⚽ [POLL] FOOTBALL: UEFA Champions League 2023/24

[tokeweed]

RODRIIIIIIIIII

Edit:  LUKAKU DEFENDING FOR CITEH!!!  HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Edit:  Wow...  City won the treble.  A lot of people could say they're a money club but what they've done tonight, finally winning the UCL has made them immortal.  What a special moment.  

And come to think of it, I also watched the dramatic match when they first won the EPL around 12 years ago.  Time flies.  Wow...

Think I'm gonna sleep now.  Too drunk to watch UFC 289.

[JollyGood]

Well, well, Jolly, you certainly have your bets placed on Inter Milan, huh? I must say, you're quite bold with your prediction.

Yes I did have Inter Milan down to win this one quite comfortably but in the end Manchester City proved me wrong therefore congratulations to them. They have become the second English team to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season.

Edit:  LUKAKU DEFENDING FOR CITEH!!!  HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Lukaku ended up unwittingly defending for Manchester City when the ball basically was hit on his legs while he had no idea it was on target for the goal. Whether any Manchester City player would have saved it is another thing but Lukaku in the way of goal was sad to see. Inter Milan should have won the game early on when they had chances and also with the last kick of the game when the goal was saved but congratulations to Guardiola and Manchester City.

[tokeweed]

^  Yeah I was so drunk just laughing, throwing popcorn and posting on here with all caps.    And yes, there was the one that hit the bar too.  I think it's fair to say that City was lucky in that match but I think it's also fair to say that a little luck going a club's way is really needed to win a one match KO game. 

All in all there was a guy who said he wanted to see pens.  I think that would've been an epic ending too.

So...  Is Guardiola still City's manager next season?  Does anybody else think they could win another UCL title back to back?  :/

[Stepstowealth]

So...  Is Guardiola still City's manager next season?  Does anybody else think they could win another UCL title back to back?  :/

It is very possible that Pep guardiola can win the champions league again next season. This Manchester City side is a very strong team and can improve next season. Some players will leave the club but it will not stop them because if some of the first team players leave, there is a good replacement already on the bench or the coach knows an appropriate replacement to get. It will be tougher next season for them to beat teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG and other clubs that have an experience in winning the champions league too and are already getting ready for it, but Manchester City still stand a good chance.

[CLS63]

^  Yeah I was so drunk just laughing, throwing popcorn and posting on here with all caps.    And yes, there was the one that hit the bar too.  I think it's fair to say that City was lucky in that match but I think it's also fair to say that a little luck going a club's way is really needed to win a one match KO game.  

All in all there was a guy who said he wanted to see pens.  I think that would've been an epic ending too.

So...  Is Guardiola still City's manager next season?  Does anybody else think they could win another UCL title back to back?  :/

Manchester City were really lucky especially in the final moments of the match. Because Inter wasted huge goal chances. Lukaku was really funny in this match.    I wish Inzaghi didn't even sub him in. Dzeko would have still been more beneficial in the second half. First that horrible header targeting Ederson and after blocking the header of his teammate... I have no more words to say about Lukaku really.

Martinez and Calhanoglu are normally really important players for Inter but none of them was that much impressive here unfortunately. Manchester City won this title maybe but they had serious issues while defeating Inter. If Manchester City want to be a rival to Real Madrid about dominating the Champions League they had better play better in finals.  

[Igebotz]

^  Yeah I was so drunk just laughing, throwing popcorn and posting on here with all caps.    And yes, there was the one that hit the bar too.  I think it's fair to say that City was lucky in that match but I think it's also fair to say that a little luck going a club's way is really needed to win a one match KO game. 

All in all there was a guy who said he wanted to see pens.  I think that would've been an epic ending too.

So...  Is Guardiola still City's manager next season?  Does anybody else think they could win another UCL title back to back?  :/

Manchester City were really lucky especially in the final moments of the match. Because Inter wasted huge goal chances. Lukaku was really funny in this match.    I wish Inzaghi didn't even sub him in. Dzeko would have still been more beneficial in the second half. First that horrible header targeting Ederson and after blocking the header of his teammate... I have no more words to say about Lukaku really.

Dzeko took a knock and was obliged to come off for Lukaku; there was nothing the coach could do because Lukaku was the only option on the bench at the time. Lukaku is one of the worst headers I've seen; instead of sending it towards the GK, a better header like Giroud would land it on the far left of the post, not in the centre, where the GK was positioned.

