⚽UEFA Champions League Discussion Thread -- 2021/22 winner - Real Madrid!

[blue Snow]

Anything can happen, it's not a given that Inter will lose these matches. Think back to Ajax, who were tearing things up when no one believed in them. The Champions League doesn't loom on the horizon, but I think it's safe to bet that both teams will score. But that's my opinion. Italy's tika-taka can easily beat Liverpool

When look Liverpool lose versus Leicester where is the trading topic, this means Inter can do make them lose also. But, in 2 months, Liverpool surely make a big change for the situation. I'm really sure, Liverpool can make adversity in San Siro (Giuseppe Meazza) as they did in round 16, 2008 win 0-1, at that time inter have Ibrahimovic and Cruz, while Liverpool have Torres where he did a goal and Gerard as Captain.

[Red Pie]

Anything can happen, it's not a given that Inter will lose these matches. Think back to Ajax, who were tearing things up when no one believed in them. The Champions League doesn't loom on the horizon, but I think it's safe to bet that both teams will score. But that's my opinion. Italy's tika-taka can easily beat Liverpool

If it's not a problem for Liverpool, I don't think Liverpool will be a team that can be beaten "easily".  I hope that there will not be a situation where Tottenham, whose many players are infected due to the coronavirus, is forfeited due to the fact that they did not play in the Rennes match.  Because the Inter-Liverpool match will be a high quality match.  On the one hand, Italy's leading team Inter, on the other hand, Liverpool, one of the best quality teams in the Premier League.  It will be like the Champions League final.  It will be very enjoyable to watch this match.  We will watch a better match especially when both teams are on the field with all their players.

[Woodie]

Anything can happen, it's not a given that Inter will lose these matches. Think back to Ajax, who were tearing things up when no one believed in them. The Champions League doesn't loom on the horizon, but I think it's safe to bet that both teams will score. But that's my opinion. Italy's tika-taka can easily beat Liverpool

When look Liverpool lose versus Leicester where is the trading topic, this means Inter can do make them lose also. But, in 2 months, Liverpool surely make a big change for the situation. I'm really sure, Liverpool can make adversity in San Siro (Giuseppe Meazza) as they did in round 16, 2008 win 0-1, at that time inter have Ibrahimovic and Cruz, while Liverpool have Torres where he did a goal and Gerard as Captain.

As much as this might sound easy for one to say football is a game played on the pitch and not some kind of mathematical equation either.
Liverpool are a beatable team of course but to belittle them because Leicester beat them does not make them weak opponents, the champions league is a different ball game altogether and i think these guys are still favorites for this fixture and i see them winning as well.

[hahay]

Anything can happen, it's not a given that Inter will lose these matches. Think back to Ajax, who were tearing things up when no one believed in them. The Champions League doesn't loom on the horizon, but I think it's safe to bet that both teams will score. But that's my opinion. Italy's tika-taka can easily beat Liverpool

If it's not a problem for Liverpool, I don't think Liverpool will be a team that can be beaten "easily".  I hope that there will not be a situation where Tottenham, whose many players are infected due to the coronavirus, is forfeited due to the fact that they did not play in the Rennes match.  Because the Inter-Liverpool match will be a high quality match.  On the one hand, Italy's leading team Inter, on the other hand, Liverpool, one of the best quality teams in the Premier League.  It will be like the Champions League final.  It will be very enjoyable to watch this match.  We will watch a better match especially when both teams are on the field with all their players.

Yes, the spread of covid is still worrying so far even though the league is still rolling and I hope this spread can be quickly resolved. Because if the situation is still like this, I'm just worried that the teams that play in UCL are not in good condition because it's possible that one of the players, staff and coaches may be infected. As it is now, from one of the news that I got that Klopp was unable to accompany Liverpool in today's EPL match against Chelsea because Klopp was identified as having Covid. Cases like that are certainly a concern, because if it happened to a team competing in UCL then it would have a bad impact on the team itself and of course very unfortunate.

