football: the beautiful game

[Tisswat]

AC Milan (ITA) v FC Bayern München (GER)

PSV Eindhoven (NED) v Liverpool FC (ENG)

AS Roma (ITA) v Manchester United FC (ENG)

Chelsea FC (ENG) v Valencia CF (ESP)

[swisloc]

AC Milan (ITA) v FC Bayern München (GER)

PSV Eindhoven (NED) v Liverpool FC (ENG)

AS Roma (ITA) v Manchester United FC (ENG)

Chelsea FC (ENG) v Valencia CF (ESP)

liverpool and PSV again? as if the first two times around weren't enough. the Roma Man U matchup seems like it will be fun, though. i might just be pulling for Roma on that one (SORRY SUPERDUPERSANG! but i've got some attachment to certain italian players from when i was living there)... this is when it's nice to be american and not attached to any one side or another, and just watch some good football.

my predicitons:

AC Milan

Liverpool

Roma

Chelsea

as i said before, i just have this feeling about Roma...

[triniboy27]

Man U should be able to take Roma if they get healthy, i.e. Saha and Ole back.

They're going to be operating w/ a skeleton crew for the next 2 weeks but at least they have the 2 week int'l break coming up which'll give those 2 some time to get back.

[polishmike]

I'm happy with the draw. LFC plays both of the second legs at home which is huge. I think Chelsea will have more trouble with Valencia than Man U with Roma. I'm hoping for another historic final Roma vs. Liverpool. I'm already thinking of my trip to Athens in May

[RobbertJan]

ahh great psv is always very unlucky with the draw, i think all opponents are very hard but for psv it sucks to play l'pool again, like they used to play lyon a couple times in previous seasons, a new team is always more fun. + psv vs liverpool will probably be the most ugly match of the season, and i think líverpool will win.

[polishmike]

I think it will be a lot like Arsenal - PSV game. A lot of counter attacking and holding the ball. I don't expect many goals but you never know.

[Kasper]

AC Milan (ITA) v FC Bayern München (GER)

PSV Eindhoven (NED) v Liverpool FC (ENG)

AS Roma (ITA) v Manchester United FC (ENG)

Chelsea FC (ENG) v Valencia CF (ESP)

my prediction:

Bayern

Liverpool

Man utd

Valencia

honestly, i think Chelsea will probably make it pass Valencia, but i hate the fuckers so much, i hope they lose. and Valencia go a pretty decent team so it should be the best matches IMO. it's too late now, but next season, we should have a superfuture football fantasy league, it'll be really fun.

[RobbertJan]

great idea!^

i also have good hopes for valencia, they are a bunch of sneaking thieves in my humble opinion because they beat barca, but they have a good team, especially villa is a good player. and chelsea didn't look good against porto which i think is a bit similar to valencia. if it wasn't for robben's amazing goal..... it would've been very difficult for them. i agree with you mike, psv- l'pool will be sort of the same,and l'pool defend a lot better then arsenal

[swisloc]

honestly, i think Chelsea will probably make it pass Valencia, but i hate the fuckers so much, i hope they lose. and Valencia go a pretty decent team so it should be the best matches IMO. it's too late now, but next season, we should have a superfuture football fantasy league, it'll be really fun.

def. sufu football fantasy league. wait, is it even possible to have a fantasy league with football? how would a scoring system work? There aren't really all that many statistics...

[Kasper]

def. sufu football fantasy league. wait, is it even possible to have a fantasy league with football? how would a scoring system work? There aren't really all that many statistics...

it depends on the league, past few seasons i've been in a yahoo league with some friends and it was really fun, the scoring system is somewhat imperfect cause it relies a bit too much on offensive stats, but it's still really fun.

http://uk.premiership.fantasysports.yahoo.com/

that's where i use to play if you want to check out more about the scoring system.

[polishmike]

There is also an ESPN one for EPL. I'm doing it this year with few friends and it's very easy to do. We have to put some money on it othewise it's no fun.

[swisloc]

We have to put some money on it othewise it's no fun.

being superfuture, the prize should be denim.

[polishmike]

Sounds good to me. I think epl is the best league to do it but I'm open to la liga and serie A as well.

[Kasper]

Sounds good to me. I think epl is the best league to do it but I'm open to la liga and serie A as well.

also think the premiership would be the easiest, as it's the most followed league outside of Europe. la liga could be also cool, but here in canada, we don't really have access to that many games, i can catch probably the barca-madrid games on the tv, maybe the cup's final, but that's about it. La liga is pretty exciting, i wish i could get more games....

and i'm not really interested about doing Serie A, i hate italian football and don't really follow it (apart from the week-end review sunday night on the italian network).