I can't tell you how many times he blocked a ball going into the net while at Chelsea; he's always too sluggish to jumb, and he does it every time.

[Juggy777]

^  Yeah I was so drunk just laughing, throwing popcorn and posting on here with all caps.    And yes, there was the one that hit the bar too.  I think it's fair to say that City was lucky in that match but I think it's also fair to say that a little luck going a club's way is really needed to win a one match KO game.  

All in all there was a guy who said he wanted to see pens.  I think that would've been an epic ending too.

So...  Is Guardiola still City's manager next season?  Does anybody else think they could win another UCL title back to back?  :/

@tokeweed Pep had already confirmed well in advance that he was staying irrespective of the CL result but I feel that the new season could be his final season with City as he’s achieved everything with them. Furthermore I don’t believe that he can win it back to back because all the team’s are now strengthening themselves which will mean that it’ll be very difficult to defend their newly won CL title.

[JollyGood]

I think Inter Milan lost the match because of the general team play ethos rather than Lukaku being made the scapegoat. They gave all they had and almost won the game by taking the lead and have several shots saved on the line when they had chances to equalise and to take the game in to extra-time. I like the fact Lukaku took that shot between the legs of the Manchester City defender after he was running with the ball but the shot was far too wide. It was not easy for him to come on as substitute after an injury to Dzeko but I think he should probably have started the game.

For Chelsea, it is true Lukaku simply did not perform at all and while he was at Manchester United he scored the goals but his performances were criticised regularly. I have no idea why he was purchased by Chelsea while he was doing so well at Inter Milan because he did not seem a Tuchel player therefore maybe he was purchased by the sporting director against the wishes of Tuchel. Either way, it was a waste of time, effort and money by Chelsea.

Dzeko took a knock and was obliged to come off for Lukaku; there was nothing the coach could do because Lukaku was the only option on the bench at the time. Lukaku is one of the worst headers I've seen; instead of sending it towards the GK, a better header like Giroud would land it on the far left of the post, not in the centre, where the GK was positioned.

I can't tell you how many times he blocked a ball going into the net while at Chelsea; he's always too sluggish to jumb, and he does it every time.

[Igebotz]

I think Inter Milan lost the match because of the general team play ethos rather than Lukaku being made the scapegoat. They gave all they had and almost won the game by taking the lead and have several shots saved on the line when they had chances to equalise and to take the game in to extra-time. I like the fact Lukaku took that shot between the legs of the Manchester City defender after he was running with the ball but the shot was far too wide. It was not easy for him to come on as substitute after an injury to Dzeko but I think he should probably have started the game.

For Chelsea, it is true Lukaku simply did not perform at all and while he was at Manchester United he scored the goals but his performances were criticised regularly. I have no idea why he was purchased by Chelsea while he was doing so well at Inter Milan because he did not seem a Tuchel player therefore maybe he was purchased by the sporting director against the wishes of Tuchel. Either way, it was a waste of time, effort and money by Chelsea.

He's such a poor man, constantly taking the piss when his team loses, just like Harry Maguire, but I'm not making him a scapegoat, I'm just saying he's not the big stage game player, he's the kind of player that scores one goal out of every ten attempts on goal. And you are correct. Lukaku was never a Tuchel type of player; he wanted Halaand, but the board made screwed up and went for Lukaku instead, wasting €100 million on a dud.

He doesn't want to return to Chelsea, and Inter Milan isn't interested in signing him, so he's already in talks with a Saudi team about a move this summer.

[JollyGood]

Why did I not reply to this earlier? The football season is over, the new season has yet to begin but the previous season feels as though it ended years ago. I eagerly await for the new season to start. The Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and the European leagues will be coming soon  

Imagine if Chelsea signed Haaland instead of Lukaku, that alone would have almost guaranteed a top top 4 league position at the end of the season. Now Chelsea do not want him, Inter Milan cannot afford him so want to send him back to Chelsea rather than buy him therefore he could easily end up in the Saudi Pro League.

If Buffon, De Gea, Lukaku and a few other famous faces from European football join Ronaldo, N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, Koulibaly, Neves and Benzema it will only bring more light on to the Saudi Pro League. With the phenomenal amount of money involved it seems they will bankroll their way becoming an elite league within a short space of time.

He's such a poor man, constantly taking the piss when his team loses, just like Harry Maguire, but I'm not making him a scapegoat, I'm just saying he's not the big stage game player, he's the kind of player that scores one goal out of every ten attempts on goal. And you are correct. Lukaku was never a Tuchel type of player; he wanted Halaand, but the board made screwed up and went for Lukaku instead, wasting €100 million on a dud.

