The 2019 CWC Statistical Kit has been released. Can't be much longer for the official rosters to be announced.
Yes - Liverpool really hurt themselves by not securing the win against Napoli. That said they will have to rotate a bit for the first game here just due to fixture congestion. I am looking forward to this.
Hello everyone. Here in Brazil we only talk about the FIFA Club World Cup. Flamengo was national champion and champion of Libertadores. In 1981 Flamengo beat Liverpool 3-0 at the Intercontinental Cup. PS: It's always good to remember that Flamengo was the 1981 Libertadores champion, but there is a story behind that title: in a playoff match for Libertadores between Atlético Mineiro and Flamengo, played in a neutral field, the match ended because referee José Roberto Wright sent off several Atlético Mineiro players and eliminating Atlético from the competition. Even in the 1980 Brasileirão final (also between the two teams), there was an expulsion of a player from Atlético Mineiro that was considered very doubtful. These facts created a great rivalry between the two teams during the 1980s. Anyway, stories apart, Flamengo today has a great team, but in a possible final against Liverpool, I believe it is difficult for Flamengo to win. But in football, everything happens, everything is possible. Greetings.
I don't know, though, that semifinal looks like it could be a real banana peel: we'll see if Al-Hilal don't screw up against Espérance first, but they're arguably the strongest West Asian squad I've ever seen in a Club World Cup.
Any word yet on how many Flamengo fans will make the trip? Given how success starved their fan base is for international titles I could see numbers similiar to Corinthians back in 2012. Not to mention their romance with the 1981 Intercontinental Cup and Liverpool's presence at the CWC: Turns out Flamengo have a song about beating us in the Club World Cup Final in 1981, revenge is needed as much as I respect Flamengo. 🔴 #Liverpool #Flamengo pic.twitter.com/Of0T9uS2BA— 𝕭𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖔𝖓 (@chillhoggy) November 22, 2019 Well, maybe a similar presence to Corinthians is a big ask - they had several months to plan their invasion of Japan. But still 15-20K? One thing is for certain, Qatar will get their "stress-testing".
Saudi's Al Ittihad also a had strong side at the 2005 CWC (back-to-back AFC CL winners). Still surprised they lost the third place match to Saprissa but then again those Morados were also no slouches. I agree the "Arab" quarterfinal is Al Hilal's to lose. Of course given the Saudi travel ban to Qatar for its citizens they will have close to zero fans at the stadium. Of course the reverse scenario propelled Qatar to Asian Cup victory in the UAE earlier this year, so maybe it serves as extra motivation.
Will be interesting to see what happens when Qatar plays Saudi in the Gulf Cup tomorrow... Al Sadd stadium is small, around 12,000 capacity only and will be packed with Tunisians most likely and the Qatari fans there will rally for them so it will almost be like a home match for Esperence. With that said, the vitriol is nowhere near the same on this side as it is the other way around... when UAE played the other day here, the crowd applauded their anthem and there were no shoes thrown, etc.. There is the odd Saudi / Al Hilal fans wondering around here too.... I think they see it more as a welcoming opportunity. But anyway politics aside, I do really want to see a Al Sadd vs Al Hilal 3rd place rematch + Liverpool vs Flamengo final - that would be something!
The numbers of fans are still unknown. Some journalists say they have already bought 10, others 15k. Flamengo fans are the biggest fans in Brazil, so surely many fans will go. But I don't know if there will be as many fans as the "Corinthian Invasion" in 2012. haha I suppose Liverpool fans want revenge on 1981. It's a matter of honor. The season in Brazil ends in December. If Flamengo wins the CWC, it ends the season extremely happy. If lose it, it will be a bitter taste.
I don't think they want "revenge" from the outset. This is a trophy Liverpool haven't won. So they want to win for sure. If the final is Liverpool and Flamengo - then yes there could be an element of "revenge" but first and foremost it will be to win.
