1 away
ROMA 2 home 2 away
AJAX 1 home 3 away
VALENCIA 4 away
G
Celtic* 4 home
Madrid* 3 home 1 away
Red Star 2 home 2 away
SCHALKE 1 home 3 away
MILAN 4 away
H
Kiev* 4 home
Fenerbahce* 3 home 1 away
BARCELONA 2 home 2 away
AEK 1 home 3 away
MARSEILLE 4 away

Note: 3rd placed teams go into UEFA Cup.

Round 4: Last 16
*1st placed clubs drawn against 2nd placed clubs as usual.
*Teams from the same country are separated.
*Champions have home advantage in one-legged ties against non-champions.
*Champions v champions over 2 legs.
* Non-champions in CAPS.
Man utd v Stuttgart
FC Copenhagen v CHELSEA
Lyon v BARCELONA
Psv v LIVERPOOL
Inter v Fenerbahce
Real Madrid v ROMA
Celtic v BENFICA
Porto v CSKA
QF
Man Utd v CHELSEA
Lyon v ROMA
Porto v LIVERPOOL
Celtic v Inter
SF
*Both semi-finals are two-legged ties.
Man Utd v Roma
Porto v Celtic
F
Man Utd v Porto

Thoughts?

Silly at the best. You have totally disregarded fairness of the sports. Just because a team holds a lower league position and coefficient is not reason enough to give them fewer home games. The principle of fair play demands equal opportunity at each level.

P.S. Are Dynamo playing Fenerbahce at home in Group H, like they did yesterday?

[comme]

Nobody wants to watch the minnows though, all they do is defend and make it a bad game to watch.

Like Aalborg last night? Or when they played Villarreal? Or when Anorthosis played Inter at home? Or when Cluj went to Roma? Or when BATE played Juventus?

If you don't want to watch the minnows because you don't know their players, then fine, but don't write them off as boring if you haven't watched them play.

[johan neeskens]

You don't think that the Dutch reaction might have been shaped by their poor showing this year, or the fact that PSV were the highest seeded team not to make it through, or that the finished bottom of their group.

This season actually had quite a few interesting games and groups, including some great showings from the minnows.

This is a local Dutch paper - hardly likely to take an interest in Ajax or PSV's CL achievements, not 10 years ago and not now either, and realistic enough to know that local club Twente won't ever be in it.

Look Comme I know you don't like to hear this but it is a fact that the CL is very heavily criticised in countries outside the top leagues - and even within those top leagues. A growing number of people just can't be bothered with it anymore, it's got to be too cynical. This isn't a problem for you personally but it is a problem for UEFA.

[johan neeskens]

And how many of those minnows had anything to show for those performances?

Exactly. No non-seeded minnow will ever survive a CL qualification and group stage set-up. Which makes you wonder why UEFA bother with it all in the first place.

[BocaFan]

Like Aalborg last night? Or when they played Villarreal? Or when Anorthosis played Inter at home? Or when Cluj went to Roma? Or when BATE played Juventus?


I wouldn't read too much into the results of Matchday Six. Most of the top teams in Europe treated them as friendlies.

The other posters are right. The group-stage was extremely boring and predictable, apart from perhaps 6-8 matches out of the 96 that were played. I don't think there was a single surprise when you look at the two teams advancing in each group. Not even a mild surprise. But that's not even the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that we all knew there would be no surprises before matchday 1.

[zippy85]

This is a local Dutch paper - hardly likely to take an interest in Ajax or PSV's CL achievements, not 10 years ago and not now either, and realistic enough to know that local club Twente won't ever be in it.

Look Comme I know you don't like to hear this but it is a fact that the CL is very heavily criticised in countries outside the top leagues - and even within those top leagues. A growing number of people just can't be bothered with it anymore, it's got to be too cynical. This isn't a problem for you personally but it is a problem for UEFA.
No its just you and Belgian fan, ofcourse it will be disliked in Holland because Dutch clubs have been a disaster in it for a long time, if you don't like it then stop constantly talking about it.

[johan neeskens]

I wouldn't read too much into the results of Matchday Six. Most of the top teams in Europe treated them as friendlies.

The other posters are right. The group-stage was extremely boring and predictable, apart from perhaps 6-8 matches out of the 96 that were played. I don't think there was a single surprise when you look at the two teams advancing in each group. Not even a mild surprise. But that's not even the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that we all knew there would be no surprises before matchday 1.

The whole tournament seems to be designed specifically to minimise the risk of upsets. Make rich clubs richer, that seems to be the target of it all.

[johan neeskens]

No its just you and Belgian fan, ofcourse it will be disliked in Holland because Dutch clubs have been a disaster in it for a long time, if you don't like it then stop constantly talking about it.

You misunderstand Zippy. I care so little about the CL that if it were up to me Dutch clubs wouldn't be in it at all. I don't give a fiddler's fart about the stature of Dutch club football in Europe, I just want to see entertaining football. UEFA is robbing us of precisely that with the CL, and that's what bothers me and that's why I post on these threads.

[zippy85]

You misunderstand Zippy. I care so little about the CL that if it were up to me Dutch clubs wouldn't be in it at all. I don't give a fiddler's fart about the stature of Dutch club football in Europe, I just want to see entertaining football. UEFA is robbing us of precisely that with the CL, and that's what bothers me and that's why I post on these threads.
Whatever, you're just mad that the Dutch Clubs are unable to play the high standard of football needed to do well in Europe.

[johan neeskens]

Whatever, you're just mad that the Dutch Clubs are unable to play the high standard of football needed to do well in Europe.

No I'm not, not as long as a high standard of football equals boring predictable football. Let me ask you this Zippy: who would you be more entertained with at at a dinner table, Albert Einstein or Mrs Rooney.

[zippy85]

No I'm not, not as long as a high standard of football equals boring predictable football. Let me ask you this Zippy: who would you be more entertained with at at a dinner table, Albert Einstein or Mrs Rooney.
Awww, bless at your total denial.

[BocaFan]

Whatever, you're just mad that the Dutch Clubs are unable to play the high standard of football needed to do well in Europe.

You have to admit that most CL matches this week could not even match the intensity and importance of the Chelsea v MLS all-stars preseason challenge in 2007. :o