He doesn't want to return to Chelsea, and Inter Milan isn't interested in signing him, so he's already in talks with a Saudi team about a move this summer.

[JollyGood]

SEASON 2023/24

The next set of Champions League games will take place on Tuesday 3rd October 2023:

1. FC Union Berlin vs Braga
Red Bull Salzburg vs Real Sociedad
FC Copenhagen vs Bayern Munich
Inter Milan vs Benfica
Manchester United vs Galatasaray
Napoli vs Real Madrid
PSV Eindhoven vs Sevilla
RC Lens vs Arsenal

From the teams included in the games taking place it would seem Bayern Munich are probably the favourites. It remains to be seen if Arsenal and Manchester United will be able to make a serious impact. Arsenal won their previous game but Manchester United lost their game:

Arsenal 4-0 PSV Eindhoven 
Bayern Munich 4-3 Manchester United 

[JollyGood]

The day is here, the next set of Champions League games are taking place this evening. Arsenal travel to RC Lens with the safety net of accepting a draw because they already had a stunning victory in their first game and will probably qualify with ease.

If Manchester United fail to beat Galatasaray it will mean they will probably not qualify for the knockout stages and it would add further pressure on Ten Hag. Napoli vs Real Madrid is probably going to be a close game.

[Juggy777]

The day is here, the next set of Champions League games are taking place this evening. Arsenal travel to RC Lens with the safety net of accepting a draw because they already had a stunning victory in their first game and will probably qualify with ease.

If Manchester United fail to beat Galatasaray it will mean they will probably not qualify for the knockout stages and it would add further pressure on Ten Hag. Napoli vs Real Madrid is probably going to be a close game.

@JollyGood tonight is a massive game for Manchester United because we all know that failure to proceed to the next round means a huge financial loss and the Glazers hate losing money thus a defeat here could put Ten Hag closer to getting the sack. However I yet feel that Manchester United can turn it around and the injuries are not helping at all but I do believe that Ten Hag has improved this squad and therefore there’s yet hope for Manchester United.

[JollyGood]

These are the results from the games played today:

1. FC Union Berlin 2-3 Braga
Red Bull Salzburg 0-2 Real Sociedad
FC Copenhagen 1-2 Bayern Munich
Inter Milan 1-0 Benfica
Manchester United 2-3 Galatasaray
Napoli 2-3 Real Madrid
PSV Eindhoven 2-2 Sevilla
RC Lens 2-1 Arsenal

Napoli vs Real Madrid was a good game. The €103 million Real Madrid paid to Borussia Dortmund seems as though it is money well spent. When looking at add-ons and bonuses Borussia Dortmund will receive an additional €30 million. He scored again today.

@JollyGood tonight is a massive game for Manchester United because we all know that failure to proceed to the next round means a huge financial loss and the Glazers hate losing money thus a defeat here could put Ten Hag closer to getting the sack. However I yet feel that Manchester United can turn it around and the injuries are not helping at all but I do believe that Ten Hag has improved this squad and therefore there’s yet hope for Manchester United.

Who would have thought both Arsenal and Manchester United would lose their games today? Ten Hag looks as though he has lost the dressing room and should probably leave the club within the next few weeks. Arsenal took the lead but ended up losing the game but they have a win and three points in their group while Manchester United have lost both games and have zero points.

[JollyGood]

RESULTS:

Antwerp 2-3 Shakhtar Donetsk 
Atletico Madrid 3-2 Feyenoord
Borussia Dortmund 0-0 AC Milan 
Celtic 1-2 Lazio
Crvena Zvezda 2-2 BSC Young Boys Bern
FC Porto 0-1 Barcelona 
Newcastle United 4-1 Paris Saint-Germain
RB Leipzig 1-3 Manchester City

The teams gaining the most from difficult games today were Shakhtar Donetsk Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Newcastle United and Manchester City. PSG were taught a gaming lesson by Newcastle United today and Manchester City scored two late goals to win a difficult game away to RB Leipzig.

[JollyGood]

These are the next set of games taking place in the Champions League. These is a wait of just under two weeks before the games are played and when they do it is possible Manchester United will be eliminated at the group stage. Bayern Munich and Manchester City seem to be the strongest teams this season but things could change.