Is it 12K or 15K? I have seen both numbers. Either way, too small for the quarterfinal double-header. Someone from Al Sadd must have lobbied the Qatari FA hard for the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium (for maximum home field advantage?) It may not be mentioned much in the English/European media, but Liverpool are by far the biggest European club to not have a club world title to its name. Five UCL/EC titles meant five opportunities to become world champions: 1977 Liverpool declined to participate 1978 Liverpool and Boca Juniors declined to play each other 1981 Loss to Flamengo (3:0) 1984 Loss to Independiente (1:0) 2005 Loss to Sao Paulo (1:0) Two of Liverpool's titles came when the Intercontinental Cup was nearly discontinued (before its relocation to Japan) but that's still three attempts to date. The next one in line would probably be Benfica: 1961 Loss to Penarol (3 matches) 1962 Loss to Santos (2 matches) Nottingham Forrest only tried once (a 1:0 loss to Uruguay's Nacional in 1980)
Ahh.. my bad, it's 15,000. The new Duhail Stadium is 12,000. Honestly, I dread matches at Al Sadd.... it's located in the middle of a residential neighborhood with nothing but tiny streets connecting it to the main road (which are sometimes closed when you need them most), parking is a nightmare, and it's the one stadium I have been locked out of for. Seeing the crowds Qatar is getting for the Gulf Cup, if they rally behind Al Sadd like they are the national team, it's going to be a massive mess... The held the Italian Supercoppa twice there, and PSG vs Inter... games sold out in minutes and for the Champions League semifinal Al Sadd vs Al Hilal, was overfull and genuine ticket holders like myself couldn't even get in. Anyway, I do think though given the balance between the teams competing, that quarterfinal double header could be some of the tightest matches played...
I would take an Uber and walk the last stretch (not an issue in December). That's what I do when I expect a mess at a sports event or concert here in the UAE. The 2019 CWC squad lists have been released
The Gulf nation will become the first from the Arab world to host a football World Cup, breaking with tradition with a winter kick-off as it looks to avoid the scorching summer heat. "The Russian World Cup was the best ever, and the World Cup in 2022 has to be even better," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in Qatar.
Croatia made it pretty good, but I'm not sure about best ever. People will be adding asterisks to club results in 2022-2023, since many games will be played without stars since they'll be prepping for the WC, and most leagues will not suspend operations early enough to avoid their absence.
Far be it from me to defend Infantino...but, you tell me a World Cup that was better start-to-finish than Russia 2018.
Gotta agree with Paul here Sure, *I* might think 2006 was better (and it obviously was because I was there and it mattered a lot to me finally seeing Australia in the finals after so many near misses) but I can't think of a real reason why he would be unjustified in making this claim. It certainly isn't a laughable claim. J
There wasn’t anything wrong with Russia 2018 (besides maybe VAR overkill), but I just found it funny how Infantino considered the one WC held during his tenure as superior to the other 20 that occurred. As for your question of which cup was better, I can’t necessarily answer because I didn’t experience the majority of them. My first recollection of actively following the WC was in France 98, which was a fantastic tournament. Germany 2006 was also excellent, both in terms of quality of football and as an overall event for fans to attend. I watched some of 94, but I was too young to analyze it fairly. 2018 was definitely better than 2002 (which was terrible due to the South Korean reffing corruption and the snoozefest final) and 2010, that’s for sure. 2014 was maybe a tier below Russia, but had the excitement of numerous huge upsets (ie Spain, England, Portugal, Italy going home before knockouts; Costa Rica wowing the world) In the end it’s a matter of personal opinion and there isn’t much sense in comparing WCs as each of them had its own things going on. I just found Infantino’s claim comical for the reason mentioned at the beginning of this post
It would also depend on the criteria one uses to determine "best ever". 1982 was the first World Cup I followed and, for me, Mexico '86 has remained the one I enjoyed most despite it having two taboos for my liking: Third place teams advancing from the group stage and 3/4 of the quarterfinals decided on penalties.
That's all.....very interesting, except the Club World Cup (the subject of this thread) has been a regular guest in the Arab world. Six times to be precise. 4 x UAE and 2 x Morocco. The relevant thread for the Qatar Word Cup in 2022 is here.
Espérance are celebrating their centenary this year. How does that stack up to other participants? Here is the ranking as per year of foundation: 1. Liverpool (1892; 127 yrs) 2. Flamengo (1895; 124 yrs) 3. Espérance (1919; 100 yrs) 4. Monterrey (1945; 74 yrs) 5. Al Hilal (1957; 62 yrs) 6. Al Sadd (1969; 50 yrs) 7. Hienghene (1997; 22 yrs) Flamengo were initially just a rowing club until 1912.
Oh yes. And what makes it even cooler for me is that Gustavo Cuéllar was a solid rock for Flamengo the last few seasons in the midfield.... ...until he was sold last transfer window to Al-Hilal. That could get a bit interesting (and awkward for him). From what I hear he was a fan favorite in midfield. Now he will be their enemy. He will probably give tips to his teammates how to handle some of their players. Hypothetically if they face each other of course. Can't count the chickens as they say.