[KTChampions]

I think that Inter will play defense and counterattack, not ball control, no Tiki-Taka. To control the ball, the pressure of your lines must be very high, this is ideal for Liverpool which loves open football and here it will definitely beat Inter. In this scenario, the score could be 6-3 in favor of Liverpool. Inter chances is a defensive play where the defensive line is as low as possible and plays securely, the midfield mostly destroying and waiting for their chance to attack.

Sad to add this, but besides strategy I also think that Corona could play an important factor indeed. Nobody knows what's going to happen within the next couple of weeks and I really expect some bad decisions need to be made by UEFA. Both Inter and Liverpool literally have the same offense/defense statistics right now with +34 goals in their favor each. Besides Madrid vs Atletico this is also sort of a preliminary final.

Do you mean Real Madrid - PSG?
As for the virus, Liverpool is clearly in a better position - judging by the news from the EPL there is already a peak of the new wave, so by the first playoff matches the probability that this whole story will end is very high. While other European clubs (including Inter) may still suffer from this.

[Daniel91]

We are already in 2022 and there is a one-and-a-half-month time period left for the games of the next stage to start. The games that I'm looking forward to watching are between PSG and Real Madrid of course. This is really no different than a final matchup in the Champions League. Because these teams both are doing a great job here and in their own domestic leagues. They are really dominating their leagues right now. I haven't seen Real Madrid this powerful for some years. Although I'm favouring PSG to advance, Real Madrid would also be able to advance and it wouldn't be surprising.

I agree and it is actually a shame and an injustice that one of the favorites to win the Champions League will drop out of the competition at such an early stage.
It seems to me that most commentators here think that PSG is a better and stronger team and that Real has less chance of winning but I disagree with that opinion.
PSG has a really great team but they also have serious problems.
It's no secret that Messi, Mbappe and Neymar do not like to play in defense, and that they often just walk around the center of the field and wait for the ball to go on the attack.
Sometimes it seems that PSG has three players less in defense which is not a problem when they play against weaker teams but it is a serious problem when they play against top teams like Manchester City, as we could see last year.
Also, there are rumors that relationships within the team and between players and coaches are not ideal.
Personally, I think Real is currently a more complete and better team than PSG.

[Swordsoffreedom]

I agree and it is actually a shame and an injustice that one of the favorites to win the Champions League will drop out of the competition at such an early stage.
It seems to me that most commentators here think that PSG is a better and stronger team and that Real has less chance of winning but I disagree with that opinion.
PSG has a really great team but they also have serious problems.
It's no secret that Messi, Mbappe and Neymar do not like to play in defense, and that they often just walk around the center of the field and wait for the ball to go on the attack.
Sometimes it seems that PSG has three players less in defense which is not a problem when they play against weaker teams but it is a serious problem when they play against top teams like Manchester City, as we could see last year.
Also, there are rumors that relationships within the team and between players and coaches are not ideal.
Personally, I think Real is currently a more complete and better team than PSG.

I agree with you on the PSG vs Real part. Most people will think that PSG will win the matchup easily as they have a better attack. 
Yes, they do have a better attacking trio but it is also true that Real has one of the best midfield trios, and Alaba and Militao has become a wall in the defense for them.

PSG have a better attacking trio but Real have a very well-rounded balanced team. But it sucks to see one of these two get eliminated at such an early stage. Apart from these two, Man City and Bayern seem like real solid teams to me.

[Raflesia]

I agree with you on the PSG vs Real part. Most people will think that PSG will win the matchup easily as they have a better attack. 
Yes, they do have a better attacking trio but it is also true that Real has one of the best midfield trios, and Alaba and Militao has become a wall in the defense for them.

PSG have a better attacking trio but Real have a very well-rounded balanced team. But it sucks to see one of these two get eliminated at such an early stage. Apart from these two, Man City and Bayern seem like real solid teams to me.