Tuesday 24th October 2023:
Galatasaray vs Bayern Munich
Inter Milan vs Red Bull Salzburg
1. FC Union Berlin vs Napoli
Benfica vs Real Sociedad
Braga vs Real Madrid
Manchester United vs FC Copenhagen
RC Lens vs PSV Eindhoven
Sevilla vs Arsenal

Wednesday 25th October 2023:
Barcelona vs Shakhtar Donetsk
Feyenoord vs Lazio
Antwerp vs FC Porto
BSC Young Boys Bern vs Manchester City
Celtic vs Atletico Madrid
Newcastle United vs Borussia Dortmund
Paris Saint-Germain vs AC Milan
RB Leipzig vs Crvena Zvezda

[JollyGood]

These are the results from the games played this week:

Wednesday 8th November
Napoli 1-1 1. FC Union Berlin 
Real Sociedad 3-1 Benfica 
Arsenal 2-0 Sevilla 
Bayern Munich 2-1 Galatasaray 
FC Copenhagen 4-3 Manchester United 
PSV Eindhoven 1-0 RC Lens 
Real Madrid 3-0 Braga 
Red Bull Salzburg 0-1 Inter Milan 

Tuesday 7th November
Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Newcastle United 
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 Barcelona 
AC Milan 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain 
Atletico Madrid 6-0 Celtic 
Crvena Zvezda 1-2 RB Leipzig 
FC Porto 2-0 Antwerp 
Lazio 1-0 Feyenoord 
Manchester City 3-0 BSC Young Boys Bern

[JollyGood]

These are the results of the games played today:

Lazio 2-0 Celtic  
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 Antwerp  
AC Milan 1-3 Borussia Dortmund  
BSC Young Boys Bern 2-0 Crvena Zvezda
Barcelona 2-1 FC Porto
Feyenoord 1-3 Atletico Madrid  
Manchester City 3-2 RB Leipzig  
Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Newcastle United

Mbappe scored from a penalty for PSG deep into time added-on otherwise the game was heading for a Newcastle away win.



Manchester City were losing 0-2 against RB Leipzig but won 3-2 at full-time.





I will try to post the Champions League tables after the games taking place tomorrow on Wednesday 29th November:

Galatasaray vs Manchester United
Sevilla vs PSV Eindhoven
Arsenal vs RC Lens
Bayern Munich vs FC Copenhagen
Benfica vs Inter Milan
Braga vs 1. FC Union Berlin
Real Madrid vs Napoli
Real Sociedad vs Red Bull Salzburg

[JollyGood]

These are the results of all the Champions League games that were played last week:

Wednesday 29th November
Galatasaray 3-3 Manchester United 
Sevilla 2-3 PSV Eindhoven
Arsenal 6-0 RC Lens 
Bayern Munich 0-0 FC Copenhagen
Benfica 3-3 Inter Milan 
Braga 1-1 1. FC Union Berlin 
Real Madrid 4-2 Napoli 
Real Sociedad 0-0 Red Bull Salzburg

Tuesday 28th November
Lazio 2-0 Celtic 
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 Antwerp 
AC Milan 1-3 Borussia Dortmund 
BSC Young Boys Bern 2-0 Crvena Zvezda 
Barcelona 2-1 FC Porto 
Feyenoord 1-3 Atletico Madrid 
Manchester City 3-2 RB Leipzig 
Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Newcastle United

[JollyGood]

Here are the final group games to be played today 13th December :

Crvena Zvezda vs Manchester City
RB Leipzig vs BSC Young Boys Bern
Antwerp vs Barcelona
Atletico Madrid vs Lazio
Borussia Dortmund vsParis Saint-Germain
Celtic vs Feyenoord
FC Porto vs Shakhtar Donetsk
Newcastle United vs AC Milan

These were the results from the Champions League games played yesterday 12th December:

PSV Eindhoven 1-1 Arsenal
RC Lens 2-1 Sevilla  
1. FC Union Berlin 2-3 Real Madrid  
FC Copenhagen 1-0 Galatasaray  
Inter Milan 0-0 Real Sociedad  
Manchester United 0-1 Bayern Munich  
Napoli 2-0 Braga  
Red Bull Salzburg 1-3 Benfica

These are the teams that have qualified to the knock stage from the top half of the table:

Group A: Bayern Munich and FC Copenhagen
Group B: Arsenal and PSV Eindhoven
Group C: Real Madrid and Napoli
Group D: Real Sociedad and Inter Milan