[swisloc]

also think the premiership would be the easiest, as it's the most followed league outside of Europe. la liga could be also cool, but here in canada, we don't really have access to that many games, i can catch probably the barca-madrid games on the tv, maybe the cup's final, but that's about it. La liga is pretty exciting, i wish i could get more games....

and i'm not really interested about doing Serie A, i hate italian football and don't really follow it (apart from the week-end review sunday night on the italian network).

i agree, it's gotta be premiership i think just for the ease of following along.

if we did Serie A innevitably we'd end up trying to fix matches to win jeans.

[therealcas]

Didier Drogba.

The best striker in the game. period.

[evisu 2000]

haha no way. not even the best striker in the premiership...

[swisloc]

Didier Drogba.

The best striker in the game. period.

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????

i think you are wrong.

he isn't even the best striker on his team.

[therealcas]

Henry, Saha are better???

doubtful

[its swanny]

the three english teams and milan will go through.

united for the tr3ble!

[polishmike]

Didier Drogba.

The best striker in the game. period.

Maybe not in the game but I think Drogba is the best striker in the premiership right now. I hate that drag queen but I don't see a better one right now.

[RobbertJan]

^ henry when 100% is way better, drogba is a good striker but he lacks henry's finesse.

best strikers atm imo:

kanoute

ibrahimovic

afonso alves

totti (not really pure striker but he scores a lot lately)

[polishmike]

agree, henry is much better when he's fit. so is sheva and maybe even owen.

[swisloc]

^ henry when 100% is way better, drogba is a good striker but he lacks henry's finesse.

best strikers atm imo:

kanoute

ibrahimovic

afonso alves

totti (not really pure striker but he scores a lot lately)

what about Messi??? Eto'o??? (when healthy and happy of course) thought for sure you'd have mentioned them.

Premiership -

Henry

Saha

Sheva (having a crap season, but the body of work speaks for itself)

I also think Adebayor is going to be very good...too young to tell still, though.

[RobbertJan]

^ yeah messi, eto'o and ronaldinho would be the best attackers i could think off, but atm their all injured or just got back from a long one, though messi ofcourse back now with the hattrick against madrid!

[Tisswat]

RJ, did you just mention Afonso Alves amongst the best strikers in the world? No you didn't.. did you?

I'm going to be daft and predict..

FC Bayern München (GER)

PSV Eindhoven (NED)

AS Roma (ITA)

Chelsea FC (ENG)

If PSV has a fully fit squad, them beating Liverpool wouldn't surprise me.

[swisloc]

I'm going to be daft and predict..

FC Bayern München (GER)

PSV Eindhoven (NED)

AS Roma (ITA)

Chelsea FC (ENG)

If PSV has a fully fit squad, them beating Liverpool wouldn't surprise me.

that would make for a fun semis without the powerhouses of the last few years...might like to flip liverpool over PSV and Valencia over Chelsea, though...

[RobbertJan]

RJ, did you just mention Afonso Alves amongst the best strikers in the world? No you didn't.. did you?

at the moment he just got back from an injury, but this whole season i think he's been absolutely brilliant, ofcourse it's in the dutch league, but this guy does everything right, he scores the headers, the freekicks, the long distance shots, the dribbles, he's a complete striker and will be playing in one of the top teams in a short while if he keeps this level up.

[superdupersang]

for the semis, im saying liverpool, man u and chelsea.

but id say bayern munich, having beaten real madrid, will be looking to put one over milan, who looked shaky against celtic.

as for man u, losing rooney and saha would be abserlute traversty. and larson on the move again with only solkjaer and smith left, i simply cannot see it happening.

when we won the rteble, we had 4 recognized out and out stikers in andy cole, dwight yorke, solskjaer and teddy smith.

i think the high number of goals supplied by the midfield, esp ronaldo has lulled lord ferguson into a false sense of security regrading strikers, even in january, there were no big name signings or even rumours.

perhaps bring back rossi from on loan in italy, but thats a last resort.

anyway, will beckham play for england again?

i would have said no way after the world cup, but man of the match preformances cannot be overlooked.

[evisu 2000]

anyway, will beckham play for england again?

i would have said no way after the world cup

well if you look at it that way no one from the world cup squad should ever play for england again (; except for, i guess, hargreaves.