There will always be a lot compared to PSG and Real Madrid, both clubs are very big with lots of talented players, so this will be proven in the champions league who is stronger to stay afloat even though we have the best trio of players we have to look at other teams who are better solid from PSG and Real Madrid so the UCL competition is not easy for us to predict at this time the game can change even though they have talented players.
But indeed we see how Bayern, who always win big in their UCL, indicates that they are solid and are likely to be the reigning champions this season.

[mv1986]

I think that Inter will play defense and counterattack, not ball control, no Tiki-Taka. To control the ball, the pressure of your lines must be very high, this is ideal for Liverpool which loves open football and here it will definitely beat Inter. In this scenario, the score could be 6-3 in favor of Liverpool. Inter chances is a defensive play where the defensive line is as low as possible and plays securely, the midfield mostly destroying and waiting for their chance to attack.

Sad to add this, but besides strategy I also think that Corona could play an important factor indeed. Nobody knows what's going to happen within the next couple of weeks and I really expect some bad decisions need to be made by UEFA. Both Inter and Liverpool literally have the same offense/defense statistics right now with +34 goals in their favor each. Besides Madrid vs Atletico this is also sort of a preliminary final.

Do you mean Real Madrid - PSG?
As for the virus, Liverpool is clearly in a better position - judging by the news from the EPL there is already a peak of the new wave, so by the first playoff matches the probability that this whole story will end is very high. While other European clubs (including Inter) may still suffer from this.

My bad, thanks for the correction. Yes, I was referring to Real Madrid - PSG of course. Both the games are preliminary finals in a sense. Well, it is said that the wave is about to peak (or is peaking right now), but honestly, the one thing we have all learned from this pandemic that is beyond doubt true, is the fact that nothing can be reliably predicted Sad to say that, but it is what it is. There might be the next variant underway already...

[laurenB7742]

Anything can happen, it's not a given that Inter will lose these matches. Think back to Ajax, who were tearing things up when no one believed in them. The Champions League doesn't loom on the horizon, but I think it's safe to bet that both teams will score. But that's my opinion. Italy's tika-taka can easily beat Liverpool

If it's not a problem for Liverpool, I don't think Liverpool will be a team that can be beaten "easily".  I hope that there will not be a situation where Tottenham, whose many players are infected due to the coronavirus, is forfeited due to the fact that they did not play in the Rennes match.  Because the Inter-Liverpool match will be a high quality match.  On the one hand, Italy's leading team Inter, on the other hand, Liverpool, one of the best quality teams in the Premier League.  It will be like the Champions League final.  It will be very enjoyable to watch this match.  We will watch a better match especially when both teams are on the field with all their players.

Yes, the spread of covid is still worrying so far even though the league is still rolling and I hope this spread can be quickly resolved. Because if the situation is still like this, I'm just worried that the teams that play in UCL are not in good condition because it's possible that one of the players, staff and coaches may be infected. As it is now, from one of the news that I got that Klopp was unable to accompany Liverpool in today's EPL match against Chelsea because Klopp was identified as having Covid. Cases like that are certainly a concern, because if it happened to a team competing in UCL then it would have a bad impact on the team itself and of course very unfortunate.

Actually, COVID has had a very bad effect on the game overall. If a major player of a team is affected by COVID it will definitely affect their gameplay on the pitch as they are lacking an important player on the field.

Yes, Klopp situation can be a good example in this case. He was not available on the dug out in that game and, One can easily see that it affected their game somewhat as a coach's direction is really important on the pitch. All I can say is that, We hope that COVID doesn't become a barrier in Liverpool’s success or any team’s success.

[RealMalatesta]

the spread of covid is still worrying so far even though the league is still rolling and I hope this spread can be quickly resolved. Because if the situation is still like this, I'm just worried that the teams that play in UCL are not in good condition because it's possible that one of the players, staff and coaches may be infected. As it is now, from one of the news that I got that Klopp was unable to accompany Liverpool in today's EPL match against Chelsea because Klopp was identified as having Covid. Cases like that are certainly a concern, because if it happened to a team competing in UCL then it would have a bad impact on the team itself and of course very unfortunate.

