Champions League Last 16 which teams to play/avoid

PHB · 13-12-2007 12:07PM

Yeh, I do think that hard games make you more likely to win. But at the same time, easy draws have the same effect I think too. You just don't want inbetween, and I think Lyon are inbetween

Celtic I'd love. I think their whole really impressive home form is an utter myth, and I think United would utterly destroy them up there. I'd really like to draw them just for that, it'd be hilarious. Also you're ensured of qualification since they are absolutely shocking away from home.

yahoo_moe · 13-12-2007 03:03PM

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

Porto aside I'd take Real, or Barca if Henry is guaranteed to play and Arsenal are guaranteed to win.

It'd be some match... remember Juve and Vieira 2 years ago?

I think Arsenal would obviously like Porto most but the draw isn't everything - two years ago, we had to beat Real and Juve just to reach the semis but last year we lost to PSV in the last 16.

If Arsenal are to win it, I'd fully expect to have to beat three of the "top sides" anyway so I'm not ALL that pushed about when it happens. I think Real, for example, would be very beatable.

Eirebear · 13-12-2007 03:25PM

you lot must be delighted Rangers went out last night.........:o

chopperbyrne · 13-12-2007 03:31PM

Why?

el rabitos · 13-12-2007 03:33PM

dont think liverpool have to fear anyone tbh, we've lost 1 2leg match under rafa and 1 final in 3 years, not a bad record

sevilla are unbeaten in the uefa cup, swell.

would be delighted to get any of the spanish teams.

Eirebear · 13-12-2007 03:37PM

chopperbyrne wrote: »

Why?

sarcasm chopper..sarcasm

pd101 · 13-12-2007 04:39PM

United and Chelsea look like they'll get an easy enough tie. Liverpool and Arsenal should be kicking themselves for not topping two relatively week groups.

StickyMcGinty · 13-12-2007 05:17PM

KdjaCL wrote: »

With exception of Inter would expect pool to beat any of the others, crouch style football would beat them.

kdjac

I'd take Inter, they're always underachievers in europe. All other teams have much more european experience.

ziggy · 13-12-2007 06:17PM

This post has been deleted.

smemon · 13-12-2007 06:27PM

not too bothered who Utd get.. all easy enough home ties and you'd expect Utd to get something away from home against them all.

as for Celtic, probably Porto are most do-able. Celtic need a 1-0+ win at home though to stand any chance of going through. They cannot go away from home and win, and if all they need is a draw, well that won't happen as they can't hack the pressure.

keeping a clean sheet at home is vital for Celtic.

eirebhoy · 13-12-2007 07:58PM

According to some very smart Celtic fan:

Heres what I calculated based on the rules - and - assuming that all 'legal combinations' are equally likely.

I found 6176 possible draw combinations

Our chances of drawing each team worked out to be:

Man Utd 19.7%
Chelsea 18.8%
Inter Milan 13.4%
Porto 12.5%
Sevilla 12.5%
Real Madrid 11.5%
Barcelona 11.5%
AC Milan 0%

So that adds up to: English team: 38.5%, Spanish team: 35.5%, Neither: 26%

This seems at first glance to be skewed, but the reason the English teams are top is because they can't be drawn against Liverpool or Arsenal. And Inter are next because they can't be drawn against Roma.

The reason Man Utd are slightly more likely to be drawn against us, than Chelsea is to do with a minor 'domino effect' of an Italian team being second in Man Utd's group.

Obviously there isn't much between them but last season it was worked out that Celtic had the biggest chance of drawing Valencia or Milan. Coincidence or not they drew Valencia in the trial draw and Milan in the real draw.

I find it very interesting that even though there's 3 Spanish teams and 2 English teams in Pot 1, there's still more chance of Celtic drawing an English team.

Eirebear · 13-12-2007 08:11PM

eirebhoy wrote: »

According to some very smart Celtic fan:
.

LIAR!!

PauloMN · 14-12-2007 12:13AM

PHB wrote: »

Yeh, I do think that hard games make you more likely to win. But at the same time, easy draws have the same effect I think too. You just don't want inbetween, and I think Lyon are inbetween

Celtic I'd love. I think their whole really impressive home form is an utter myth, and I think United would utterly destroy them up there. I'd really like to draw them just for that, it'd be hilarious. Also you're ensured of qualification since they are absolutely shocking away from home.

Destroy them up there?

Like last season?

Shocking away from home indeed, still scored two in OT last season. What was that quote... "Ferdinand is a clown. He was a liability for the first goal and he is always a liability. It was Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink against Rio Ferdinand of Barclays Bank.". I don't like Dunphy much but that made me laugh.

