With the draw today, I figured it would be time to open up a thread for the CL. We can open up threads for specific games, so we can use this for news and everything else. I posted our group in the other thread, but here it is again: FC Barcelona Paris Saint-Germain FC AFC Ajax APOEL FC
I hope having a difficult group prepares us for the later rounds (if we go through), but I'll be furious if we don't get out of the group! @SportBoy333, you must be happy with Monaco's group. Hope you guys do well this season.
I dont want to dis Ajax but I looked at their roster and its mostly Scandinavian and Dutch players. No big names, they are a developmental club now. Should be able to beat them easily. Blanc will be fired if they finish 3rd or 4th and should be.
I hope you're right! I think we definitely have the better team, but they are the Eredivisie champions nonetheless, so we shouldn't underestimate them. With Zlatan getting older, I really feel like this year is our best chance to go far.
Wednesday September 17: Ajax - Paris Tuesday September 30: Paris - Barcelona Tuesday October 21: APOEL - Paris Wednesday November 5th: Paris - APOEL Tuesday November 25th: Paris - Ajax Wednesday December 10th: Barcelona - Paris
So Ajax won their last league game 2-1 against Heracles. It would have been better for us to go into the game with a win as well, but hopefully we can put the game against Rennes behind us and do our best in the CL. The big concern is our defense. Thiago Silva has returned to training this week (but he obviously won't be included in the team going to Amsterdam), while David Luiz and Aurier are both incertain. Hopefully David Luiz will be fit enough and he can resume playing alongside Marquinhos. Having Aurier available would also be good. I just hope no one returns until they are 100% ready.
Match day! I had to rush home from class to be able to watch the game. Anyone else going to be around? I'm really hoping for a win, but a draw wouldn't be the end of the world as long as we win at the Parc.
i'm going to watch the first half and hit the road to school myself ! hoping for a victory today just like Monaco did yesterday ! ALLEZ PARIS
It really would be nice for L1 teams to go far into the competition (especially us!). I hope we can top our group, but I'm not counting on it. For now, as long as we get out of the group stages, I'll be happy. Afterwards, I'd really like to get into the semis and at least get further than we did the past few years. I really hope our problems in defense aren't exposed. Thiago Silva should be back soon, so that should take some stress away in our upcoming CL games.
Starting XI from L'Equipe I'm glad David Luiz is back. I'm surprised and disappointed Pastore isn't starting. I don't think I would have started Lucas, but hopefully LB knows what he is doing. Allez Paris!
F**k this seriously. This is such an undeserved goal. If we go away with anything less than a win, I'll be livid. Ajax scores from a set piece after being dominated all game. What a joke.
Pastore and Lavezzi coming on for Verratti and Lucas. Um, I wouldn't take Verratti off, but hopefully it pays off. Lucas coming off makes sense though. He should have been substituted off a while ago. There's less than 10 minutes left, this is ridiculous.
1-1 This is a terrible result. I would have been satisfied with a draw away if we had been evenly matched throughout the game. However, with us dominating the game and the amount of chances created, this is really frustrating and unfair. Laurent Blanc with awful tactics. Lucas should have never started. He had a few really good chances that he wasted. I'm sure Ibra is going to have a word with him.
All games. ALL games away without a win. Three in the league and now one in the CL. I love Blanc as a player and I think he's a good coach for most L1 teams, but he's simply not doing nearly as well as he should with the team that he has. There was no reason Pastore should have been benched tonight.