I do not know what can be done about it, it is a disease and it is a virus that spreads like wildfire and it has been nearly 2 full years with it and we still can't figure out how to fix it. Last season was a lot better, but we are not doing anything different this year compared to last season, for some reason this season players are getting covid a lot more faster than last season, probably due to new variant being easier to spread as well.

I have to say that there is a good chance we could end up with postponing the whole season once again like we did in 2020. That year we gave a break for a while, then came back to finish once again with no one in the stadium and I am fearing that the same thing could happen again.

[mv1986]

the spread of covid is still worrying so far even though the league is still rolling and I hope this spread can be quickly resolved. Because if the situation is still like this, I'm just worried that the teams that play in UCL are not in good condition because it's possible that one of the players, staff and coaches may be infected. As it is now, from one of the news that I got that Klopp was unable to accompany Liverpool in today's EPL match against Chelsea because Klopp was identified as having Covid. Cases like that are certainly a concern, because if it happened to a team competing in UCL then it would have a bad impact on the team itself and of course very unfortunate.

I do not know what can be done about it, it is a disease and it is a virus that spreads like wildfire and it has been nearly 2 full years with it and we still can't figure out how to fix it. Last season was a lot better, but we are not doing anything different this year compared to last season, for some reason this season players are getting covid a lot more faster than last season, probably due to new variant being easier to spread as well.

I have to say that there is a good chance we could end up with postponing the whole season once again like we did in 2020. That year we gave a break for a while, then came back to finish once again with no one in the stadium and I am fearing that the same thing could happen again.

I guess this will all come down to the development of Covid during the next weeks and possible new, more aggressive variants. The biggest problem for the international competitions is the traveling. Did you read the news about the scientists at the polar station? They were PCR tested two times before and during their journey. They stopped in Africa and all got into quarantine. Then tested again. Then flew to the polar station and boom, several infections. Now there are emergency doctors taking care of them. So even when you are extremely careful, traveling is one of the greatest risks to get infected.

[VanityWallets2015]

Especially with this new virus and the new variant. Infections just keep coming. That will certainly affect the Champions League. How would they deal with that if there were too many infections? The interests are immense, you can't just postpone a match on the same day. Just think, for example, of all the supporters who have bought a ticket. But there is no other solution. Keeping everyone in a quarantine environment would still be possible, but there is no time for that.

[baeva]

Anything can happen, it's not a given that Inter will lose these matches. Think back to Ajax, who were tearing things up when no one believed in them. The Champions League doesn't loom on the horizon, but I think it's safe to bet that both teams will score. But that's my opinion. Italy's tika-taka can easily beat Liverpool

Nothing is easy, Liverpool are a mentally strong team in the Champions League and they are not easy to beat. Both teams have equal chances of trying to win the match in 2 legs away and home, so there is nothing wrong with optimism but never overlook the fact that every team is equally eager to qualify for the next round.

The Champions League will start in February, so we will just have to wait to see if the match can be played or not, given the cases of COVID-19 infection, it is not yet predictable when it will end.

I agree with Liverpool's strong morale, but you have to judge a team by its strength first, and then by its attitude. About the epidemic I agree with you, EPL matches are often even postponed, I have not seen such a frequency before, I hope the Champions League will not be affected, otherwise they will even think of technical defeat for one of the teams...

[Woodie]

Especially with this new virus and the new variant. Infections just keep coming. That will certainly affect the Champions League. How would they deal with that if there were too many infections? The interests are immense, you can't just postpone a match on the same day. Just think, for example, of all the supporters who have bought a ticket. But there is no other solution. Keeping everyone in a quarantine environment would still be possible, but there is no time for that.