Man Ure... bring 'em on!

d22ontour · 14-12-2007 12:27AM

It's the business end now and thinking what look like weak teams are favourable doesn't always work out that way.As was posted above anyway , to win it you will have to beat the cream of Europes finest so looking for a supposed weak team in the last 16 is irrelevent.

Lex Luthor · 14-12-2007 11:09AM

As a Liverpool fan, my first choice would be Real as I don't remember playing them in CL yet.

As for Lyon and they way everyone is putting them on a pedastel. I do not think they are as good as everyone thinks. If you remember last year, they were top of their group and everyone did not want to get them in the knockout stage. Then they came up against Roma who beat them who eventually got humiliated by Man U. They have just come 2nd in their group to Barca with just Rangers & Stuttgart below them so its not like they weren't expected to qualify.

bullpost · 14-12-2007 11:20AM

As a Chelsea fan would love to get Celtic, simply for the sense of occasion.

shane86 · 14-12-2007 11:22AM

PHB wrote: »

Yeh, I do think that hard games make you more likely to win. But at the same time, easy draws have the same effect I think too. You just don't want inbetween, and I think Lyon are inbetween

Celtic I'd love. I think their whole really impressive home form is an utter myth, and I think United would utterly destroy them up there. I'd really like to draw them just for that, it'd be hilarious. Also you're ensured of qualification since they are absolutely shocking away from home.

With opinions like this floating around, seeing Celtic knock Man U out early on would make my entire year.

And if they do, the above quote by PHB is going in my sig for at least a year

DSB · 14-12-2007 04:20PM

Celtic are by far the worst team left in the thing. Together with *******kos will be the 2 teams everyone wants.

Eirebear · 14-12-2007 04:45PM

As much as i want to see celtic get humped rotten in the next round.....under rate them and you could be in for a nasty surprise.

Melion · 14-12-2007 06:03PM

Id love for Liverpool to get Real, Inter or Sevilla. Real because we've never got a crack at them in the CL, Inter because they always blow up in the business end of the competition and Sevilla because i dont think they are the force they were for the last 2 years.

Dont think any teams wants to get us though.

Dont be at yourself · 15-12-2007 01:37AM

As a Chelsea fan would love to get Celtic, simply for the sense of occasion.

Yeah, I'd say Celtic would probably bottle it under the famous Stamford Bridge roar too!

d22ontour · 15-12-2007 01:43AM

Melion wrote: »

Dont think any teams wants to get us though.

Yeah i am sure all the managers/coaches/whatever would just study the 3 huge scoreline games and not the 1st 3 games of yore group.The most ph33red team in Europe are we ??

lol.

~Rebel~ · 15-12-2007 01:49AM

d22ontour wrote: »

Yeah i am sure all the managers/coaches/whatever would just study the 3 huge scoreline games and not the 1st 3 games of yore group.The most ph33red team in Europe are we ??

lol.

...well in all fairness pool have been in 2 finals in the past 3 years, so, yeah, one of them.

Personally hoping for Real Madrid or Seville. I've enough of Milan and Barca, and Im wary of Inter. Been wanting Rafa's Madrid battle for the last 3 years too.

d22ontour · 15-12-2007 02:07AM

Nobody has retained the CL in it's new guise so past endevours mean fook all tbh and that's what makes it even better for me.Nobody can dominate it 'so far' and i seriously doubt in the near future it will be either.Madrid got close with twice in 3 years but back to back is dominating and for me every year come 1/4 finals theres 6/7/8 teams that can win it and that's a great thing.Reaching a final is an achievement Millwall were happy with a few years back...

Mr Alan · 15-12-2007 03:46AM

Want Real. Would really enjoy that tie. As would Rafa and Torres.

PHB-your attitude to Celtic is pretty poor, and unfairly so, their home record in Europe really is outstanding, including games that really counted. You underestimate them, which you are, and you might just get a shock when celtic win 1-0 in Celtic Park and hold out for a nil all in OT. Obviously they would be a nice draw to get for ye, but they are no sure thing.

kinaldo · 15-12-2007 04:04AM

Mr Alan wrote: »

Want Real. Would really enjoy that tie. As would Rafa and Torres.

Torres has an abysmal record against Real. With Barca it was the complete opposite. With Rafa it's mixed.

eZe^ · 18-12-2007 11:53AM

I want Arsenal. Fed up with the whole "you were lucky in Paris" ****e I get from them every day.

Champions League Last 16 which teams to play/avoid

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