Talking of the virus what are the chances that Uefa could call off these games or competition to prevent further  spread of the virus...we have seen how most league games have been stopped out to protect the players from further spread and the bad part of all this is no obe is safe even for those that are vaccinated. I guess mandatory vaccination should be tabled to protect the players we have and to allow for other domestic leagues to go on.
If it happens that this is the way we hare going

[judas]

It seems like Ajax have a big chance ahead to be able to qualify for the quarter finals. Because in my opinion, Benfica are not powerful enough to eliminate Ajax from the current round. I think that it is quite probable for seeing Ajax to beat Benfica in both games of the draw. Normally, Benfica didn't deserve this round. But Barcelona's really poor performance in the group stage carried them here. And we all know how great Ajax were in the group stage.

[mv1986]

It seems like Ajax have a big chance ahead to be able to qualify for the quarter finals. Because in my opinion, Benfica are not powerful enough to eliminate Ajax from the current round. I think that it is quite probable for seeing Ajax to beat Benfica in both games of the draw. Normally, Benfica didn't deserve this round. But Barcelona's really poor performance in the group stage carried them here. And we all know how great Ajax were in the group stage.

This could actually be true. Benfica isn't performing that bad in the league, but they usually don't lack behind in the table and now Sporting is in the position that Benfica used to be. I would still say it is not a clear cut case. It is rather a 60:40 game for Ajax. As we have seen Ajax can also lose games against much weaker opponents even in home games.

[Newlifebtc]

It seems like Ajax have a big chance ahead to be able to qualify for the quarter finals. Because in my opinion, Benfica are not powerful enough to eliminate Ajax from the current round. I think that it is quite probable for seeing Ajax to beat Benfica in both games of the draw. Normally, Benfica didn't deserve this round. But Barcelona's really poor performance in the group stage carried them here. And we all know how great Ajax were in the group stage.

They are a very great side@ Ajax few seasons ago, I could tell how well they did to Real Madrid.
Having a mutual relationship between the midfielder's and attackers that links up so we'll.
Benfica are also a good team, but don't stand out when it comes to Champions...can they make a change ?
I would love to see that.

[blue Snow]

It seems like Ajax have a big chance ahead to be able to qualify for the quarter finals. Because in my opinion, Benfica are not powerful enough to eliminate Ajax from the current round. I think that it is quite probable for seeing Ajax to beat Benfica in both games of the draw. Normally, Benfica didn't deserve this round. But Barcelona's really poor performance in the group stage carried them here. And we all know how great Ajax were in the group stage.

Still have 1 month for Benfica to prepare the squad. In the last match, they lost with many different goals 3 and 2 goals versus the same team Porto. The win with 7-1 versus Maritimo is not enough the squad have comfortable when against a strong club (Porto). Especially against a club with have perfect points (Ajax) in the Amsterdam arena. hold in a draw is also a hard mission for them.

[doomloop]

It seems like Ajax have a big chance ahead to be able to qualify for the quarter finals. Because in my opinion, Benfica are not powerful enough to eliminate Ajax from the current round. I think that it is quite probable for seeing Ajax to beat Benfica in both games of the draw. Normally, Benfica didn't deserve this round. But Barcelona's really poor performance in the group stage carried them here. And we all know how great Ajax were in the group stage.

Still have 1 month for Benfica to prepare the squad. In the last match, they lost with many different goals 3 and 2 goals versus the same team Porto. The win with 7-1 versus Maritimo is not enough the squad have comfortable when against a strong club (Porto). Especially against a club with have perfect points (Ajax) in the Amsterdam arena. hold in a draw is also a hard mission for them.

In current season Ajax is very prepared enough for having some good distance into this UEFA Champions League so Benfica already done enough from their strength because they were lucky enough to be in knock out stage due to Barcelona bad time in last few weeks currently they are 3rd into their local league with very tough time to having some more points for challenging two leaders Sporting and Porto, so I am feeling they will easily out from here and try to have some better form in league because here they already achieve more than having quality and skills. Ajax has some good chance for having spot into last four with their current form even it's all just prediction but still a quality team.